Becks16

Okay, I did a quick search and didnt find much of use, so I will ask my question here. I am currently in Italy for a few weeks, and my boyfriend wants me to bring him back a bottle of Absinthe. I saw bottles everywhere in Venice, so I assume that they are readily available throughout Italy. However, I fly from Rome to London, where I stay for a week before going home. Is absinthe as readily available (and at reasonable cost) in London as it is in Italy? I am backpacking, so I dont want to carry the bottle around for longer than necessary. However, if I did purchase it in Italy, will there be issues bringing it back to London, and then on to Canada? Is it necessary to declare such things? Pardon my ignorance on such matters, and thanks for any help

ekscrunchy

Just be aware that there is genuine absinthe and there is also a lot of faux absinthe. There are several threads here discussing absinthe, including this one:


http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

flanneruk

Without getting into what's real and what isn't:

The basic French brands like Pernod and Ricard are widely available in London. Like all hard liquor, they're a lot more expensive in Britain than in Italy, and if that's what you want the most sensible thing is to buy them in duty-free as you're leaving your London airpor. London duty free prices for hard liquor are about the same as ordinary shop prices in continental Europe.

Note, though, that are issues about taking duty-free into North America if it involves changing planes in the US (where TSA won't let you take liquids in your carry-on). I imagine Canada has similar rules if you need to change planes in Canada, but taking a litre of duty-free Pernod into Canada's fine if your journey stops at your entry port.

If you want something other than Pernod or Ricard, you MIGHT find it in London (spend enough time in obscure booze shops and you'll find anything) but it'll cost and it won't be available at the airport duty frees. In theory, you can import gallons and gallons of hard liquor dutyfree from Italy to Britain - but you can't take it in your cabin baggage, so in practice you're limited to whatever you can safely stow in your checked luggage.

traveller1959

Pastis like Pernod, Ricard etc. is NOT Absinthe - these thujone-free liquors were created when Absinthe was forbidden but have a similar taste.

Since 2000, the EU allows the production of real Absinthe with a low content of thujone. (Recent research has shown that thujone appears to be harmless - it was just the alcohol which did the damage.) It is available in all liquor stores.

You can buy a bottle of La Fée Absinthe (maybe other brands) at the Duty Free Shop in Heathrow Airport and take it into the cabin in a sealed plastic bag. Before going through customs in Canada, I would conceal the bottle in my handbaggage. (It is probably forbidden to bring it into Canada, but I cannot imagine that it will be a big deal if they find it - at least it is legal in Europe.)

Another option is buying a bottle in Italy, wrapping it VERY carefully and putting it into checked baggage. But I have seen checked bags falling from a height of 10 meters down on the tarmac - and I don't know if you like your clothes smelling for absinthe.

Therese

I purchased a bottle of Czech-made (for a UK distributor) Sebor absinthe at the Waitrose grocery stores in the Glouscester Rd tube station a couple of years ago.

I declared it as "liquor" and that was the end of it. Even if absinthe is illegal in Canada (no idea), Italy is an unlikely source for it, so you're not to show up on anybody's radar.

ekscrunchy

There is a faux absinthe sold in the US, so maybe that one is available in Canada as well. Brand name: Lucid.



http://www.drinklucid.com/

Cholmondley_Warner

You are aware that it's absolutely foul stuff?

There's a specialist shop in Old Compton St in Soho which carries some of the more obscure brands.

You could achieve the same effect by drinking a bottle of cough mixture and hitting yourself over the head with a sock full of pennies.

RM67

I'm not a great fan of anything aniseedy. But I'm desperate for someone to try the horrendous sounding 'London Fog' cocktail (from the Stork Club Bar 1940's book), which consists of absinthe and gin, to see whether it requires hospitalisation or not....

traveller1959

From reading their website, Lucid does not appear as faux. It contains Artemisia absinthium and hence thujone.

Here the regulations for Canada:

In Canada, liquor laws are established by the provincial governments. As with any spirit, absinthe can only be imported by a government agency; importation by individuals to a private address is prohibited.

British Columbia has no limits on thujone content; Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia allow 10 mg/kg thujone; Manitoba allows 6-8 mg thujone per litre [58]; all other provinces do not allow the sale of absinthe containing thujone (although, in Saskatchewan, one can purchase any liquor, with a minimum of one case, usually 12 bottles x 750 ml or 8 x 1L). Individual liquor boards must approve each product before it may be sold, and currently only Hill’s Absinth, Czech Absinth s.r.o., Elie-Arnaud Denoix, Pernod, Absente, Versinthe and, in limited release, La Fée Absinthe are approved.

Production is also regulated by the provincial government. Recently, Okanagan Spirits in British Columbia released the Taboo brand, which is presently the only commercial absinthe crafted in Canada.

(Source: wikipedia)

Fra_Diavolo

Actually, Lucid is not a faux absinthe. It's made with the correct variety of wormwood and contains thujone. Ted Breaux, the maker, reduced the thujone content (to what he calls historical levels), then persuaded the Feds to adjust their thujone measuring criteria. Result? Legal absinthe, and an open door to other absinthe makers.

Absinthe is very high in alcohol, about 130 proof, so a single is like a double. It's drier than pastis, and contains some bitter herbal notes. It's quite expensive at about $60 a bottle and more. I think it is headed for curiosity status. Now that the ban has been circumvented, I think the drink's mystique will diminish.

traveller1959

60 dollars for a bottle of absinthe is ridiculous.

In Europe, a bottle of absinthe would cost around 20 Euros.

I use it for making Sazerac.

Given the small amounts of absinthe in Sazeric, one bottle will last for the rest of my life.

ekscrunchy

This is the thread I meant to link above. Lucid has thujone, but in very minimal amounts. It is a far cry from the "real"absinthe that many people are seeking:



http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34967096

Fra_Diavolo

The thujone issue is very misleading. To ingest enough thujone to hallucinate, you would poison yourself and die (in large quantities, it destroys the kidneys).

Even if they find the stuff they are seeking -- the crude, thujone spiked swill the Czechs are peddling -- they will not imbibe enough thujone to hallucinate. They will, however, get righteously snookered.

Nope, if you want to see your own Night Cafe or imagine A Season in Hell, you'll have to look elsewhere for your inspiration. (A touch of genius won't hurt, either.)

bdjtbenson

Cholmondley,

Yes but she's backpacking and doesn't want to lug around a bag of pennies

Becks16

Wow, thanks everyone for the input! I had no idea absinthe was so complicated Theres no way I'm paying $60 a bottle, but for the cheaper stuff... well, I doubt if my boyfriend could tell real from fake anyway, so I won't be too concerned. And fortunately I'm flying direct from London to Vancouver, so it doesn't look like there will be too many problems there.
And I've heard that it tastes terrible, though I've never had it. However, the intended recipient claims to like it!

Again, thanks for all your help!