Mastering What is in Absinthe?

Absinthe, often known as the Green Fairy, is a herbal alcoholic drink which has an anise flavor. It was the drink of La Belle Epoque time period of history and of the Bohemian way of life of Paris, particularly Montmartre. Absinthe fans – Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway stated that the drink was liable for their genius and that it presented them inspiration – the Green Fairy was their muse. But, what is in Absinthe?

What is in Absinthe?

Henri-Louis Pernod’s Absinthe in the early 19th century was made by using a wine based alcohol which was distilled with natural herbs. It is known that his Absinthe recipe was made using the plant common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) as well as other herbs like Florence fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, angelica, veronica, nutmeg and also juniper. Some of these herbs were utilized at the beginning of the method and others were utilised at the end to offer the Absinthe its classic green or verte color.

Wormwood gave Absinthe its name (from Absinthium) as well as its marginally bitter taste. Roman or petite wormwood (artemisia pontica) is likewise sometimes used in Absinthe manufacturing.

Wormwood contains a chemical known as thujone. Thujones are monoterpenes and ketones that are present in various other plants too – sage, cypress and tansy. Thujones act about the GABA receptors inside the brain and may cause convulsions and also muscle spasms when taken in big amounts. They can even be toxic to organs such as the liver and brain. Thujone was considered to be a lot like THC in the drug cannabis leading to psychedelic effects just like hallucinations but research shows this to generally be false.

Wormwood, or thujone, was accountable for the banning of Absinthe in early 1900s. The medical profession of the time claimed that drinking Absinthe led to Absinthe addiction, Absinthism whose symptoms were:-

– Hallucinations
– Hyper excitability
– Deterioration of the intellect
– Brain injury
– Insanity
– Death

These claims have now been proved false and are generally just part of the mass hysteria marketed by the prohibition movement of that time period. Absinthe, even pre ban Absinthe, only contains very small levels of thujone and it will be impossible to take in enough thujone to get harmful – you’d die of alcohol poisoning first! There is a lot more thujone in sage and no one hallucinates after enjoying a casserole flavored with sage!

All good Absinthe includes wormwood as well as other essential oils. These oils allow the Absinthe to louche when water is put in Absinthe preparation and provide it its wonderful anise flavor. Make certain you obtain a quality Absinthe or create your own Absinthe by using a top-quality essence from AbsintheKit.com. See AbsintheKit.com for info and help regarding Absinthe products.

Absinthe also includes alcohol and features an extremely high alcohol by volume, up to 75% ABV. Care should be taken when drinking Absinthe, not since it could make you hallucinate but because it’s really easy to get drunk on Absinthe particularly if you are mixing it with other alcohol in cocktails.

I hope that this data has answered the question “What is in Absinthe?”. Enjoy getting to know the Green Fairy!