Does Absinthe Actually Make You Hallucinate?
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Sources:
Echeverria, Steve, The Appeal of ‘The Green Fairy’, Herald Tribune, September 18, 2008, web.archive.org/web/201601202...
Padosch, Stephan et al, Absinthism: a Fictitious 19th Century Syndrome With Present Impact, Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Policy, May 2006, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
The Effects of Absinthe, The Virtual Absinthe Museum, web.archive.org/web/201208201...
Carvajal, Doreen, Fans of Absinthe Party Like it’s 1899, International Herald Tribune , November 27, 2004, web.archive.org/web/200602280...
What Were the Lanfray Murders? Thujone Info, web.archive.org/web/201202261...
Absinthe, Rose and Red Absinthe, Distillique, July 22, 2013, web.archive.org/web/201608032...
Shenton, Will, Everything You Need to Know About Absinthe, Bevvy, March 4, 2018, bevvy.co/articles/everything-...
Ciabattari, Jane, Absinthe: How the Green Fairy Became Literature’s Drink, BBC, January 8, 2014, www.bbc.com/culture/article/2...
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video starts at 1:33
I’m getting code doesnt exist/expired on hellofresh
Hello fresh only uses non-recyclable packaging.
I currently receive HelloFresh and I suggest that you don’t use em. It is not that affordable and every meal we get has terrible quality produce and missing items all the time, no matter how many times we tell the company it still happens.
@@killtherapy4346 who asked?? Lol seems kinda random friend.
I'm probably late to the party, but I do believe that Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder...
I wanted to like this comment twice 😂
👏👏👏
👏🏾slow clap👏🏾slow clap👏🏾
I say Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder, but add, but the mind grow madder.
Dare I ask, does the absence of absinthe make the heart ponder?
I think the Absinthe made prior to the international ban (because of the Lost Generation as a result of widespread of PTSD caused by WWI) is TOTALLY different from the modern versions. My grandfather was in one of the first American commands to hit the Front. His arms had tattoos of the battles he fought in, and the names of his lost friends and the 6 mules that pulled the cook cart he had to shoot. At the end of the war, him and what was left of his company hit Paris and all of them (fewer than 20 who started the war) bought a bottle of Absinthe and formed a Tontine to drink a sip every November 11th to remember the fallen. When I was in 1st grade, a lot of kids got sick and died from measles, mumps, chicken pox and pertussis. I got the measles, then the mumps, and chicken pox for a second time, then I started on the croup (pertussis) again... and after coughing for 5 days straight we were at my grandparents. My grandmother insisted my parents take her to church to pray for me not to die...and just about as soon as they left, my grandfather grabbed me up, took me to their bedroom and gave me a huge silver spoon of Absinthe ...tasted icky, burned every bit of my mouth and throat, and I fell asleep quickly and dreamed a lot of colors. I woke up to everyone screaming about my grandfather giving me a tablespoon of Absinthe....but.... I was pretty much over that whole croup cough. My sister and cousins were wicked jealous of my relationship with my grandfather because of that.
it's now made again like it used to be, wormwood and all
It’s made the same they never stopped making it
Old poppop God bless him
Wicked jealous…..Massachusetts?
I've had traditionally-made absinthe, wormwood and all... made exactly the same as any absinthe ever sold on the market. There's nothing hallucinogenic or magical about it, although I can wholly assure you that if you drink a whole bottle of it, you will most certainly have a magical night followed by a not-so-magical morning of hugging the toilet as if it were a long-lost friend. As for being a cure-all, the only thing I've found it to be a surefire cure for is sobriety.
I got drunk once on 75% ABV absinthe. I did not hallucinate, but I did time travel about 10 hours into the future. Would not recommend.
Your supposed to dilute it.
@@stefanschleps8758 NOW you tell us.
@@stefanschleps8758 My 18 year old self first time drinking it didn't know that lol
I would recommend it once a year maybe. I think we may have had the same brand lol
@@calebbean1384 I had Vivid, and that's the most I remember about it.
In other words, special interests that are threatened by a competitor got the drink banned. This sounds familiar.
Green means go
I’ve drank Absinthe. It doesn’t make you see things. A lot of misinformation was fueled by wine makers. Because they lost their spot as a popular drink. But the popularity did result in people cutting absinthe with various things.
But it does make one feel good. I’ve drank it with a stuffed up head and does clear my head.
@Robert Sears absinthe is between 45-75% and it’s served 1 to 4 ratio. Basically there’s not much alcohol content, if you prepare it with 1 ounce absinthe to 4 ounces water. They don’t recommend drinking it straight. If you think absinthe is bad. Keep in mind a lot of places allow the purchase of everclear, that can be as high as 95%abv.
Also, there wasn’t really anything wrong with absinthe. As they stated in the video wine was almost wiped out by an infestation. They couldn’t regain their position, due to absinthe popularity. The wine distillers lobbied for its ban. But yeah, I’ve drank French and Swiss(original makers) versions. They don’t cause hallucinations. Granted it’s something to me, I’ll have a correct proportion glass or two. It’s not cheap for me and hard to find. The bottle I have is something like 2 or 3 years old.
@Robert Sears results very. In most cases absinthe is mixed. Or as the video talks about bohemian style. Which is incorrect way of serving it. I wouldn’t say no one, cuts their alcohol. Not everyone is an alcoholic or needs to be completely inebriated. I know I’ve been so fucked up from becoming drunk off my ass. That I don’t understand why anyone wants to puke for hours and be hungover. I do mean I’ve surprised some people. Worse was edibles a coworker gave me at 300mg(had two) and an 8.7%abv double ipa. Clocking my hangover at 4 days…
@Robert Sears there’s been countless wars and acts of violence in the name of religion. Should we ban religion as well?
