Strong Alcohol
Discussion
Exactly what is that 'absynth' (spelling?) stuff that gets mentioned ever once in a while? What drinks contain it, where can one buy it, and erm... would one really want to buy it ;)
Is it moonshine, effectively? I had an irish girlfriend whose dad had some pretty strong 60-70% stuff 'putchin' (spelling again?). One tablespoon was enough to get your innards ablaze!
Whilst on topic, what laws apply to the making of one's own spirits, laws on selling and distribution to makes, and the max legal %alc/level a spirits can be sold in the UK (and abroad for interests sake, assuming a few knowlegable phers will have something to say) :)
Is it moonshine, effectively? I had an irish girlfriend whose dad had some pretty strong 60-70% stuff 'putchin' (spelling again?). One tablespoon was enough to get your innards ablaze!
Whilst on topic, what laws apply to the making of one's own spirits, laws on selling and distribution to makes, and the max legal %alc/level a spirits can be sold in the UK (and abroad for interests sake, assuming a few knowlegable phers will have something to say) :)
If i can remember correctly, its can be green and tase of Annaseed (sp?)
I remeber the missus buying a bottle of the stuff thinking it was a liqure to make a cocktail only to find that this really is the piss of satin.
very potent though
>> Edited by Kneedowndeano on Friday 10th June 14:51
I remeber the missus buying a bottle of the stuff thinking it was a liqure to make a cocktail only to find that this really is the piss of satin.
very potent though
>> Edited by Kneedowndeano on Friday 10th June 14:51
Absynthe is a green spirit that is popular amongst students and reportedly can induce hallucinations. Can't remember what proof it is, but the proper stuff is really strong. You're supposed to drink it using sugar and some other way. Last time I had it I was still 
at 4 the next day. Mind you I had also had 13 shots of whisky and around 6 odd beers. The Absynthe finished me off. I'm sure that someone will enlighten you as to how drink it properly.
You can get a lot of strong Alcohol at a drink/spririts shop in Old Compton Stree. They have loads of varieties of absynthe in the window.
at 4 the next day. Mind you I had also had 13 shots of whisky and around 6 odd beers. The Absynthe finished me off. I'm sure that someone will enlighten you as to how drink it properly. You can get a lot of strong Alcohol at a drink/spririts shop in Old Compton Stree. They have loads of varieties of absynthe in the window.
Google is your friend. www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=absinthe&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB
Yes, it is strong, being almost twice the strength of normal spirits. It used to be thought that the oils in wormwood(one of the ingredients) had a THC like effect, but they dont
Mostly notorious for getting pissed when people dont realise that they have just caned half a bottle of cheap scotch in one small glass....
Yes, it is strong, being almost twice the strength of normal spirits. It used to be thought that the oils in wormwood(one of the ingredients) had a THC like effect, but they dont
Mostly notorious for getting pissed when people dont realise that they have just caned half a bottle of cheap scotch in one small glass....
UKBob said:
Whilst on topic, what laws apply to the making of one's own spirits, laws on selling and distribution to makes, and the max legal %alc/level a spirits can be sold in the UK (and abroad for interests sake, assuming a few knowlegable phers will have something to say)
It's all covered by Customs & Excise's excise legislation.
There's a minimum volume under which you don't get caught by the regulations. But iirc this only applies to brewing, not to distilling. Some microbrewers get away with not paying tax but I think they can only make a paltry amount.
Once you get caught by the regs you have to pay excise duty on your products based on the alcoholic content. Roughly the groups are beers/ciders etc, wines/perrys etc, fortified wines and then various groups of spirits.
The tax point for the duty is the point of production - same as petrol. Which is why it is such a goddam RIP-OFF when Gordon Brown announces a hike in excise duty. All the garages stick a few pence on the cost of a litre of fuel. But the fuel has already had the excise duty paid - at the lower rate before the budget. Bloody scamsters.
I don't think there's a legal limit on the max alcohol strength but much over 44% and it just tastes like shite anyway.
>> Edited by angusfaldo on Friday 10th June 14:55
I've never drunk it. Took one sniff of it when I was in Newquay and it nearly ripped away the inside of my nose!
The strongest stuff I've ever had is apparently illegal in the UK. Called Gasoline 192 which was something like 90% and people in Dominical republic run their cars off it! No idea how accurate that all is as one shot of it had my whole innards burning for about 3 hours!!! One of my mates had 3 shots and was plastered!!!!
The strongest stuff I've ever had is apparently illegal in the UK. Called Gasoline 192 which was something like 90% and people in Dominical republic run their cars off it! No idea how accurate that all is as one shot of it had my whole innards burning for about 3 hours!!! One of my mates had 3 shots and was plastered!!!!
Wildfire said:
I'm sure that someone will enlighten you as to how drink it properly.
