Where to buy Absinthe?
 

It's my friend's b-day next week and I'd like to get him a bottle of Absinthe. I'm looking for the real kind with wormwood. I'm assuming I have to order it from out of the country. For the people who have done this before, what site did you buy it from? What was the brand/cost? Did you have any troubles with customs? And lastly, does anyone know where I can get a bottle asap, since I would like to have it by next week if possible (or at least not too long after). The only site I found so far, spiritscorner.com says it'll take approximately 3 weeks even with airmail. =/
TIA.

You can buy it locally but selections are limited as only few brands/countries of absinthe were allowed in.

You can try the BC Liquor store on Cambie and 41st area. They're the larger liquor store and I have seen it there.

Most of the absinthe being sold here is from the Czech Republic. I'm not sure which countries are being featured and sold.

I thought my understanding of absinthe was that the "real" kind with the (ahem) "special effects" aren't sold or actually allowed anywhere in North America?

^
You're probably right. Wormwood is actually banned in Canada but then again, I may be wrong. :)

I just remember my first year English prof brining of the Czech Republic stuff to the classroom and was talking about absinthe for an hour. :D

talk to skinnypupp

You can buy it online... that's where I got my stuff. It is legal to purchase absinthe in BC, so don't worry. Make sure the stuff that you buy is above 30mg of wormwood to get the full effects... 3-4 shots should get the ball rolling (legal limit in BC is 1.5 mg, in Europe is 10mg). The bottle that I bought from Czech was 30 mg for 200 Canadian.

dear god that stuff got me screwed over in korea... lol

i remember going to work the next day i passed out in my closet at work .. hahahah .. but then again we drank till 4 am and had to be at work by 730am .. lol

sweet man..thats what I like to hear...
C'mon people...show some sites that you buy this stuff from. Everything I have seen is pretty decent, but then the shipping kills you.

the stuff u get in canada is Hill's absinth.

and it sucks. just get 151 instead.

if u want the real one. u have to import it from europe somewhere.

Absinthe with wormwood, contrary to popular belief, is 100% legal in Canada for sale and to have. In the States you can have it, but stores just arent allowed to legally sell it.

The kind you buy at BC liquor stores is the real stuff, you just gotta watch what type you get, cuz some of them suck. Czech Republic stuff is the most common. A friend of mine came back in the summer from there and brought me 2 bottles - 70% Alc. as well too.

To get good stuff locally you can go to this guy: http://www.absinthe.bz/ If I remember right, their office is on Burrard.

Nice markup on it though considering you can get a 2-6 in Czech for under $10

Damn and I just ordered 2 bottles last week. I could have used the savings on shipping by having a few more people order!

Oh well, like people said, czech absinthe is absolute garbage. You might as well put some mint listerine in an absinthe bottle, and call it a day.

And no, you do NOT burn absinthe.

When my package arrives, I will be doing a photo shoot, featuring the classic french absinthe drinking ritual. Watch for that in the photo forum :)

Onto where to order, well there are several reputable dealers, mostly in spain, and some in UK.

The place I order from exclusively is Fine Sprits Corner, based in Spain.

They have a HUGE selection of the most popular 'real' absinthes, as well as accessories, etc. They have good 'beginners' packages.

For absinthe reviews, the one and only place you need to go is La Fee Verte (the green fairy)

They have tons of reviews on ALL absinthe, good and bad, from true absinthe afficianados.

My personal favourite absinthe is Segarra. The bottle isn't fancy or anything, but the louche is amazine (louche is when the drink turns from green to milk white when you add water), and the secondary effect is definitely noticable after a few drinks. Fee Verte gives this bottle 3 stars.

http://www.feeverte.net/guide/images/segarra02.jpg

A good 'party' absinthe, or a good 'gift' absinthe I think would be Mari Mayans:

http://www.feeverte.net/guide/images/marimayans02.jpg

As you can see, it comes in a very nice bottle, and is 70% alcohol. It doesn't really give a secondary effect, but it louches like no other - your drink will go from a neon green to an absolute milk white.

If you are going to get absinthe as a gift, get this one :)

There are many other great absinthes out there; I ordered 2 bottles last week that I haven't tried yet, and can't wait to crack open those bottles. Hopefully by then I'll have recovered from my Vegas trip.

Let me know when you try absinthe, we can talk about it in here!

Whatever you do, don't buy czech crap, especially HILLS. And DO NOT BURN YOUR SUGAR/ABSINTHE!!!!

I would recommend avoiding vendors like the one the person above me posted. They carry mostly "king" brand, which is a disgusting czech brand. Check out the reviews from fee verte before you buy ANYTHING! But remember each person has their own tastes! Just try not to be sucked in by slimy companies trying to cash in on the recent popularity of this 'mysterious' drink.

When buying absinthe, do NOT just look for the ones claiming to be high in wormwood or thujone. That is NOT what indicates a good absinthe! Would you buy wine based on the alcohol content? Think of it that way! Don't get ripped off by the czech bastards ;)

Look for one that tastes good, offers a nice louche, is fun to drink, and has some uniqueness to it. For instance, Mari Mayans I recommended above isn't the best tasting absinthe, but it will be fun and suits many needs just well. However if you got your friend a bottle of King or Staroplzenecky, you guys would be gagging that shit all night, wondering where your 'high' is...

Skinnypuppy how much does it usually cost to get it shipped to your place? Any other fees?

Jeezus, after a post like that even I'm curious now... :lol:

It works out to about 20EUR per bottle.. so $40 CAD. It depends on how much you order though, I think more bottles would bring the overall shipping cost down.

The bottles range a lot though; Segarra is 40EUR ($80) and a bottle of N.S. is only 20EUR ($40)...

Compare that to the prices that place on burrard is charging for that czech garbage, and it's pretty reasonable actually.

if anybody wants to buy some and would like to split the price of shipping let me know, i'm down for at least two bottles

i would be down for a bottle

Cool, thanks for all the helpful replies.

unKnown and ultra_man99, I still haven't ordered a bottle yet, so I'm down for a group buy too. Does ordering from Fine Sprits Corner sound ok to you guys? Let me know what you guys want and I'll check the shipping cost for all of us and get back to you.

First price break on shipping is on the 3rd bottle (goes down to 10EUR after that)

Count me in for 2 bottles.

BTW Spirits Corner is selling Pernod 68 at cost until they run out of current stock. If you're going to buy absinthe soon, this is a decent absinthe, but a great deal!

http://www.spiritscorner.com/scripts...dProducto=3278

so how are gonna do this? cus we need to get going on this buy. get together and purchase with one credit card? i'm not sure how this usually works.

bumping a old thread.

anyone still up for a group purchase? interested in a bottle Deva or Segarra

so do you ever like.. see the green fairy

yes, please do tell.

holy crap 1 year old almost to the day!