While on a business trip to France, a well meaning relative purchased a bottle of Absente for me as a Christmas present. We had a glass after our dinner and drinks (but before I had a chance to closely inspect the bottle). My recollection is that the taste was OK (it tasted like absinthe) but it was a little plain compared to the other absinthes I have tasted. It was only after the holiday hub-bub had died down that I became curious about name "Absente". A little research turned up the fact that Absente is made with Southern-Wormwood ("Petite Absinthe") instead of Wormwood. All the text on the bottle is in French. At the very top of the front label it reads: "Liqueur aux plantes d'absinthe". Also on the front label near the bottom, one of the ingredients is listed as "infusion et essences de plantes d'abinthe". Their web site states that Absente is legal in the U.S. because it does not contain Wormwood. I'm confused.... but I'm guessing that this stuff isn't absinthe.