Wow! What a great guest Brian was. So knowledgeable and calm in his explanations. Even Gary was restrained in admiration. Great job to both!

And keep them coming!

Especially in the summer now it would have to be Canada. I have not had pure Absinthe but have had Pernod which is a wormwood free version. The original Sazerac cocktail in New Orleans had Absinthe and I wonder if now that it is available again that they will go back to it. I am getting packed for Friday for the cruise and am getting fired up. Maybe you could bring some Absinthe on the cruise.

way to go gary! now how bout that cognac and armagnac show. think about it. ps. you should try chartreuse if you haven’t! the monks always come through with the thunder.
qotd – people are saying chile or australia, but i think our neighbors to the north are number one, eh’.

Awesome show!!! Whether or not absinthe with thujone under 10ppm is comparable to what somebody might have drunk in Van Gogh’s time, this is a good intro.

Brian, you were an awesome guest! I hope you can find a way back for a round 2!

Gary, I’m gonna have to agree with ex-lurkdawg here. It’s time for a Madeira show!!!

Great show and great guest. You guys did a great job of clearing all those misconceptions on absinthe.

I am also going to push for a Madeira show. Let’s try some Malmsey, Sercial, Bual, and Terrantez!

I’m going to go with Canada. Good show. Absinthe’s mystique was always dangerous and hallucinatory – Brian helped de-mystify the drink. Anything mixed with water and sugar seems pretty tame to me. I alwys thought that wormwood was poisonous.

Excellent video and clearly someone who matches your wine knowledge with Absinthe knowledge. I’ve had Absinthe twice…both times wasn’t a great experience.

QOTD- Canada sounds like a winner.

QFCB (question from commenter Brad): Will the Thunder show be taking on a wider swath of topics to analyze and discuss?

Excellent show!! Way to go, Brian.

Brian addressed the thujone issue in the show: pre-ban absinthe only had small traces of thujone and many of them would be legal by today’s standards.

The notion that pre-ban absinthe contained more thujone is based on a conjecture from the 1980s that was disproved years ago, but is now used by unethical promoters as a sensational marketing gimmick for gullible thrill seekers.

As it turns out, thujone doesn’t distill over easily and the majority of it stays behind in the pot. This has been amply demonstrated in scientific studies which included GC/MS analysis of pre-ban absinthe as well as making absinthes strictly according to pre-ban protocols and then analyzing those. Other studies recently published have demonstrated that pre-ban absinthe is remarkably stable and remains virtually unchanged over the years.

These studies were all verified by repetition and reported in peer-reviewed papers published in academic and scientific journals. The reviewers of these studies included the man who had made the much earlier inaccurate conjecture.

So, yes, fully authentic pre-ban style absinthe is legal here and is being produced and sold here.

Kudos to Gary and Brian for an entertaining and educational show!

Cheers!

Very interesting show, but I can’t stand anis. I’m probably the only Italian that would say that, but it’s true. Shame; the Absinthe looked tasty!
QOTD: gonna guess Australia.

Very cool show, really enjoyed it, fabulous guest… I have been meaning to try Absinthe for some time and you guys pushed me over the edge. Hope WL sells it so I can add it to my next order!

Would you be interested in doing a show with another super star that is trying to change the world? go to http://www.one-revolution.com or google Chris Waddell… He will be doing a special wine release later this year, to benefit charity!

PS- I think I just cleaned you out of Zabrin Atteca, fantastic wine, insane, absolutely insane value…

This was an EXCELLENT episode with Brian Robinson. There is so much history behind absinthe, and so many misconceptions, and it’s REFRESHING to see someone with such knowledge to actually EDUCATE people in such an intriguing and inspiring manner! This is WONDERFUL for the Wormwood Society and the future of absinthe in the United States as a whole…

It makes me cringe when I hear of people bitching about this drink! It’s ONE thing if you don’t like the taste of anise. That’s completely understandable… BUT, when you set it on fire, do shots of it , and then complain about feeling crappy and having bad experiences with it after doing so?????? THAT’S ABSURD!! Why would you want to RUIN such a wonderful beverage by drinking it incorrectly? Next thing you know, people will be doing SHOTS OF WINE!!!

Gary: I don’t know what it is with people with the last name “Robinson” – but my favorite episodes with you are with Jancis Robinson and now Brian Robinson. GREAT EPISODE! I will surely be re-watching this episode with friends, while drinking absinthe many times in the future!

I had to come out of lurking for this because I know that it is a little known (and largely disputed) fact that GREECE actually has the longest coastline in the world winding capes and ports. Great show by the way, been waiting for an absinthe show since you went on another tangent with the sake show.

Cheers!

qotd: i woulda thought indonesia too jit.
i really like pernod. it is really dangerous! so smooth

Brian and Gary, That was really interesting. New Mexico was added to the Ok to sell list a few months back, and I’ve been noticing the bottles of absinthe on the shelves (specifically the Lucid) I may have to pick one up.

If anyone is still reading this, is there a specific drinking window to a bottle once it’s opened? or is it like most distilled products and good to go forever?

Excellant Show!!

Hats off to Brian really knows his stuff. Well explain. I learn a lot, will try it.

More like a T-Punch.

Great epsiode Gary !!

“Brian addressed the thujone issue” Sure he did…PT Barnum had a ringmaster that also performed as required I guess. Check here if in doubt:

http://chrisperridas.blogspot.com/2008/06/absinthe-and-thiujone-modern-study.html

Roll up, roll up “The Great American Absinthe Hoax” is in town. Tickets cost upwards of $100 and y’all get the satisfaction of tasting genuine absinthe that I made. Tasty? maybe..real? nope. “Dr” Ted Breaux might tell you otherwise of course (I wonder why)

Gary,

Excellent show. It’s nice when you have a guess who can answer all of your questions. Its especially nice when its a topic that not a lot of people follow, but now may. On days where you are taking a break from the wine world, its nice to watch someone like Brian who is not only informational, he’s interesting as well.

QOTD: Canada has the largest/longest coastline!!

P.S. Was that the infamous Mott leading the 4 minute absinthe vignette?

Nice, now Gary’s hooked on the “Green Fairy”. Your gonna lose an ear.

QOTD: Canada’s coastline is the world’s longest at 243,792 km or 151,485 miles (including the coastline of the country’s 52,455 islands.)

A fantastic episode, and a superb guest with great camera presence. Would it be bad to say TOP TEN for a non-wine episode? 🙂

Cool episode. I’ve had absinthe a few times both here and in Europe. I like the flavor but it also seems to tranquilize me.

Fantastic! show! I am not a licorice fan at all but this made me want to try it. and Canada has the longest coast line. Gary thanks for the great guests!

Great episode, can’t wait to get my hands on a bottle of absinthe. Great job to who ever came up with the idea to show us how it’s prepared to be served, never would have known otherwise. Thanks!

Loved it; been drinking the stuff since it first “came back”. There is definitely differences among brands and without! sugar is the way to go. Do another show as well with some of the European imports…

QOTD…Norway

Great show, very informative.

Great episode! I learned a lot with Gary. I only wish I had $50 to taste along