QOTD: Gotta go with Australia. One big-ass island.

QOTD: Gotta go with Australia. One big-ass island.

This was great!
Qotd: longest coastline – africa?

I am seeking out this green fairy!

To me, absinthe smells like licorice chloroform. I nearly pass out just smelling it.
QOTD: I had to look it up, so I won’t say.

This was a great episode. I’ve tried absynth a couple times and it’s growing on me. I’m certainly no purist. I’ve never set it on fire, but I enjoy mixing it with other things.

Last time I tried it, I mixed it with lemonchello, vodka and lemon/lime soda. It was magical.

I have always wanted to get the “know” on Absinthe. Nice Episode. I think I will be including a bottle among the wine. I have a brother in New Orleans who has mentioned its popularity there. The next time I vist him I’ll give it a try. There is a bar here in Omaha that has about 3 or 4? nice Absinthe fountains on the corner and counter of the bar. I don’t believe they were filled with ice water but then again I left my credit card at that particular bar that night. I’ll have to go back. It’s not good when you “celebrate” more than your friend celebrating his birthday. It happens. “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.” -Samuel Johnson.

that was interesting, but i do not like licorice…

qotd – canada???

canada

People need more information on Absinthe and other nontraditional liquors; Great intuition, Gary! Unfortunately, the lawyers’ argument that legalizing absinthe will bring more $$$ for the government also suggests that they might do this for other illegal substances. Whether or not that is good is up to the beholder but it is assuredly controversial.

QOTD: Canada has the largest coastline. Africa is a continent, not a country.

Suggestion: Is there any way to get a beautiful picture of Sasha’s face framed and placed directly above the WLTV filming table? That would be amazing!

Fun show guys… really enjoyed it.

BTW, who was skinning the cat during the Absinthe prep???

GV-
I am so excited that you not only had a Absinthe show but you had an expert in the field help educate us. I have been interested in Absinthe for some years now, like Brian before I was of age, and after I turned 21 the first bottle hit stores just weeks after my birthday. I love the romance of Absinthe and I try to get my friends to drink it with me. Everyone thinks it is really cool but they only want to have it if they can light the sugar on fire. Its ok with me that they prepare there drink wrong because girls like to come over to watch. Ha ha, it makes me cool!

Great show, quite amusing actually. Absinthe is on my Bar list always. ( well, more like since I have a bar at home, maybe eight years, it was never outlawed here.)

QOTD: biggest coastline? maybe Canada or Australia.

Nice.

VIVA CHILE MIERDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really liked this episode again. Absinthe is my favorite spirits. I have quite a few bottles at home, including several of Ted Breaux’s Jade line.
By the way: It’s not true that you can’t trink absinthe if you don’t like licorice. I hate licorice but love absinthe.

QOTD: I would say Chile oder the US.

PS: If you talk about the name thing with Absinthe being spelled “Absinth” you have to say that it usually refers to Bohemian Absinthe that are mostly crap.

Very interesting show….and good to hear the drink being taken serioulsy for once….and I must say I have never seen you drink so much….ALTV from now on?

I have learnt quite a lot about misconceived spirits tonight as I have just finished a tequila tasting and was very impressed to say the least – very similar to some fine single malts and I am in total agreement with your comments from the Tequila episode.

QOTD – Canada? How do we find out the answer…you best give it to us GV.

Awesome episode Gary. Very cool.

This subject is getting complicated but traditional absinthe is illegal to sell Stateside. But given the thirst of Americans & desire for absinthe the industry is finding a way to get it to the people.

There is an element in traditional absinthe called Thujone, this element is banned outright in food products by the FDA. This one element is what makes absinthe illegal to sell. Generally Thujone comes from an herb called wormwood that is used in the production process of absinthe as this dude says.

Companies and the liquor industry have found that by filtering out this chemical they can legally sell their brand of absinthe in the USA.

Seeing dollar signs many distillers and companies are now on a public relations campaign (see interview) to downplay the role of Thujone and gain acceptance of this form absinthe by the American public. Many are writing articles or launching sites that promote this new view of absinthe in an effort to gain acceptance. Some make statements such as that of Lucid one of the leading brands to enter the us market states “Prohibition is finally over” giving consumers the perception that laws have changed. They are eager to promote the fact they use Grand Wormwood but downplay the removal of Thujone. It all makes for good marketing and others seem to be following.

