Knowing What is Absinthe Made Of?
Everyone has been aware of the marvelous mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink thought to be hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy that may make you see fairies, the anise flavored herbal spirit well-known in Bohemian Montmartre www.absinthekit.com. But, only a few people can answer the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They could say wormwood though not most will be able to expand on that!
So, what is Absinthe made of?
Well, Absinthe was developed by the legendary Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland while in the late eighteenth century as being an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started selling Absinthe commercially at the turn of the 19th century and employed a wine base and macerated herbs as well as common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, angelica root, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, veronica as well as juniper to taste and color the alcohol.
Other herbs utilized in Absinthe production consist of: calamus root, mint, cloves, sweet flag, licorice, caraway seeds, coriander seeds as well as roman wormwood (artemisia pontica) also referred to as petite wormwood. Claude-Alain Bugnon, the well-known bootlegger who now distills Absinthe in Switzerland, furthermore flavors his La Clandestine Absinthe with local Alpine herbs which give his Absinthe a taste of honey as well as a bouquet of Alpine meadows.
It is the essential oils of the herbs in Absinthe which cause the Absinthe to louche when water is added. The oils are soluble in alcohol but not in water therefore precipitate once the water is added making the drink turn cloudy or milky. In case your Absinthe does not louche then it may not be a real Absinthe or a top quality Absinthe loaded with essential oils.
AbsintheKit.com, who make distilled Absinthe essences for folks to make real Absinthe at home, employ classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This indicates that Absinthe created from their essences will taste beautifully as well as louche superbly.
Some Czech Absinth does not consist of anise or aniseed and is really just a form of wormwood bitters. Make certain you purchase real anise and wormwood Absinthe to discover the true classic flavor.
The common wormwood plant is easily the most renowned Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient which provides Absinthe its slightly bitter taste as well as the ingredient which triggered Absinthe to be restricted in lots of countries in early 1900s. Originally used for thousands of years as a medicine, it grew to become defined as a psychoactive neurotoxin which result in psychedelic effects for instance hallucinations, convulsion and also spasms. Wormwood oil includes a chemical substance called thujon or thujone which was compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was shown to contain huge amounts of thujone and to result in driving people to insanity and also to death.
However, recent reports and tests have shown that vintage Absinthe actually only contained small amounts of thujone, nowhere near enough to become at all harmful. EU and US laws only allow Absinthe with small quantities of thujone to be bought and sold so Absinthe is completely safe to use and enjoy.
Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not a liqueur as it does not have added sugar. It is a high proof alcoholic drink but is normally served diluted with cold water and sugar. Though it remains safe and secure to take, you must remember that it is an incredibly strong spirit and will quickly allow you to get drunk particularly if you mix it with other spirits in cocktails!
So, the response to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is handily answered – alcohol plus a blend of herbs.