@Robert Sears oil isnt alcohol
@Robert Sears you act like alcohol is a great evil. Apparently there’s studies have shown that the more religious an area is, the higher its crime, murder, and suicide rate is on average compared to secular areas.
Let’s not forget. That millions of Jewish people died in WWII. You know by the nazi party, which I don’t think all of them were drunk committing creating great acts of violence. Let’s not forget prohibition failed.
My ship pulled into Cambodia for an unusually long shore leave once, and the bars there served absinthe. There was a small panic with the crew when the captain announced there would be a full crew urinalysis. The rumors remained strong enough that, even in 2014, people thought the liquor was hallucinogenic. (Nobody realized they hadn't hallucinated, apparently.)
I remember the same sort of thing around 2000ish when we were in Singapore (I think) and some guys had drank some absinthe and were all worried about the urinalysis testing prior to leaving port.
@@Kelnx was that back when absinthe was illegal?
@@crazysilly2914 Wherever we were, and I still think it was Singapore, it was served at the bar like anything else. I'm not sure when it became legal in the US, but that isn't relevant, and it's not even remotely likely a drug test would be looking for Thujone specifically. The point is, you could drink all the absinthe you want, regardless of home country legality, and it wouldn't show up on any drug test, because it doesn't contain a scheduled drug in the first place.
@@Kelnx well technically you couldn't do legally but since it can't be tested for who cares.
The original version did apparently but they changed it years before I even heard of it myself..
When I was in the military I started reading about Absinthe and ultimately ordered a bottle from the Czech Republic with the highest wormwood content I could find. I prepared the drink both traditionally and bohemian style and holy god both were horrible. The black licorice taste was overwhelming but I continued to drink it until I got pretty trashed, normal drunk no weird visions or anything fun, just really really drunk. The next day is when I really regretted it holy hell the headache and the hangover were horrible. I was 24 when I did that and Im 42 now and still refuse to drink Absinthe again.
I got a bottle in Amsterdam on the way home from Iraq and I totally agree with you that it’s a normal drunk with a terrible hangover.
Please tell me you added water. I tried it without once, and I almost died
@@jessn.2665 The first time I cracked the bottle open i just poured a shot no water no Sugar. It was just nasty 🤢🤢
The first few times I had absinthe I had it as a shot and without any preparation. I didn't know about the dilution method at the time. I ended up loving it, but I was smart and limited myself to a single 4oz shot my first two times. The second time I was gifted a bottle of the stuff, but I thought it would to bad before I could finish it all so I gifted it to a friend with the warning that he should have no more than a single shot worth of the stuff per night. He did not head my advice, so when I spoke to him next he said he suffered the worst hangover of his entire life due to Absinthe.
Since then I've tried 4 different preparation methods and really enjoyed several of them and will agree it's MUCH better than trying to drink it undiluted. I still only drank the Absinthe in moderation though, because it is still a hella potent drink. Never once had a hallucination though. If anything I just felt like I had a pleasant buzz that lasted for much longer than one would normally last for me with other liquors.
@@karlknechtel8119 omg don't even mention Soju. Drank to many ammo bowls when stationed in Kunsan. .
I was introduced to absinthe in 2009, as a wedding gift at our reception. The friend who gave it to us showed us the standard preparation for it, and I quickly became enamored with the drink. It is somewhat difficult to find here in Tennessee, USA, but I can occasionally score a bottle. While I normally use the standard preparation with it, I have on occasion consumed it undiluted. That... that's an interesting buzz. It tastes like licorice gasoline, but within a couple of minutes, you do become very relaxed, and in my case, my face and head went fairly numb. A full body, pleasant flush accompanied this numbness. I very rarely drink to excess, and have become pretty adept at knowing when to stop my consumption for the evening. That was my stopping point.
I do prefer the diluted preparation, though if I can lay hands on another bottle, I will have to try the bohemian method. Thank you for showing absinthe some love here, and for helping to dispel the rumors surrounding its nefarious reputation.
I've had absinthe before and it doesn't taste very good. Interesting flavors though.
I had 5 shots of some imported Czech absinthe with the highest percentage wormwood that could be found....... then I went to university and did a Chemistry theory lecture. I was laughing a lot and kind of being distracting to everyone else.....but oddly I was very engaged with the chemistry lesson interacting and shouting out the answers to the teacher 😁
I could see he was also simultaneously 2 things at he same time? He was annoyed and astonished at the same time.
What? It's everyone else's problem for allowing themselves to get distracted in class.... I wasn't distracted at all!
It makes my mind race but my motor skills slow response?
However the 1 unique thing that I noticed is that usually if I felt as intoxicated as I was on that day; there is no way I can even string a coherent sentence together? I get so frustrated when I drink my speech slurs and becomes incomprehendable? I can walk, I can dance, I can do nearly any kind of regular activity totally drunk and appear totally straight? But the second I try to talk I just fuck it up and can't seem to communicate what I'm trying to say?
Absinthe makes me a roudy obnoxious but cheeky smart arse though. It was an enjoyable drink whilst it lasted. Never gonna get that again in Australia lol
If in Nashville, Mr. Whiskers on White Bridge Road has it. A small bottle is about $10.
I’m in Tennessee, the good stuff is around.
I live in Alabama and work for the ABC store. Most stores should have lucid, depending on how far you live from the line
Obviously it wasn't the Absinthe, or multiple glasses of wine, or hard liquor, or brandy laced coffees that drove Jean Lanfray to violence. Clearly he was playing those most vile and sinister video games, some odd 75 years before they were invented, and thusly was driven mad. 🧐
Are we sure it wasn't the reefers that drove him mad?
