What is Absinthe?

Absinthe or the Green Fairy by the French is a herbal alcoholic drink know for its euphoric effects. Among the herbs used is wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), anise and fennel. It is the thujone from the wormwood as well as the blend of other herbs that give Absinthe its special effects. Its euphoric effects have helped intellectuals and artists for years, enhancing creativity and artistic expression.

What makes Absinthe special?

It is wormwood, specifically, the thujone in it that is the culprit of Absinthe's "added effect". Together with the other herbs, Absinthe produces a euphoric feeling when consumed. Naturally occurring in many plants and flowers, thujone is found in large amounts in wormwood. A-thujone has a structure very similar to THC (tetrahyrdacannaboid) and allows the brain to fire at will, increasing creativity and creating the resulting euphoric feeling.

How do you drink Absinthe?

There are a number of popular methods for drinking Absinthe. For the masochists or those who like their drinks bitter, Absinthe can be taken straight. Otherwise, sugar and water can be added. Elaborate rituals have grown around the adding of water and sugar to Absinthe and are as follows:

Method One: Louching

Pour shot of Absinthe into glass, place Absinthe spoon (or large fork) over top and place sugar on spoon Pour cold water slowly over sugar. When the water hits the Absinthe, it releases oils that turn the drink a milky white – louching. The amount of louching seen depends on the Absinthe drink itself, some Absinthe louches better than others.

Method Two: Flame method

Soak / dunk some sugar/sugar cube into the Absinthe glass
Light sugar and hold over glass. Wait for it to begin to caramelise (turn a dark brown) and let the sugar drip into the glass
When the fire gets low, stir the remaining sugar into the glass and drink

Is Absinthe legal?

Depends on which country you are in. The EU have recently relaxed their laws on Absinthe and have now allowed the sale of Absinthe containing thujone. There are still local laws that have to be contended with (such as those in France still banning Absinthe) but Absinthe has seen a major revival in most EU countries.

In the United States, Absinthe is not a controlled substance but its sale in bars and liquor stores is banned. Also, the production of Absinthe in the USA is still not allowed. It is however legal to possess Absinthe in the United States for personal consumption.

Is Absinthe safe?

It depends on who you ask. Certainly, the original Absinthes were brewed with sub-standard safety standards. These days, the thujone content of all commercial Absinthes is low enough to cause no harm to the human body. Homemade Absinthe can be potentially fatal. Be aware that although the thujone content of modern day Absinthe may not be harmful, its high alcoholic content can be.

As always, use common sense when enjoying Absinthe.

Do you charge my card when I order or when you ship?

When an order is placed, we verify that you have sufficient funds by requesting an authorization to charge. It is only when we actually send your order for shipping that we charge your card.

Is the site secure?

Of course. All transactions are done over a secure internet connection and information given to us is encrypted.

It doesn't accept my credit card, what is going on?

There are a number of common reasons. Firstly, there might be conflict between the billing information that your card company has and the billing information you are providing.

Secondly, you might be inputting the CVV number wrong. That’s the three digit number at the back of your card.

If you are still having problems, give us a call at 1-800-625-8904

I don't have a credit card. How do I order?

Just send us a money order. These can be obtained at a post office or your local bank. For information on where to send it, just process an order as you would normally and change payment method to money orders. The shipping information will then show up.

How is my Absinthe shipped?

All orders are packaged in plain boxes and shipped via your national post service.

How long does it take you to ship?

It normally takes between 2-3 business days to process an order. After processing, shipping time is approximately 1-3 weeks.

If I order multiple products, is the shipping extra?

No. It is a flat rate of US$25 per order.

My order arrived broken!

Do send us a photograph of the order. We need some method to show that the orders shipped to you did arrive broken as you specified. Once it has been verified, we are happy to either refund or reship your order as you prefer.