Skip to main content

Legal Absinthe for all to consume


You can get Absinthe in the US but you have to order it from Europe and get it shipped here at ridiculous prices and wait for a long time. This is widely regarded as a "pain in the ass."

Lucid Absinthe is set to begin shipping next month to locations throughout the US. They were able to pass regulatory muster by getting rid of all the thujone (the banned ingredient) in their product. However, they were able to use certain European herbs in order to make up for the taste difference.

So, you can finally bring Absinthe to the party and be the toast of the ball. One of the unintended side-effects of Absinthe coming to the US though, will be a significant reduction in posts from Liquor Snob, they can't seem to keep their hands off the stuff.

Keep an eye on their site for a liquor store selling it near you.

Lucid Absinthe - US$59.95

Edit: Erik added some comments that fleshed out the Thujone issue as well as some Absinthe background.
Labels:

Comments

erik.ellestad said…
To be a stickler, this isn't accurate:

"They were able to pass regulatory muster by getting rid of all the
thujone (the banned ingredient) in their product. However, they were
able to use certain European herbs in order to make up for the taste
difference."

They were able to "pass regulatory muster" by getting the TTB to recognize a 10 PPM margin of error for Thujone content. That is to say, as long as an Absinthe contains less than 10 PPM of Thujone, it can be considered to have none.

Thujone doesn't have much taste, so they didn't need to do anything for that.

They did need to choose their herbs carefully and during certain seasons, so the Thujone content was lower.

But, Thujone content in Absinthe is a complete red herring.

Thujone is not an hallucinogenic drug, and was probably not responsible for any of the "problems" people may have experienced after drinking pre-ban Absinthe.

In large doses Thujone is nominally toxic; but, the levels of toxicity are lower than that of caffeine or alcohol.

Also, tests have been done on pre-ban Absinthe samples, and determined that the Thujone content in them was typically not very high.

Some people do experience some secondary effects from Absinthe consumption; but, they are more like caffeine than pot or LSD. Elevated alertness, clarity of mental function, a mild buzz.

Tests have yet to determine the
exact substances responsible for these effects.
11:20 AM
Anonymous said…
Due to some successful lobbying on the part of the distributor of Lucid, "thujone free" has been administratively redefined from the prior standard of <1ppm to a much higher <10ppm in the finished product. Many traditionally made absinthes fall within this range; though I'm not aware of any specific products other than Lucid that have been announced, the word on the street is that at least two others have gone through the approval process successfully.
12:49 PM
Kers said…
My Bottle is arriving tomorrow.
I'll let you know...
10:46 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mixology Monday 7 - Gang Grape: The Second Pressing

I'm hosting the August version of Mixology Monday. You might say to yourself "Rick, August is a long way off. Tell me at the end of July." To this I say, "No." This coming weekend is the 4th of July. Then you'll be on vacation or something. Then you'll have that thing. Next thing you know, it'll be August. So, I warn you now. It's coming. It'll be here before you know it. So write about the topic and let me know and we'll post it on Mixology Monday. If you're looking for a way to promote your blog, this is a good way to do it. Topic: Grape drinks (Not wine). A pretty broad topic. It could be about Cognac, or Sherry, or something that only you may know about and want to share with us. BRING IT ON!
2 comments
Read more

Mx Monday - Grapes

Well, I waited until the last minute of Monday (Pacific Time) to wait for all the entries for this Mixology Monday and I'm glad I did! I was thinking of going through all of them and commenting on the post with a rating or something like "Here's a sucky post about Cognac" but then decided that would wear me out. I'm very fragile. Over at "Interesting Thing of the Day" Joe talks about Coffee, Grapa, and Friendship Yay! Jimmy makes a Fog Cutter! Go Sherry! Okay, Grape Vodka isn't great by itself in my opinion. But Barbie2Be makes a Grape-tini that looks simply yummy. That's right, I said it. Yummy. Man it's hot. I sure could use a drink, something refreshing yet good for my urinary tract. Marleigh at Sloshed! comes through with Deep Purple Punch . Darcy, The Royalty of All That Is Alcohol at The Art of the Drink, brought out a zinger with the Broken Spur Cocktail Haalo spends a little time telling us more about Brandy and mixing it wi...
1 comment
Read more

New Absinthe's on the market

Only 8 months after real absinthe has become legalized in the U.S., the importers and overseas producers have really started taking advantage of the buzz and mystique that absinthe holds and launching like crazy here. With more absinthe launches than vodka lately, it may not be long until the brands are just as gimmicky. Three new absinthe's have launched this week in hopes of garnering early market share in a soon-to-be-crowded market. La Fee Absinthe Parisienne is made in Paris and has been around for a while as it's been sold in 20 countries for the last 10 years or so. The product is made by traditional standards and the owner of the recipe still approves each batch of La Fee. For a while, Lucid Absinthe was the only one you could get in the US as it wasn't made from the traditional Grand Wormwood (until March of 2007) so it could get away with going around the law. The producers guessed that the stuff that was considered a fake (but still very flavorful) wasn'...
4 comments
Read more