Thu, 23 Feb - Absinthe Forum: Life Lessons

My first absinthe was King of Spirits brand, served in a shot glass...it was, without a doubt, the worst thing I could've possibly done. Felt like I swallowed a fire ball that left a numb trail down to the stomach...then, it almost immediately came right back up. Fairy knocked me on my butt..
It the ban hadn't been lifted, that would've been most likely my only absinthe experience.
When the ban lifted, I went straight to the Old Absinthe House for a proper introduction. At the time, it was magical. I picked the most expensive stuff on the menu, simply called "Pernod". One tasted, the magic was there. I absolutely loathe everything about alcohol but mostly the taste, and to my surprise, I tasted black jellybeans. Not a fan of black jellybeans, but I prefer that flavor to alcohol any day..when the glass was finished, and I popped out of that bar seat to leave, the French Quarter suddenly became a playground of sorts. A fearless, sort of preternatural feeling came into play. I suppose that was the "strange sense of clarity" . The absolute best thing was the complete lack of drunkeness, even after getting 3 more in my system at The Dungeon. I'm the first to getting sloppy drunk, usually getting sick and/or hungover. Didn't get sick at all. The headache the next morning was cured with a little seltzer water and some food...simple fix for a night of feeling invincible.
Since then, I've become Pernod's number 1 fan. Funny thing is, after happening upon this enlightening website, I realize they're not even performing a proper louche at the Old Absinthe House. You would think with its name, it would be traditional in its ritual...I was given the flashy fire ritual , couldn't even enjoy the colour change as the water was quickly added with a spray faucet (and it was cool at best). The Dungeon actually served it up in a whiskey glass, straight (by then, had I known better I still probably wouldnt have cared) .
Even with these methods, I enjoyed it immensely. I'm a sucker for tradition though and I kicked myself, seeing the true Louche for the basic beauty that it is. I've enjoyed the effects of every other method but the original method...I can't wait for my next absinthe night...

'Meeting the Green Fairy' is a metaphor sometimes used to describe the curious effects of the green liquor.

About the effects of absinthe

When it comes to the effects of drinking absinthe, people's opinions -- and experiences -- vary wildly. Some go as far as to claim the drink is psychoactive, while others say there is no "secondary" (that is, other than alcohol-induced) effect at all.

As early as 1993, Matthew Baggott posted his Absinthe FAQ in the Usenet newsgroup "alt.drugs" (there wasn't much of the web as we know it back then). As you will suspect from the newsgroup's name, the issue of absinthe's "psychoactive qualities" was one of the interests of the document.

Some people take it further still. We definitely do not recommend any experiments with Paxil and absinthe (nor, for that matter, mixing any medicine with alcohol). Anyway, it's quite clear which way the wind blows here, since Jasmine Sailing's bizarre piece more or less concludes absinthe is a narcotic. Is it really? Yup, it does read like the girl was out of her mind when she wrote the page -- and no, we don't think the Fairy was to blame!

A far more sober look at the effects of the Green Fairy can be found in "The Return of the Green Faerie", an article written by Frank Kelly Rich of the Modern Drunkard magazine (no pun intended). Recommended reading.