Main difference I've noticed over the years drinking absinthe is getting the nice relaxed buzz but not the tired groggy feeling you would get from other drinks.
Having had Absinthe before, I would say it's a different kind of buzz. Nothing like a hallucinating, but certainly not the same as drinking a six pack of beer.
True, in my 23 years of experience, I say it's like an 'active' type of being drunk. If I'm getting drunk on beer, I get sleepy. If I'm getting drunk on absinth, I'm lost for 2 days 😂
Imo it just feels like normal drunkness albeit much stronger because of the abv
I was already pretty drunk at a party when I started drinking it, and it certainly upgraded my buzz in a way I've never experienced before. There was a certain light feeling it gave me that I'd compare to a hallucinogenic kind of feeling. I enjoyed it for sure.
Definitely was the case for me. Didn't hallucinate but it was definitely a different kind of buzz compared to regular alcohol.
I’d say it’s honestly the same as any other high proof spirit. I’ve had absinthe that felt “different” too other people but, it felt no different too me. I think it’s just a placebo effect.
I always enjoy the ironies of the 19th century. I mean, what wasn't really all that harmful: absinthe. What was horrifically harmful to so, so many: asylum psychiatrists.
We havent changed. The people today get overly excited about things that are just as false and overblown. It will level off eventually and in the future people will look back at us, the same way and we look at earlier times. Undoubtedly, they will still do the same but with new topics.
Smoking was considered a cure for asthma and you could buy heroin in the pharmacy. The 19th Century - what a time to be alive (actually dead)!
Humans are prone to moral panics while ignoring or even condoning things they _should_ be morally outraged about. Like asylum psychiatrists.
Yeah those guys with white jackets that had buttons on the side instead of the front were horrifying.
I had absinthe when I was in Greece. I think we just felt quite relaxed. The guy that owned the place was super nice! He gave us a brief history about it. Good time!
That's the mugwort aka wormwood aka artemisia. The herb does the same thing to me when I smoke it.
@@hellenicblonde6117 cool! That's super interesting!
It's a great spirit, here in the UK it was never illegal but never seemed to be much in favour. The theatrics are nice, it fits great with the re-emerged cocktail culture currently.
If you like liquorice or aniseed flavours it's well worth a try, but it's just alcohol, strong alcohol.
I bet it would be good to use in baking and confectionary, similar to how orange or vanilla extract is used (since they are also strongly alcoholic)
Simon's final sentence summed it up. I've never had a worse hangover than the two instances in my life when I tried absinthe. I felt simultanteously like I had been hit by a freight train, and drank a whole bottle of ipecac.
You drank it without louche, huh? That'll mess you up real good real fast.
Strange, absinthe is one of the only drinks that doesn't get me hungover. Rather for me it's a very clean sort of drunk, but I'm very selective about what absinthe I drink too
It has an incredibly high alcohol content
Weird I’m less likely to get hung over on absinthe.
@@TheCowpoke406 I concur... Drink the best, drink with respect and/or with reverence (via ritual), and I believe you will not get hungover, and if you go to sleep on it, it can produce pleasant and/or vivid dreams...At least with me. I have also observed that with the more elaborate the ritual, and with the best care in carrying it out, the more pleasant the experience, perhaps even better than fine wine???
I've made strong wormwood tea, and I can confirm... It tastes like a flea collar (probably because they use thujone to make flea collars), but it doesn't make you trip.
Absinthe drinkers would regularly hallucinate. Because they were alcoholics. You drink enough hard liquor you hallucinate.
Curious about your research on that one
You see tracers but that's about it
It's definitely not like LsD lSA or shrooms it closer to thc it's works a treat easing IBS and most stomach pain. the American strain only has a trace element not enough to do anything but add flavour.
As Simon pointed out, it was some other chemical in there being the hallucinogen. Back then, things were a bit more spicy when it came to products people ingested. Cocaine in Coke anyone? Heroine in asprin as well? Pretty sure something akin to LSD may have been part of the chemical make up for some varieties of Absynthe.
I remember I had Absinthe for my birthday a few years ago. Since I had never been drunk before I had no frame of reference to describe it. I told people that it felt like a weight pressing on my head. Also, given how much that guy was drinking, the fact that he could even hold a shotgun was a miracle.
I hope you continue to drink it on hunting trips.
Shot gun lmao
@@grigoriyefimovichrasputin7897 No I said it right, it's one word.
I found absinthe tea in Switzerland in the late 70s. I have never tasted anything more bitter.
My father in law said that an evening drinking absinthe, presumably from an illegal Swiss distillery, left him a sense of pain that reached to the tips of the hairs on his head.
I'd like to send a bottle of absinthe to the Czech barber who trimmed your unruly beard. It looks great!
Absinthe makes the heart ❤️ grow fonder.
My Mother from Switzerland 🇨🇭, told me
the farmers there drank Absinthe.
Had my first absinthe last weekend. While it got me drunk I had no hallucinations
I've had it a few times, and while I've never hallucinated I've gotten very drunk off a small amount.
After half a bottle hallucinations are a 100% possibility 😆
In my lucid dreams I often stop in a restaurant or bar and drink dream-absinthe right from the bottle.
I've also had it straight in waking life. It goes down easier in dreams.
Anyone remember that goth character in The IT Crowd? “I only drink absinthe. Do you have absinthe?” “No, we have red wine, white wine, Carlsberg.” “Oh, Carlsberg, perfect.”
