Fortunately in the good old
United Kingdom, absinthe is still legal. The local
off licence is apparantly one of the largest stockist in the
United Kingdom, so I took a wander down with the idea of purchasing some extremely
intoxicating liquid.
Well, they had six brands, not bad for a small liquor store. I thought in for a penny, in for a pound so I bought the most expensive (and strongest) bottle called Hapsburg Super De-luxe edition from Bulgaria. This was the first drink I had bought with warning labels, it had to be kept below 19 degrees C (watch out on a summer day ;) and kept away from flames. I just bought a little 15cl bottle though, I didn't want to kill myself. It even came with a little leaflet describing the history of absinthe and how to drink it.
At 85% (ie 170 proof), this wasn't the light stuff. But being a student in England, I was well hardened to alcohol and thought neat is best. Well, two shots later I decided to try the cocktail suggestions, I didn't really want to throw up all over my flatmates. Mixing it with dissolved sugar is quite tricky (see above), especially after two shots of absinthe, but I eventually got it going and it definately tasted better (well, bearable) this way.
I must admit I had a great night out that night, after finishing the bottle (that's only six shots), better than usual. But there were many drinks consumed after the absinthe, which may account for this phenomenon. Whether it was the absinthe or not, I'm not prepared to speculate. However, I will be going back to the Green Fairy for some more inebriation and great times. Happy drinking, fellow noders.