If you haven’t ever tasted real absinthe before, and want a bit of an idea, try ordering some “Pernod” at a bar some time, and add about three times the amount of ice cold water to it. You’ll be “close” to the flavor, although it won’t have the same complexities as real absinthe does. Pernod used to be “the” absinthe company back in the day. When absinthe was banned, they reformulated their product and created the modern day “Pernod”, which unlike absinthe is pre-sweetened (thus no need for the sugar cube ritual listed in the previous absinthe post).

When looking to purchase some absinthe, you can easily find yourself getting suckered into picking up one of what is often referred to as “faux-sinthe”. These products are often rather vile tasting since they are not only improperly made, but also promote the assumption that the more thujone in the product the better. If you ever see an absinthe mention its thujone level as part of its marketing, then put your money away and look elsewhere.

-Robert

I’m so happy you’ve left these tips on buying absinthe - I’ll know what (and what not) to look for when I head to Premier for my first bottle.

Thanks!!