Q&A for How to Drink Absinthe

You can, but this is not considered a good way to drink it. There are certainly more fancy ways and rituals for consuming absinthe, but a simple and easy way is to pour a shot of absinthe into a wine glass and slowly dilute it with chilled water until you enjoy the taste.

Yes, absinthe with a certain low level of thujone content is legal to sell in the US.

No, the active ingredient in absinthe, besides alcohol, is thujone, a compound that is not at all related to drugs known as hallucinogens. Thujone is actually considered a convulsant, that is, in high doses it can cause muscular contractions or seizures. Absinthe that is sold in stores typically does not have enough thujone content to have any noticeable effect. However, if you were to consume absinthe that had greater thujone content, you would tend to notice effects such as; a certain distracted or spaced-out feeling, laughter and perceptual effects sometimes described as making things appear as though they were inside a doll house or to create a sense of things appearing more vivid or strange than usual (without any major perceptual disturbance). Accounts of more fantastical hallucinations are almost universally from works of fiction or exaggerations.

The sugar isn't fully mixed by doing this, so it dissolves in the absinthe. If you use sugar water, it might not mix properly.

Vomiting is your best bet. The only harmful ingredient in Absinthe is its high alcohol content, so you don't have to worry about anything other than consuming too much alcohol (as with any alcoholic drink).

I would guess that white absinthe is white or clear in color, and green absinthe is green.