As someone who is an absinthe aficionado, this video is spot on. Thank you for doing such a beautiful job. Cheers!
It's such a great tasting drink (as long as you like licorice taste)! Realize, though, it gets very little of it's taste from wormwood. I say this, because the worst tasting edible drink in the world, "Chicago's famous" Malort is flavored ONLY with wormwood!
@@collin4600 depends on the brand really. There are a lot that are heavy on the sugar and star anise. (Mari Mayans comes to mind) and you can't taste the wormwood at all. Some better ones (Psychedelic jellyfish, Jade Terminus, and La Clandestine Verte) really bring out the flavor without making it bitter.
@@silvenshadow I wish I could get better absinthe in my country. I have Pernod, some Czech shit, and a bottle that my Uncle gave me which is pretty tasty but otherwise it is hard to find.
@@franzfanz When I lived in PR the only way was by mail. It's hard to find a good absinthe period. What did your uncle get you? I'm curious. :)
@@silvenshadow It's from Distilleries & Domaines de Provence, in Forcalquier France.
No.
Moral panic, bad data, conflating correlation with causation and heavy metal poisoning are a hell of a drug when combined.
we haven’t learnt much in the last 100+ years; other than drinking cooper isn’t a good idea
Yeah, a lot of the "symptoms" described sounded reeeaaally similar to what they were saying about pot when the States was trying to get it banned back in what, the Fifties?
"Also it turns the frogs gay!" 🙄
I thought absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.
Simon: “… and when they don’t have something I become unreasonably frustrated.”
Me: “It’s probably all the coke.”
Portugal never banned absinthe. It was legal and readily available during all of the XX century, and still is... I have a bottle from a local portuguese brand in my home bar. Thanks for the reminder - I have to take it out for a spin for my next dinner party 🥳 Thumbs up for the video, Simon!
I love Absinthe (being from the Netherlands I love the taste of anise/licorice) but I never hallucinated from it. What I do find is that it keeps you kind of feeling clear headed while you can most certainly be rather drunk.
A Scottish comrade of mine drank only vodka, being a whisky drinker, (Irish) myself, I once asked him why he didn't drink scotch. He said although he liked the taste, he became "a wee bit of an arsehole" when he consumed whisky. Rather than point out that vodka had exactly the same effect on him, I tried to explain that it was the alcohol which caused the personality change and not the particular plant used in it's production. Totally without irony he maintained that he was fine drinking vodka, he never puzzled as to why others avoided his company.
I know that different spirits and different preparations can have drastically different hang overs. It sort of slowly became a rule for me over they years that the "dirtier" the liquor was, the worse I was going to feel tomorrow. Sweet sugary shooters or mixed drinks and darker aged whiskeys and rums give me head pounding hang overs. Even cheaper beers or darker, more bitter or hoppier beers hurt more the next day than the better, clearer beers. I can drink India pales all day and only feel a little dry in the mouth the next day, but if I drink Guinness my head will practically swell up.
* whisky drinker, (Irish) * You'd be drinking 'whiskey' then . . .
@@EllieMaes-Grandad my bad
@@PhilLesh69 lmao, couldn't agree more. I remember the one time I got drunk on port, never again.
I don’t drink alcohol at all until I’m eating sushi. Then I become saki girl and don’t care what anyone thinks about it. I have been extremely curious about absinthe lately. This was my main curiosity.
Simon should've had a glass of green-colored water sitting in front of him, and from time to time through-out the video, taken a casual sip as he was discussing the topic. that would've 6een funny. : )
He should have tried the real stuff
Kool-aid makes a nice lemon-lime mix packet with pretty close to the right color for imitation absinthe. I've now got a craving for it and will probably make a batch tomorrow.
@@AshGreen359 naw. that would've 6een highly unprofessional. : )
@@sschmidtevalue cheers! : D
and remem6er -- a6sinthe makes the heart grow fonder. or at least, i think that's how it goes. ; D
Fun Fact: The reason Simon talks so fast in his videos is that he has so many channels these days that he has to run the content out as breakneck pace to get them all in during the day.
Some say that Simon has enough channels to start up his own TH-cam service.
Yeah, sometimes I have to rewind sections bc of this. I also turn on captions.
He’ll have trouble competing with Captain Sparkles lol
No, it's cocaine that makes me him speak so fast
@@kvstw I wouldn't think there is enough speed or cocaine in the universe for that...but still...
0.75 speed 😉
It made me feel stoned, if you will. Like I was sober enough to know I could get into some serious trouble, but drunk enough not to care. I told my sister she better drag me back in the house if I tried to escape. I also remember the hours of dizzying spinning every time I went to pass out so I had to hold on till I was sober.
Makes sense, an teen prank is to get someone drunk on non alcoholic vine or beer.
If you are told you will get an effect you will often get it as in the placebo effect.
Then give them a hemp based joint.
The British air force crews that flew the weekly embassy mail run to Dulles airport outside of dc used to stay in the hotel I worked at in high school. Whenever they had a new guy on a flight they would take him to the bar across the street where the bartender already knew the drill. The crew would all get served juice or water or diluted drinks while the newbie got full strength drinks. So they would keep ordering new rounds, and do rugby cheers where you would need to swig after certain words or verses, and get him blotto drunk while the rest of the crew barely got a buzz.
@@stevy2 hemp derived thc still gets you high as a kite mate
I REALLY TRIED to trip off of Pernod Absinthe back in the early 2000's but alas, only suceeded in several head splitting hangovers. However, Wormwood extract is an excellent medicinal.
