People have heard about the enchanting mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink thought to be hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy which may make you see fairies, the anise flavoured herbal spirit popular in Bohemian Montmartre absinthekit. But, very few people can respond to the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They might say wormwood yet not many will be capable to expand on that!
So, what is Absinthe made of?
Well, Absinthe was created by the famous Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland during the late 18th century being an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started out selling Absinthe from the commercial perspective at the turn of the nineteenth century and employed a wine base and macerated herbs which includes common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, angelica root, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, veronica and also juniper to taste and shade the alcohol.
Other herbs employed in Absinthe manufacturing include: calamus root, mint, cloves, sweet flag, licorice, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and roman wormwood (artemisia pontica) also known 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 supply his Absinthe a taste of honey and also a bouquet of Alpine meadows.
It is the essential oils of the herbs in Absinthe which result in the Absinthe to louche when water is added in. The oils are soluble in alcohol but not in water therefore precipitate if the water is added in making the drink turn cloudy or milky. If your Absinthe does not louche then it may not be a genuine Absinthe or a quality Absinthe rich in essential oils.
AbsintheKit.com, who create distilled Absinthe essences for people to make real Absinthe in the home, employ classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This indicates that Absinthe produced from their essences will taste excellent and will also louche beautifully.
Some Czech Absinth doesn’t comprise anise or aniseed and is really merely a type of wormwood bitters. Ensure that you buy real anise and wormwood Absinthe to discover the true classic flavor.
The common wormwood plant is regarded as the most popular Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient which provides Absinthe its somewhat bitter taste as well as the ingredient which brought on Absinthe to be prohibited in lots of countries during the early 1900s. Formerly used for thousands of years as a medicine, it started to be defined as a psychoactive neurotoxin which result in psychedelic effects such as hallucinations, convulsion and also spasms. Wormwood oil includes a chemical called thujon or thujone which has been compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was thought to contain vast amounts of thujone and to be responsible for driving individuals to insanity and also to death.
However, recent surveys and tests have demostrated that vintage Absinthe actually only was comprised of small amounts of thujone, nowhere near enough to become at all dangerous. EU and US laws only allow Absinthe with small amounts of thujone to be bought and sold so Absinthe is flawlessly safe to consume and enjoy.
Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not just a liqueur as it does not have added sugar. It’s a high proof alcoholic beverage but is generally served diluted with iced water and sugar. Although it remains safe and secure to take, you have to remember that it is an extremely strong spirit and will quickly get you drunk especially if you mix it with other spirits in cocktails!
So, the response to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is readily answered – alcohol and a mixture of herbs.