As long as it goes down the neck it should do the trick
I've see a guy dip a lump of sugar in absinth, he then took the sugar out with a spoon, set fire to it, dropped it back in to the glass once the flame went out, stirred it all together and necked it. What that does to it I've no idea but it seemed to liven him up.
julianhj said:
Absinthe is some Czech concoction IIRC, and contains wormwood, which is slightly hallucinogenic (sp?). It's available from decent off licences round my way, and is definitely very potent stuff. Recommended!
You only get the proper stuff in the Czech Republic..
Had a bottle confiscated by customs once...
Got some proper dodgy stuff in the cupboard at the moment though
Reading...
Absinthe is a green liquor, made by soaking wormwood (Artemesia absinthium) and other herbs in grain alcohol. Its psychoactive effects are the result of both a high alcohol content and the presence of thujone, the primary active ingredient in wormwood.
Legend has it that the modern recipe for Absinthe was developed in 1792 by a French doctor named Pierre Ordinaire. A few years later, it made its way into the hands of Major Dubied and his nephew Henri-Louis Pernod, who developed several distilleries and were the first to produce modern Absinthe on a large scale.
The light green drink is made by steeping dried herbs, including some common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), in ethyl alcohol and then distilling the steep liquor. The distillation is esential as wormwood contains extraordinarily bitter compounds called absinthins which must be excluded from the distillate. Fortunately absinthins are alcohol insoluble, while the rest of the essential oil is volatile with alcohol vapor. The principal herbs are familiar culinary spices anise and fennel, their essential oils being mainly anethole. The product is then treated with Roman wormwood (A.pontica) and other herbs in a delicate and difficult final step. These add finishing flavors and fragile chlorophyllic green pigment -- easily denatured by light or heat. Less traditional brands use food colouring and usually go for a dramatic emerald green (or blue, yellow, even red!) Really authentic absinthe is a pale vivid green like the gemstone Peridot.
The presumed active ingredient in wormwood's oils, alpha-thujone, has a similar molecular structure to menthol, a-pinene, eucalyptol, camphor and other monoterpenes. Formerly believed to have a THC (cannabinoid) structure-activity relationship and mechanism, a-thujone is now known to modulate only an entirely different receptor site, the GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) system. GABA moderates the firing of neural synapses; a-thujone mildly antagonizes such inhibition.
Edited for a laugh...
>> Edited by scruffy on Friday 10th June 15:09
Absinthe is a green liquor, made by soaking wormwood (Artemesia absinthium) and other herbs in grain alcohol. Its psychoactive effects are the result of both a high alcohol content and the presence of thujone, the primary active ingredient in wormwood.
Legend has it that the modern recipe for Absinthe was developed in 1792 by a French doctor named Pierre Ordinaire. A few years later, it made its way into the hands of Major Dubied and his nephew Henri-Louis Pernod, who developed several distilleries and were the first to produce modern Absinthe on a large scale.
The light green drink is made by steeping dried herbs, including some common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), in ethyl alcohol and then distilling the steep liquor. The distillation is esential as wormwood contains extraordinarily bitter compounds called absinthins which must be excluded from the distillate. Fortunately absinthins are alcohol insoluble, while the rest of the essential oil is volatile with alcohol vapor. The principal herbs are familiar culinary spices anise and fennel, their essential oils being mainly anethole. The product is then treated with Roman wormwood (A.pontica) and other herbs in a delicate and difficult final step. These add finishing flavors and fragile chlorophyllic green pigment -- easily denatured by light or heat. Less traditional brands use food colouring and usually go for a dramatic emerald green (or blue, yellow, even red!) Really authentic absinthe is a pale vivid green like the gemstone Peridot.
The presumed active ingredient in wormwood's oils, alpha-thujone, has a similar molecular structure to menthol, a-pinene, eucalyptol, camphor and other monoterpenes. Formerly believed to have a THC (cannabinoid) structure-activity relationship and mechanism, a-thujone is now known to modulate only an entirely different receptor site, the GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) system. GABA moderates the firing of neural synapses; a-thujone mildly antagonizes such inhibition.
Edited for a laugh...
>> Edited by scruffy on Friday 10th June 15:09
angusfaldo said:
Podie said:
Had a bottle confiscated by customs once...
Why? There's no law against importing it, even before Czech etc were in the Union. Was it because you were over your personal allowance?
It had a picture of an "interesting" leaf on it... if you get my drift...
EDIT - which I'd not noticed...
>> Edited by Podie on Friday 10th June 15:10
speedychrissie said:
bascially that means that whatever you make has to be given away.
chris
Not true I'm afraid. Brewers etc even have to pay tax on free promo giveaways. The tax becomes due at the point of production and has to be paid regardless of the use to which it is put. Even if you choose to wash your dog in it you're going to have a tax bill
AC79xxx said:
I'm sure that someone will enlighten you as to how drink it properly.
As long as it goes down the neck it should do the trick
I've see a guy dip a lump of sugar in absinth, he then took the sugar out with a spoon, set fire to it, dropped it back in to the glass once the flame went out, stirred it all together and necked it. What that does to it I've no idea but it seemed to liven him up.
Probably gave him a sugar rush as he'd just burnt off all the alcohol the silly tit.
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