Funny thing is, back in those days when Absinthe was in it's heydays in France, mental illnesses weren't as well understood as they are these days, there's still a long way to go to understanding what causes mental illnesses.
Painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made a drink called "Tremblement de Terre"; in it absinte is diluted with cognac in portion of half/half. (As if one can call it diluting).
Absinthe was the 'Reefer Madness' drug of the time.
From experience: No
Apparently, Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder. 😏
And with high enough consumption, makes the liver go wander.
About absinthe and its prohibition, there would be another version of the story.
Wine professionals were faced with many problems:
Ciroses in customers who have a large individual consumption.
On the production side, the phyloxera crisis is far from over (an insect that kills vine stocks in less than 3 years)
In addition, wine professionals are seeing competition (other absinthe alcoholic beverages and other honey wines) take away their market share.
Based on these observations, some imagine a plot to accuse absinthe of all evils:
- Symptoms of absinthe poisoning oddly resemble those due to a small presence of methanol (a deadly toxic alcohol) mixed with ethanol , the "less toxic" classic alcohol
(because the distillation was very poorly done)
but that's absinthe the culprit!
- You don't feel well after 10 liters of wine and 2 centiliters of absinthe diluted in 1 liter of water,
it's necessarily because of the absinthe
these reasons and many others will lead to the banishment of absinthe, partially relieved nowadays (thujone is strangely still banned in France)
Hey Simon, please, please, please do a Casual Criminalist video on James Mitchell "Mike" DeBardeleben. The other day you mentioned that the Secret Service in the US is responsible for investigating money counterfeiting crimes on the Casual Criminalist, which made me think of DeBardeleben. He was a prolific counterfeiter, so much so that the Secret Service gave him a nickname: "the mall passer". When they finally caught and arrested him, the Secret Service agents found a lot more than counterfeit money. Together with the FBI he was charged with a whole litany of crimes (he wasn't even prosecuted for most of them). He was sent to prison for life and the agents who investigated him said that he committed just about every felony on the books.
Anyone interested in the story should read Stephen Michaud's book "Beyond Cruel" which is the definitive resource (that I've found anyway) on DeBardeleben. The audiobook is good too.
Given how strong some absinthe is, you could quite easily make it hallucinogenic - steep a few magic mushrooms in it, can't make it taste any worse!
Oh HELL no!! (At least for me! I made the mistake of smoking some very potent marijuana while already under The Green Fairy's influence. Suffice it to say the two "Ladies" did NOT get along...At least NOT in my brain!)
But hey! If you're that "adventurous" "Bon voyage"??
@@jebidiahnewkedkracker1801Try African Blue Lotus flower, you can smoke it alongside weed and it amplifies the psychoactive effects. Just don't overdose because it is a sedative. It can be made into a tea also
A friend of mine has around 20 different Absinthe brands...one evening he invited me for a taste testing of Absinthe... I drank 8 glasses of 8 different brands. I wasn't drunk at all, it tasted quite nice and the morning after I didn't have a headache.
He told me that if you get the real Absinthe, you won't ever have a hangover or something similar because it is rather something more like medicine than a parry drink.
he lied
How big were said glasses and was it neat or diluted?
If it was shot glasses of diluted absinthe then the alcohol content would be quite low thus explaining not getting drunk.
My hubby and I dance with the green fairy 🧚♀️ around Christmas time, every year. It's so pleasant and claiming during the winter months.
We have a retro styled(1930-ish) local bar that serves this nectar up. Geezy Peezy! Love me some Absinthe! Cheers, Dick from Vancouver.
Vancouver BC or WA? I'm in BC myself; I'm guessing maybe down in Gastown? What's it called? :D I'll have to drop in next time I'm in the area!
@@KryssLaBryn I'm in Vancouver, Washington. The real Vancouver. HA HA!
@@dickmcshan9778 Pff, pretty sure Capt. George Vancouver was Canadian ;)
Ah, well; too bad! Still, something to look forward to if I'm ever in the area again!
@@KryssLaBryn Touche'. HA HA!
@@KryssLaBryn A Brit. From Norfolk, England. Dutch family. Vancouver, WA founded in 1825, incorporated in 1857. Vancouver, BC, Gastown 1867, and Vancouver incorporated 1886. Wrong on all points, but it was fun to look it up and find out more.
Not sure about naughty water causing hallucinations, but I've drank plenty of other alcoholic beverages that have induced altered perceptions so vivid that I've woken up next to ladies who bore absolutely no physical resemblance to any woman or beast that I spoke to the night before.
Hate when that happens lol
That's called beer goggles.
Well, I hope that those ladies weren’t too shocked by what THEY saw when they woke up, lol.
When I was about 17, my mother gave me this great advice: don’t ever go out drinking with a man unless you have already decided to sleep with him.
(Which was a shock to hear from her, because my parents also put a ridiculously high value on the virginity of all their daughters. But it was extremely good advice, and I took it to heart.)
@@Tina06019 credit were credit is due, regardless of the circumstances that led me there, I always polite in the morning, albeit a bit confused.
I was given a glass of absinthe sometime in the late 2000's when it became legal again in my area of the Midwest USA. In truth, I wasn't impressed and didn't like the licorice-akin flavor and so wont drink it again.
I don't even mind watching Simon do the in-line advertising bit anymore; it's still hilarious and enjoyable :)
Wormwood IS mildly psycho-active. It grows all over the place in my city. We use to make a strong tea out of it. It was horribly bitter. It didn't make you hallucinate or trip out but it did produce a mild buzz on the level of a few tokes off a joint or maybe 2 drinks. It was a bit of a social lubricant, made you more talkative, other then that the effects are subtle and its been too long for me to be able to describe them. More sedating the stimulating I think.
