Then what's the point? :-) :-)
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That's kind of like saying, "if a cigar doesn't get you high like weed why would you still smoke it?" People should drink absinthe for the taste, or they're wasting their money. Scientific studies of pre-ban bottles have shown that even back in the day, the amount of thujone in a properly made absinthe is negligible. The old stories about the green fairy are mythical.
Absinthe has a different kind of drunk in the way wine, beer or tequila all feel slightly different for the first few drinks, but if once you're drunk you're just drunk, no green fairies. I for one like the way it tastes & so I enjoy it, but it's a love or hate kind of thing and many of the people I'd shared it with think its disgusting, but please, don't fall for the "we have the most thujone around" marketing hype of many of the over priced czech-sinthes.
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Absinthe is a good complimentary drink with cigars. I’d put it in similar terms as Chartreuse; it’s not for everyone but it does go well with cigars.
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:-) Also, thujone tends to clump, for lack of a better word, so the amount of thujone varies from bottle to bottle. There is, indeed, a "secondary effect", but it can be quite subtle.
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I have a partial bottle of Lucid, I like it, but don't love it. Tastes like Nyquil to me. LOL
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I really enjoy the taste of absinthe, but rarely drink it due to the price. To me (and others I've spoken to), absinthe tastes very similar to black licorice. Ironically, I hate the taste of black licorice, but love the taste of absinthe. Must be the high alcohol content. :-)
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Absinthe is a wormwood drink and should primarily taste like wormwood, which being an odd flavor that most people aren't familiar with, goes unnoticed to the untrained palate (it's the tongue-numbing bitter-spicy part). It's the fennel and green anise that give the absinthe the "licorice" flavor that most people notice, although they should be in balance with the wormwood and not cloying or distracting in a properly balanced absinthe. Lucid is alright, but I wouldn't write off absinthe until you've tried something like Ridge Verte, Pacifique or Walton Waters. They are an expensive experiment at ~$75 a bottle, so it's best to make friends with somebody that's into the hobby or find a local bar that has a decent absinthe menu. It's a whole other slope like cigars; you'd go broke pretty quick if you had to experiment with what kind of cigar you liked by randomly buying boxes, but once you find a brand that suits your palate a bottle actually lasts quite a while and price per drink, is hardly more expensive than wine.
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I picked up a preference for the Sazerac cocktail on several visits to New Orleans. I'm looking for a less expensive brand of Absinthe that I would use only for making a Sazerac. I didn't want to spend $50 on a bottle that I only use a splash of and in only one particular drink. I tried using an inexpensive Italian anise liqueur but it wasn't a good substitute. Anyone have any suggestions ?
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Absinthe is simply an expensive thing to make, as it blended from the distilates of 6 or more different herbs and put through a pretty elaborate process, usually in a traditional, copper alembic still, so $50 is about as cheap as palatable absinthe gets (under that and you'd be wasting your money on swill). At just under $50 and for your purposes, a bottle of Kubler would do nicely. Keep in mind you'll only have to pay that price once, then you'll have enough absinthe for a year's worth of Sazeracs (and you might even begin to enjoy an occasional glass on its own.):-)
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Yeah, what the hell. You're right. 4 Sazeracs at the Roosevelt in New Orleans costs $50on their own. It seemed like several of the nicer bars in New Orleans were using a brand called "Herbsaint Liquer" in their Sazeracs (Antoine's Hermes bar, for example). It's made in the USA and probably not real absinthe. It shows up online for under $20 a bottle but I can't find it anywhere, including Total Wines in Atlanta and Jacksonville.

I did just spend $45 at Joe Cigar yesterday though for 10 La Aurora Preferido Ecuador #2s...might have to wait a week or so before I treat myself again.
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During the ban, it was normally made with pastis like Pernod or Ricard. Pastis is related to absinthe in that it's basically absinthe without the wormwood. There is one from New Orleans, but the name escapes me.
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Pastis is a star anise drink, talk about your licorice bomb. I'd stay away from it unless you LOVE black jelly beans. In general an absinthe that uses star anise rather than green anise is considered a sub par drink.
Herbsaint is an acceptable Absinthe substitute, but it is made without the primary ingredient: wormwood. If it's half the price, you might want to try the Herbsaint first, as it is often used in Sazeracs and may actually have been what you were served in NO, since authentic Absinthe has not been widely available in the U.S. until just the last few years, and even now it's hard to call its current status "widely available." Being a fan of Absinthe, I'd say just go with a bottle of Lucid or Kubler and try it out. :-)
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As for myself, I like Lucid. It's the commercial label of Ted Breault, an analytical chemist from New Orleans who, having analyzed several vintage bottles from the Belle Epoch and comparing them to published recipes, developed a line of boutique absinthes under the name "Jade". I've been buying absinthe since long before the ban was lifted; And I think that Lucid is probably the best of the commercial labels. Like cigars, they all have different flavor profiles and taste is always subjective. The best of the boutique labels aren't blended, they're macerated and distilled together. Here is a link to a great absinthe information site:

http://www.absinthemuseum.com/
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They use star anise to enhance the louche.
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What brands are available in the US ? I had Jade shipped in year ago and really enjoyed it.
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I've tried a few of the ones that are available here, and my favorite so far that I've found is Kubler. First had it at a bar in New Orleans, but was able to find bottles here in NY for ~$60, which isn't too bad. Definitely an acquired taste, but is now one of the very few liquor drinks I enjoy.
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At the expense of flavor. There are many fine absinthes that louche thick and opalescent without the aid of star anise. For most connoisseurs, the use of star anise is the mark of an inferior absinthe. I actually enjoy a pastis every once in a while, but I find Pastis and Absinthe to be entirely different drinks with different flavor profiles. If I want star anise and licorice flavor, a Pastis is the way to go. I find the flavors in absinthe far more subtle and complex.
As for the Jade line, it absolutely is a fine line of products, however, Lucid is their bottom tier entry for the US market. It is good, but not great. Jade Nouvelle Orleans is the only one of their higher line (that actually carries the "Jade" name) that is commercially available in the US, and it retails for almost twice the price of a bottle of Lucid. I would love it if the Jade Eduaord or Jade 1901 were available to purchase in US stores, but until they are, I will continue to recommend many other fine domestic absinthes over Lucid. Drink what you like and like what you drink. :-)
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The domestic absinthe production has exploded in the last 5 years or so, with many fine abisnthes available. A short list of the more popular domestics are:

Pacifique - Pacific Distillery
Walton Waters - Delaware Phoenix Distillery
Meadow of Love - Delaware Phoenix Distillery
Ridge Verte - Ridge Distillery

Jade Nouvelle Orleans is the only Jade that is currently imported to the US, although you can still sneak the over french stuff in like the old days.
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And you are absolutely right! I, however, mostly drink it with lemonade (called a Hemingway), so it doesn't make sense for me to pay more than about $60 a bottle.
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Have you ever tried a Death in the Afternoon? You pour a dose of absinthe and then louche it with champagne. Drink a couple of those and you'll see why it got its name. I think they're delicious and they give one of the best lush buzzes around, although I hardly ever have absinthe and champagne in the house at the same time. It's probably a good thing, as that is a dangerous cocktail!
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