Last night was fun. Had a great time and tried the absinthe, as well. After about two seconds googling, I found that the FDA allowed absinthe to be imported to the US, but only if it contained 10ppm or less of thujone. That translates to about 10 milligrams of thujone per liter. Traditional absinthe was about 100 milligrams per liter, so the effect of the absinthe I purchased was more of making you drunk easier. However, it tasted damned good, and the louching was a really cool thing to watch. Would definitely try it again, just need to get a decent glass and some sugar cubes.

As for the promise of absinthe being “LSD-like”, not even in the EU with more lax regulations on thujone content in absinthe. There, the requirement is 35 milligrams per liter or less. Still a third the traditional content of “The Green Fairy” as was known. So, skip over it if you’re just some dumb kid looking to get high or trip balls, but definitely give it a try if you want to experience a really cool, hundred year old tradition loved by famous artists such as VanGogh or Twain. I highly recommend against trying to find illegally imported Czech varieties or adding thujone tinctures yourself, as you can die. “This is a bad thing™.”

Well, there you have it. Now go buy a bottle, it’s delicious.