Back in 1993 my friend had returned from a trip to Prague with a special bladder in the side of her suitcase filled with absinthe. At a house party later she offered me a glass. All I remember was that Rick James' Superfreak was playing on the stereo and that I was Rick James. He was in prison at the time and had transported by astral projection into my arythmic, white boy body and I danced like never before nor ever again. I don't believe I hallucinated, no I think it actually happened. Incidentally, Wendy denied me a second glass. ;) (maybe I hallucinated just a little, bitty, bit)
Any time I've been drunk off of absinthe, no hallucinations but it's like a warm fuzzy blanket covers everything I look at unlike other drinks it really does feel different
I have had absinthe twice. Once was the brand Lucid the other time the Van Gogh brand. Both times gave me a hangover that lasted for days. The worst headache and nausea I have ever, *ever* experienced.
A friend brought back a bottle of van Gogh he bought in Russia or Finland. It was literally labeled not for export to the U.S.
We drank it a couple times. We did the whole ritual, soaked sugar cube, ice, flame etc.
It's hit or miss. You can get nothing more than a light alcohol buzz most of the time, or the next time you drink it you'll spend the next couple days wondering if maybe you did take off all your clothes and run through a crowd somewhere. Even though you know you were never in any crowded places and kept your clothes on the whole time. But were you, could you? maybe? Nah ..... Lol.
It's not exactly a trip, or hallucinations. But your memories of that period will be tripped out in your head, old lost memories might get tangled up with new ones, etc.
I forget if it was Kerouac or Lenny Bruce who was really into absinthe, but I read a story about hipsters in the 1950s going on an absinthe bender while crawling clubs and bars in lower Manhattan with lots of extremely outrageous outcomes.
A friend brought back a bottle of Absinthe he acquired in St Thomas. It contained no wormwood, but drinking it straight up left me feeling a warm glow I haven't experience with any other alcohol. 👍
To be fair, most of the these "I did this while drunk on absinthe" could very well just be "I did this while drunk".
It's truly evil stuff , I was hungover for 2 days after sharing a bottle with a Welsh girl lol I even fell over and destroyed A conifer tree 🌳 😅
It was a small tree about 5 foot tall but still hahaha
I'm 50 so every hangover lasts 2 days.
I'm almost 40 and that happens now lol unless I eat and drink plenty of water before I go to sleep
@@thenovicewildcamper9192 Yup, drinking water is key.
I remember being given a bottle of absinthe sometime in the 90s and thinking it was cool and edgy to be drinking it. In truth I never developed a taste for it and the hangovers were indeed brutal. After several years of it sitting untouched at the back of the drinks cabinet, I finally chucked it away! 🤣
You could have resold it.
@@Maven0666 Oh yeah, buying opened, half-empty liquor from a random person. What could possibly go wrong.
@@mariusvanc You have to remember it was the 90s people were just as rapey, reference Cosby crimes for context, but Marrilyn Manson was new, Kurt Cobain was young ,and Mark Zuckerburg was still in short pants. How else, other than Absenth, could people grow to hate eachother with such rapidity prior to social media? Oh wait Gin..... gin makes me hate everyone too.
@@Maven0666 :
Is there a market for selling open liquor bottles where you live? Sounds very... illicit.
@@Maven0666
You’re ok, DeAnne. Lotta assholes out there.
Don’t pay them any mind.
This sounds so much like the “reefer madness” movement
In 1997 a friend here in NYC smuggled a few bottles of absinth (no e in the Czech spelling) from Prague as it wasn't legal until 2007 in the US. I had 3 servings prepared in the "Bohemian manner", along with copious amounts of other alcohol, it was a holiday party for SPIN magazine. This 10:27 is exactly what I remember happening to me... nothing. I remember nothing after the last shot. How I got from the bar to the floor of my apartment sans all but my underwear and boots remains a mystery. Never found my clothes, my wallet was still at the bar in my office. I still blame the Green Fairy.
I was in Prague when Absinthe was legalised and I managed to get a bottle of the newly produced Absinthe. When I got home, curiosity got the better of my sister in law and me and we decided to have a taste. Not intending to get drunk, we had a small shot glass each. What followed was 3 hours of entertainment for my pregnant wife, who couldn't drink, as she watched us roll around on the floor, acting like 2 year olds. The effect was NOT of alcohol drunkenness. Since then I had a number of bottles of Absinthe, one so high in wormwood that it was illegal in all countries outside of the Czech Republic and none had any effect other than normal alcohol. This leads me to believe that the manufacturers quickly self regulated the strength produced so as to not get banned again. Through my experiences, I believe that TRUE Absinthe is NOT available today, having since tried the most powerful (and most expensive) Absinthe available and finding it to be no more than an overproof Ouzo.
Absinthe cannot make you hallucinate.
As an absinthe expert, been studying it since 1985, and, quite frankly I'm one of the world's premier absinthe makers, this was 100% spot on!!! Good job Simon, et al. Some of the wording seems something I would write and it's very possible as I have numerous articles I've written and been written about in regards to my absinthe and other spirits. One word of caution though there are still many nefarious brands out there, not harmful, but not good products at all. Please do you research when buying absinthe as a good one will transport you to a different time.
I love absinthe. People who don't like the anise flavor hate it, but I very much enjoy it. I'm so glad it's no longer banned. Pernod is my preferred brand.
This drink is good for reminiscing, Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.
Had it a few times and though it gives you a little energy it's basically is just a myth about green alcohol with a cool name...
