Speaking of ether,

[Subo97]

laudanum memories

Back in the early 70's in Fl, laudunum was a non-prescription controlled substance (not sure of the official legal words) used for the treatment of colic. You could get it from your pharmacist by signing for it. If you signed too often, the sherriff came knocking on your door. I'm sure it helped to carry a screaming baby into Eckard's when you attempted that particular scam.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Me too. I was about to whip out the credit card but the $150 price tag made me re-read the FAQs at The Virtual Absinthe Museum. Apparently, there's nothing to the absinthe hype except for its exceptionally high alcohol content.

"In conclusion, there is no evidence that absinthe ever contained the high concentrations of thujone that would have led to detrimental effects or that it has hallucinogenic or mind altering properties."

Sigh. Another escape from reality plummets to earth. Poor green fairy...

During my misspent youth, I drank a lot of stuff but never absinthe. One of the things I drank a few times was 151 Rum, which is 151 proof. Is absinthe even higher in alcohol content than that? That would make it more than 75% alcohol.

 

[LadyJeanne]

During my misspent youth, I drank a lot of stuff but never absinthe. One of the things I drank a few times was 151 Rum, which is 151 proof. Is absinthe even higher in alcohol content than that? That would make it more than 75% alcohol.

From that website:

Absinthe is a strong herbal liqueur distilled with a great number of flavorful herbs like anise, licorice, hyssop, veronica, fennel, lemon balm, angelica and wormwood (the flavor of anise and/or licorice, at least in contemporary forms of the liquor, tends to predominate). Wormwood, the one that's gained the most notoriety, is Artemisia absinthum, an herb that grows wild in Europe and has been cultivated in the United States as well. Much of the liquor's legendary effect is due to its extremely high alcohol content, ranging from 50% to 75% (usually around 60%), plus the contribution of the various herbs. It has been assumed by many that the so-called "active ingredient" in absinthe is wormwood, although that is apparently not really the case.

It was traditionally served with ice water and a cube of sugar; the sugar cube was placed on a slotted "absinthe spoon", and the water was drizzled over the sugar into the glass of absinthe (typically in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio). The sugar helped take the bitter edge from the absinthe, and when the water is drizzled into the the liquor it all turns milky greenish-white (the effect is called "louche").

 

[shereads]

From that website:

Absinthe is a strong herbal liqueur distilled with a great number of flavorful herbs like anise, licorice, hyssop, veronica, fennel, lemon balm, angelica and wormwood (the flavor of anise and/or licorice, at least in contemporary forms of the liquor, tends to predominate). Wormwood, the one that's gained the most notoriety, is Artemisia absinthum, an herb that grows wild in Europe and has been cultivated in the United States as well. Much of the liquor's legendary effect is due to its extremely high alcohol content, ranging from 50% to 75% (usually around 60%), plus the contribution of the various herbs. It has been assumed by many that the so-called "active ingredient" in absinthe is wormwood, although that is apparently not really the case.

It was traditionally served with ice water and a cube of sugar; the sugar cube was placed on a slotted "absinthe spoon", and the water was drizzled over the sugar into the glass of absinthe (typically in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio). The sugar helped take the bitter edge from the absinthe, and when the water is drizzled into the the liquor it all turns milky greenish-white (the effect is called "louche").

Spoons were involved. That explains why people thought they were getting high and not just drunk.

 

[shereads]

Inhaling aether effectively deprives one of oxygen,

I read somewhere that oxygen is toxic, but we breath it because it was that or nothing. Cell oxidization over time is the reason we age and eventually die. Is ether worse than that?