I became aware of Absinthe/Absente while researching everything New Orleans for an upcoming trip. Had to try it. Tried drinking it. Then found a recipe, I think some kind of oyster stew, and tried cooking with it. (EWWW!) Both ways were crap. The bottle isn't nice enough to be decorative either. Basically, the only reason I WOULD drink it was to get a cool buzz. But alas, the stuff I bought was not the "real thing".