No, it is not. The thing with fire is a load of crap invented in 1990s. Nobody during the Belle Epoque in France or in Switzerland before the absinthe ban did that, because they were not stupid enough to spoil a well made alcohol. The swindlers in the 90s invented this to sell it to the tourist as fake mysterious rubbish, because the drink they made and sold as absinthe was undrinkable, bitter hooch. So why not burn it and have some fun? But no knowledgeable person with a good absinthe will do it.
Makes sense, but everywhere I've encountered absinthe (Cesky Krumlov, Prague, London, LA -- all either Bohemian or touristy), I have only seen what I must assume is what you classify as the terrible hooch kind 
but also plenty of people who like it, for some reason. Or at least are young/poor/etc. enough to drink lots of it. Thanks for the information, though; maybe if I ever happen across the real stuff I'll consider sampling it.
Yes, I am a native Czech citizen, and unfortunately, what you see in the street liquor stores and in tourist pubs is most often the vile hooch. You can get genuine absinthe in Prague, but you either have to buy it on the internet via specialized shops, or know where to go. If you don't care about the price and want to taste real absinthe in a classy bar with excellent and well trained staff, go to Hemingway Bar in Prague. It's a really classy place, so be prepared to pay through the nose, but they will serve you Jades, La Clandestine, or the only good domestic absinthe called St. Antoine in a beautiful glasses, with ice fountain and everything, and they will even answer all your questions competently.
How to quickly recognize absinthe imitation:
- glowing green, or worse blue-green color (mouthwash style). Genuine absinthe has muted green, often yellowish color (like dying leaves, since the color is from plant chlorophyll)
- awful, bitter taste - from macerated wormwood. True absinthe has to contain fennel, anise and wormwood, and must be distilled. The resulting drink is never too bitter, but rather an interesting, developing subtle mix of various tastes and aromas.
- No louche (clouding) - when ice cold water is dripped into a genuine absinthe, the drink will turn milky white, because certain oils from anise can be diluted only in alcohol, but not in water. When alcohol concentration drops, they will come out of the solution, and form a cloudy emulsion instead. Fake absinthe almost never louches.
Author
Topic: Your drinking culture (Read 11872 times)