aimeekm

I'd like to bring back some bottles of Absinthe from my trip to Madrid. Does anyone know where I can purchase it there? Is it avaialble at liquor stores...supermarkets...specialty shops?

basingstoke2

Bring back to what country? The US prohibits its importation. The EU also has some rules based on the level of thujone in the absinthe.

aimeekm

Bring back to the US. From what I've read that worst case it will be confiscated. As long as I'm not bringing back large quantities to sell, then there is no pentalty for posession.

ekscrunchy

It is widely available in Spain. Be aware that many of the bottles you will see do not contain "real" absinthe.
I have brought it into the US from Spain myself.

LynnieD

I'm just curious about this, not trying to stir up trouble at all, but is this not a hallucinagenic?

ekscrunchy

This is a hot topic lately. The active ingredient is thujone; many "absinthes" for sale in Spain and in the Czech Republic, among other places, have no thujone in them, they are merely some kind of cheap alcohol with a lurid green color. Supposedly there is some "vrai" absinthe made these days in France and in Switzerland. None of them have any hallucinogenic properties and much of the damage once ascribed to absinthe was actually from the high alcohol content of the drink, not from the actual ingredients. There is a lot of lore and legend around this drink due to all the "artists" who once imbibed it and also due to the whole process of drinking it with the sugar cube and all.

All of this means to say that it is an alcoholic drink with a lot of history and legend but in the end, an alcoholic drink.

cigalechanta

It's perfectly safe, no LSD moments unless, like any alchoholic drink you way over do it. The US banned itin 1912, three years after th French when a Frenchman murderd his family but he not only consumed absenthe but alot of wine and other drinks.
Eventually some incidents and anti-propaganda gave Absinthe a bad reputation. Inexpensive brands would use all type of solvents, copper and dyes to achieve the trademark green color. Those chemicals and toxins often were addressed as the cause for the murder and madness attributed to Absinthe drinking.
The stuff sold for export doen't have the wormwood. But making it is easy and you can buy kits on line and wormwood in Chinatown.

ekscrunchy

This will probably everything you want to know; and if it does not, check out the book, "Devil's Picnic," by Taras Grescoe, for a great chapter on absinthe.

http://www.feeverte.net/guide/archives.html

http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Picnic-...623&sr=8-1

aimeekm

ekscrunchy-

How do I tell which brands contain thujone?

Also, you said widely available, is that at supermarkets or liquor stores? Sorry to be a hassle, but I'll only have one day for shopping, so if I knew more specifically it would help out.

Thanks!

ekscrunchy

I have seen it in those small stores that carry liquor and other foods as well...I would guess also in supermarkets as well but I cannot swear to this. The ones I brought home were more for a joke than for actual drinking so I cared more about the label than what was inside..they were the cheap kind in that glaring green color...and they were STRONG!

From what I have read, the French and Swiss are the ones that make brands in which thujone is present, so you might have more of a chance with absinthe from one of those countries. For those, a good liquor store would be the ticket. There is a famous French maker who uses old stills and got a lot of press recently..if I can find more about his product, I will post it here...

ekscrunchy

Aimee..this is not the French absinthe I wrote about before, but it is supposedly a decent one from Spain:


http://www.absinthebuyersguide.com/saintferran.html

ekscrunchy

You can also buy at duty free when you leave if flying directly back to one US destination from Spain.

cigalechanta

aimee,
here's an over all view,

http://reason.com/news/show/33126.html

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder

aimeekm

Thanks so much for all your help!

Duty free is perfect because breakage in transit is my biggest worry.

I wonder if anyone has had any problem at customs with duty free Absinthe, since it wouldn't be hidden in my luggage...and is technically illegal? I think it being confiscated would tie with breakage as my biggest worry...*L*

I want to bring it back as a souvenir to friends and some family. I figure it would be a lot more unique than a key chain or T-shirt.

cigalechanta

bring a piece of bubble wrap or simply wrap in the dirty clothes.

sherm99

Absinthe is still made with wormwood. The EU is allowing it to be produced again because of better processing and the can limit the amount of thujone in it. Customs for the most part will not bother you about a bottle or two. Make sure you declare "liquor" on your customs form. If they check they check. Their biggest concern is undeclared items, raw meat, veggies and fruit as well as drugs. I have not had a problem bringing a bottle back from my trips.
Make sure you get the real stuff, I buy LaFee' Absinthe. It does contain wormwood. Website for company www.LaFeeAbsinthe.com Enjoy the "GREEN FAIRY".

artlover

We brought a bottle back from Amsterdam without a problem, but I was under the impression that very few places sold the "real stuff". I'm glad to get this information as I'd like to bring another bottle back on our next trip and will be leaving from Spain. The bottle we brought back is 160 proof, which I'm not sure is availble in Spain, but plan to check out the websites here to find out.

I DID hallucinate on it when I first tried it in Siena, but haven't done so on the stuff we brought back, but maybe it was just Siena?

Another question--can we order it in Spanish bars? If so, is it called the same or is there a different word for it in Spanish? (Haven't gotten that far in my Spanish studies yet )

amsdon

My husband bought a bottle as a gag gift in a small liquor/souvenir store a few years ago in Torremolinos. No probs bringing back to US. This one had a large devil on the front of the bottle so easy to spot.

Perhaps they missed my hubby's Absinthe @ LAX customs because they were busy with me. I was nabbed by 'Judi" the cute little customs beagle, who smelled my Jamon Serrano a mile away even though it was vacuum packed. I bought it as a last minute ($70.00) impulse for gifts at the Malaga airport gift shop. I was assured by the sales people it was allowed back in US customs due to the packing.(Wishful thinking) I even resisted eating it on the plane! Caramba CaraXXXX!!!!

Instead I innocently handed over my tresure & was given a harsh warning @ LAX about the low quality of the meat products in Spain. With that remark I almost got into it with the customs officials, but before I could launch into a tirade about how much better the Spanish Chorizo was than any other, my husband reminded me of the $500.00 fine they could have imposed 4 attempting to bring it.

I suspect little Judi ate well that evening.

ams

aimeekm

Thanks everyone for the great info.

I think I'll just try to bring back two bottles instead of the four I was planning so not to have them confiscated at customs.

audere_est_facere

You are aware that it is absolutely foul? Really it's vile.