Others are even trying to state that their absinthe may contain Thujone or subvertly imply this. The truth is that any absinthe sold in the USA will be determined by the FDA to be “Thujone Free” In the end whatever absinthe you find on the shelf will be “Thujone Free” according to the FDA.

Boffins at the Univesrity of Kansas have already called out these guys and accused them of “playing pretend” and stated that it is “nothing like the old stuff.”

“But the biggest controversy surrounding the liquor–once dubbed “one of the worst enemies of man”–is about not its resurgence but rather its authenticity. Enthusiasts claim the thujone-free brands, which contain less than 10 parts per million (p.p.m.) of the chemical, are made with the same relatively small amounts of thujone as the old brews. But scientists wrote in the British Medical Journal that absinthe bottled before 1900 packed up to 260 p.p.m. of thujone–which may not sound like much, but consider that only 15 parts per billion of lead in drinking water is enough to scare regulators. “They are playing pretend,” study co-author Wilfred Arnold says of the liquor’s new cheerleaders. “It is nothing like the old stuff.” (Time Magazine)

This subject is getting complicated but traditional absinthe is illegal to sell Stateside. But given the thirst of Americans & desire for absinthe the industry is finding a way to get it to the people.

There is an element in traditional absinthe called Thujone, this element is banned outright in food products by the FDA. This one element is what makes absinthe illegal to sell. Generally Thujone comes from an herb called wormwood that is used in the production process of absinthe as this dude says.

Companies and the liquor industry have found that by filtering out this chemical they can legally sell their brand of absinthe in the USA.

Seeing dollar signs many distillers and companies are now on a public relations campaign (see interview) to downplay the role of Thujone and gain acceptance of this form absinthe by the American public. Many are writing articles or launching sites that promote this new view of absinthe in an effort to gain acceptance. Some make statements such as that of Lucid one of the leading brands to enter the us market states “Prohibition is finally over” giving consumers the perception that laws have changed. They are eager to promote the fact they use Grand Wormwood but downplay the removal of Thujone. It all makes for good marketing and others seem to be following.

Others are even trying to state that their absinthe may contain Thujone or subvertly imply this. The truth is that any absinthe sold in the USA will be determined by the FDA to be “Thujone Free” In the end whatever absinthe you find on the shelf will be “Thujone Free” according to the FDA.

Boffins at the Univesrity of Kansas have already called out these guys and accused them of “playing pretend” and stated that it is “nothing like the old stuff.”

“But the biggest controversy surrounding the liquor–once dubbed “one of the worst enemies of man”–is about not its resurgence but rather its authenticity. Enthusiasts claim the thujone-free brands, which contain less than 10 parts per million (p.p.m.) of the chemical, are made with the same relatively small amounts of thujone as the old brews. But scientists wrote in the British Medical Journal that absinthe bottled before 1900 packed up to 260 p.p.m. of thujone–which may not sound like much, but consider that only 15 parts per billion of lead in drinking water is enough to scare regulators. “They are playing pretend,” study co-author Wilfred Arnold says of the liquor’s new cheerleaders. “It is nothing like the old stuff.” (Time Magazine)

Great guest.

QOTD: Je ne sais pas.

What an interesting show. Very informative.

QOTD: Canada folks. There is a lot you dont know about us 🙂

What an interesting show. Very informative.

QOTD: Canada folks. There is a lot you dont know about us 🙂

Great episode, have heard of Absinthe, but was totally uneducated to the history and contents. Really good guest, thank you both.

QOTD – according to infoplease it is Canada.

Pretty cool episode. Absinthe seems pretty exciting and mysterious. The first time I got really excited about it was when I saw Anthony Bordain do No Reservations in Paris. Cool episode as well.

QOTD: It’s gotta be Canada. The north is all coast…

Pretty cool episode. Absinthe seems pretty exciting and mysterious. The first time I got really excited about it was when I saw Anthony Bordain do No Reservations in Paris. Cool episode as well.

QOTD: It’s gotta be Canada. The north is all coast…

I have a bottle of absinthe actually, wife is a little leary of my behavior if I should try it so I haven’t taken the plunge yet.

QotD: Gotta be Canada, even though most of them are ice-covered.