A lot of the symptoms of absinthism described sounded like the effects of withdrawal
Here in New Orleans, my wife and I partake of the green fairy quite often. Honestly, most brands taste horrible, but our favorite brand, Grüne Fee, is quite tasty. It is a fairly strong drink but is quite approachable once diluted a bit with ice cold water. We have the proper glasses and the fountain as well as proper absinthe spoons. We sometimes have it "Bohemian" or Czech style, with the whole flaming sugar cube thing going on, but more often in the classic way with the cold water drip. Either way, the ritual is quite enjoyable and drinking it is something of an event. It is no more psychoactive than the rye whiskey or the bourbon or the cognac or tequila or the gin that we consume nightly. (in moderation, of course.) Absinthe has been legal again here for I guess about 15 or 20 years, after being banned about the same time it was banned throughout most of Europe.
The world's first cocktail, the Sazerac, was made originally with only enough absinthe to coat the inside of the drinking glass before the rest of the drink was poured into it from the mixing glass. When it was banned, the most common substitute was a herbally infused liquer called Herbsaint. Even though absinthe is now legal in at least part of the US, (for all I know, there may be state laws outlawing it in some states) Herbsaint is now regarded as the "unofficial official" ingredient in the Sazerac in place of the absinthe. We have Sazeracs in our home and in bars occasionally and we have tried it with several brands of absinthe but mostly we agree with nearly everyone else, that Herbsaint actually makes a better Sazerac. The Sazerac was originally conceived as a way to showcase Peychaud's bitters, of which a few drops are contained in the drink, along with a twist of lemon, a sugar cube muddled with the bitters, and rye whiskey, which long ago replaced Cognac as the main spirit in the drink. Quite clever or Mr. Peychaud, I would say. The very word "cocktail" is derived from " coqetiel" or "coquetel", an archaic French name for a small egg cup popular in the day, in which the inventive Mr. Peychaud served his concoction in his pharmacy. And so, while there were other preparations of strong spirits mixed with sugars, bitters, fruit, etc before then, the Sazerac can lay claim to being the first drink that was actually called a cocktail.
This just sets a perfect mood for my trip to Prague this week... 🧚
Ive had absinth and I got the same reaction from it as when I got exposed to fiberglass manufacturing fumes. All colours became much more vivid and outlines of objects were very bold. Is that normal?
When I was sixteen I got high with my friend and his girlfriend. Then we met some friends at the burger king inside the mall. My friend's girlfriend had only smoked weed once before. She was wearing a tie die t shirt with bright yellow, red and blue in three overlapping spirals. As we walked from my car into the mall I started talking to her about how one form of hallucination was to see sounds and hear colors. I kept asking her what she thought that might be like, and whether she could even imagine being able to hear the sound of blue. Or red. Or yellow. Do the warmer colors hum? Do the brighter colors scream?
So then we got inside the mall, met up with friends, ordered food, sat down and started eating. It was really quiet. Everybody was focused on munchie-ing out on our food.
So then I said, "Hey, Terri. Look at your shirt."
She looked down for about thirty seconds, then screamed in alarm. Then started giggling uncontrollably. Then she started trying to mimic the sounds of the colors.
I still think she was putting me on. I'm not that powerful with suggestive talk. Even high, I can't be that good.
🤨 the fuck does that have to do with anything?
Remember walking down a river canal tow path after quite a bit of absinthe once. My vision suddenly seeing everything in a blue-green hue as I staggered home. Obviously I was pissed as a newt anyway, so no idea if it was the absinthe itself...
Don’t know if it makes you hallucinate, but it makes you punch a doorman & get thrown out of a bar 😂
In Japan we were always told Don't drink the Purple Haze".
I’ve had absinthe at uni. it’s definitely fun to do the whole process but in the end, it’s just booze :)
Would not shock me if some of the drinkers were also dosing Laudanum.
Edgar Allen Poe and Vincent Van Gogh were both Absinthe and Laudanum advocates.
What is that? And no, I don't want to look it up because I don't want weird ads if you know what I mean.
@@lordpsi99 It was a Victorain era drug similar to novacaine. The artist Rossetti had a model who overdosed on it.
“…. and experiencing the Horrors…”
Laudanum is a strongly alcoholic tincture of Opium. (It probably tastes horrible.)
It is reputed to cause strange sights. I have never had it, even if I’ve spent enough time in hospitals after surgery to learn about the horrors.
Don't know about hallucinations, but I do know absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.
"The little green fairy that lives in the absinthe..."
No, it doesn’t. I have tried and tried with every brand of absinthe I can get my hands on - even importing the good stuff back when it was still illegal. No hallucinations. In fact, other than the taste, I found no differences. I do like the taste though.
Personal experience with real Czechoslovakian Absinthe. You don’t trip like mushrooms but it feels like alcohol and edibles.
Can confirm that absinthe gives a massive a hangover. I bought a nice bottle while in Spain, and the high alcohol content combined with a flavor whose bitterness calls out for extensive sweetening is a recipe for painful mornings, especially since I was, as a young guy does, using energy drinks as a mixer.
My buddy brought some back from the Netherlands back in 2007 and my goodness.. it was like the tracers you see when on ectasy, yah just feel smashed and not rolling.
According to some random bibble site I found, wormwood is mentioned 8 times in the old testament (and in Revelations, of course) and each time it's associated with "bitterness, poison, and death." So naturally we have to make a liquor out of it!
And yes, I meant to say "bibble," not bible.
