htn963 wrote:

>>> Absinthe is legal in a lot of places now, including the US. My son and
>>> his friends used to order it by mail from the Czech Republic moe than 10
>>> years ago.
>> What made it so harmful and a banned substance? All I have ever
>> learned is that it made you crazy. Most liquor does that to lots of
>> people!!
>
> I've tried it recently and found it's got quite a kick -- more so than
> any other liquors of comparable alcohol content -- even when mixed
> with water and a cube of sugar (the traditional way to drink it). The
> buzz it produces is different (hard to describe) from the buzz of
> other drinks. It may be that Thujone combines with the regular
> alcohol to create some synergistic effects.
>
> But it tastes like licorice (a flavor I detest) so I'm in no danger of
> becoming addicted to it.


I don't find the anise taste overpowering, and I don't mind a drink or
two of absinthe or pastis once in a while. I usually find that it numbs
my taste buds.

I confess to previously being naive about the potency of Pernod. I had a
bottle that I had been been using in small amounts to flambe shrimp.
One hot summer I decided to try it as a drink. It went down well. I had
another and another, and maybe a few more. I should have known that
anything that could be used for a flambe would be potent. It snuck up on
me with a powerful kick.