http://austinist.com/2008/10/13/austinist_reviews_peche.php All comments for Austin Bites: Péché, or Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder en-us 2009 austinist_brady Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:55:25 -0600 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss bdyer@mail.utexas.edu bdyer@mail.utexas.edu 60 http://austinist.com/2008/10/13/austinist_reviews_peche.php#comment-1486235 http://austinist.com/2008/10/13/austinist_reviews_peche.php#comment-1486235 Comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:52:58 -0600 <p>it's a common misconception that contemporary absinthe is in some way "less potent" than the absinthe of old. there is absolutely no evidence to support this position, and plenty to support the opposite. studies of the chemical compositions of several of the most popular victorian era absinthes have consistently shown their level of thujone (the active compound extracted from wormwood) to be well within the limits currently prescribed by law. and in fact, many of the recipes used to produce modern day absinthes have been lifted directly from the old absinthe distillers of france and switzerland to produce a nearly identical product. furthermore, the intoxicating and "halucinogenic" properties attributed to wormwood are largely hype and mythology. most of the pleasurable effects of drinking absinthe come simply from good old fashioned alcohol...ALOT of it. by definition, all modern absinthes contain anywhere from 45-85% (usually ~68%). this can hardly be considered "less potent". the absinthe of old is indeed back in circulation. and it's way better than that rot-gut crap you got in prague when you were 18. i promise. </p>