Which is why we don't get our science from fairy tales
I tried it a few months ago and didn’t care for it. The variety I tired tasted like earwax, wet dog, and black licorice. And it gave me such a pounding hangover headache… it didn’t even wait for me to sober up before the hangover started 😒
Edit: I only had 2 whisky-sized glasses of the stuff prepared “in the traditional way”. Aside from the laudanum that is.
And dang, the Laudanum is actually the best part! 😕
Excellent video. I enjoy drinking Absinthe and get mine imported from Europe. You do get a lucid high, compared to other spirits and alcohols. You don't feel weighted down, like drinking whiskey, scotch, rum, vodka, etc. You still remain talkative and can string thoughts together. The wine industry was behind much of the pushing of the ban, since it wasn't a fan of Absinthe's popularity. A good way to kill off a competitor. What also contributed to the ban was that people were getting sick from drinking cheap "bathtub" Absinthe. Which was colored green using Copper Sulfate and is toxic. Good to see someone who did their research on the subject unlike other videos I've seen. Thanks
Absinthism (forgive my spelling) is seizures from alcohol withdrawal which occurs with any long term abuser. This is why we use benzo protocols with Valium or Ativan to prevent this in detox and rehab centers
The French were actually concerned about the fighting ability of their soldiers and that was why they banned Absynthe??? Wouldn't those soldiers need fighting ability in the first place?
Oooooohhhh
Not bad, Mister, really not bad
Well, in the spirit of "That Guy" past... the gauls have been some of the best fighters and warriors for most of recorded history. Very long tradition of raiding and pillaging. Heck, the ones near Normandy come from Norse heritage.
Then they discovered wine and perfume, and things... changed.
@@iainballas Not to mention mimes.
I thought that was what the Maginot Line was for!!!
Oddly enough if you breathe in the atmosphere of an opium den you might start hallucinating whether you're drinking anything or not.
I’m really enjoying how the first painting in the background was done by my favorite painter: Ensor. I’m going to double check this, as I’m operating from memory, but I’m pretty darn sure that’s James Ensor.
it is an interesting note that in the novel, Tarzan of the Apes, (the first Tarzan novel) Tarzan, at the age of eighteen, Tarzan is befriended by a French officer, who teaches him French and how to behave in European society. They arrive In Paris, where Tarzan is introduced to absinthe. He likes the drink and proceed to drink huge quantities with no ill effects due to his naturally superb physique. This shows that by 1912, the drinks reputation had reached international levels.
On the whole today's Absinthe is a lot more purified than the stuff in the 1800s, so the chance of tripping on it these days is virtually nill.
However,Wormwood can actually react with some types of gut bacteria and give you severe wind in certain circumstances, so it can be a case of "Absinthe makes the farts grow stronger"!
Oh it's Simon! *like button*
In high school, the legend was that real absinthe did make you hallucinate, but that the absinthe you could buy in Canada didn't contain wormwood and so it wasn't "real" absinthe. So any classmate fortunate enough to go on a trip to Europe was tasked with bringing back a bottle of the real stuff. The fact that all such attempts were blocked by the adults just made the legend even greater.
So you can imagine my disappointment when I got old enough to make my own trip to Europe, ordered some absinthe and found out it's just bitter green booze.
I did a good bit of study on absinthe (for a book called "Absinthe Malice") and this is spot on. I couldn't have written the script any better.
To augment, the part about when the distillers (intentionally or not) added bad adulterants or impurities very likely led to some serious side effects. Back in the 19th century, govt chemists didn't drop by to test your product for safety.
One of those impurities was almost certainly methanol. Ethanol is the alcohol we drink; it has two carbon atoms. Methanol has just one carbon atom - just an ounce can cause serious neurological damage, irreversible blindness, or death.
How did methanol get into absinthe? Distilling wood - such as wormwood, the ingredient that makes absinthe absinthe. Careless or greedy distillers wouldn't take the steps to remove the methanol.
btw, the Vieux Carre (French Quarter in New Orleans) houses the Old Absinthe House (on Bourbon St, of course). They do serve absinthe, and still have the drip fountains, but their recipe for a sazerac does not contain absinthe.
Stop supporting hello fresh. They ship bricks of plastic to you door with a bit of food in, almost by accident.
You can trip balls on absinthe if done right
In some places, and within a few circles, a few drops of laudanum were put n the sugar cube and it would drip onto the absinth. Laudanum being and opium tincture I believe had the best potential to serve as a base for the alucination myth.
Informative! I do like absinthe
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.
A common application, at least back in my 20s, was to add some LSD or powdered psilocybin to the sugar cube. The upside of the anise was that you could smell them from several feet away. Licorice scented human sweat is a smell you never forget, believe me. I did notice mania, which can produce hallucinations without the LSD or psilocybin, but over all it was just a weird hyper-mania. There might also be an aspect of dehydration as there seemed to be excessive sweating in individuals who partook, which also can cause hallucinations. If I ever had any, I don't remember, but I was present when others did and was the sober one watching over them. Then again, while playing poor person's "cabinet roulette" [a game where you literally make do with what's available in the cabinets and fridge] I accidentally made an omelet with psilocybin mushrooms (a similar mistake could be made with some of my Carolina Reaper chili powder, or my chocolate habaneros) and don't remember much of the next several hours. To beat you to a joke, most people do NOT want to remember accidentally ingesting (or in-jesting) either chili.
Simon mentioned Melissa, which is lemon balm btw. Just in case anyone doesn't know. It's a beautiful lemon scented tea herb from the mint familiy with a reputation as an herbal antidepressant. Herbal remedies though, are not concentrated enough to beat modern medicine for efficacy, so remember, herbs comfort symptoms, they do not treat your cancer.
I love absinthe, and I loved this episode!!!!