People have been aware of the magical mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink regarded as hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy that may make you see fairies, the anise flavoured herbal spirit well-liked in Bohemian Montmartre. But, only a few people can respond to the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They could say wormwood yet not many will be capable to expand on that!
So, what is Absinthe made of?
Well, Absinthe was developed by the renowned Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland while in the late eighteenth century being an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started selling Absinthe in a commercial sense at the turn of the 19th century and used a wine base and macerated herbs including common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, angelica root, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, veronica as well as juniper to taste and shade the alcohol.
Other herbs used in Absinthe manufacturing 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 famous bootlegger who now distills Absinthe in Switzerland, also flavors his La Clandestine Absinthe with local Alpine herbs which give his Absinthe a taste of honey and 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 in. The oils are soluble in alcohol however, not in water and thus precipitate if the water is added in making the drink turn cloudy or milky. If your Absinthe does not louche then it might not be a real Absinthe or a top quality Absinthe abundant in essential oils.
AbsintheKit.com, who create distilled Absinthe essences for people to create real Absinthe from home, make use of classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This indicates that Absinthe created from their essences will taste just right as well as louche magnificently.
Some Czech Absinth does not contain anise or aniseed and is really merely a kind of wormwood bitters. Make sure that you purchase real anise and wormwood Absinthe to see the real classic flavor.
The common wormwood plant is easily the most famous Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient which provides Absinthe its slightly bitter taste and also the ingredient which caused Absinthe to be prohibited in many countries during the early 1900s. Originally used since ancient times as a medicine, it grew to become labeled as a psychoactive neurotoxin which cause psychedelic effects just like hallucinations, convulsion and also spasms. Wormwood oil includes a chemical called thujon or thujone which was 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 shown that vintage Absinthe actually only contained small quantities of thujone, nowhere near enough to be at all harmful. EU and US laws only allow Absinthe with small amounts of thujone to be bought and sold so Absinthe is flawlessly safe to use and enjoy.
Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not just a liqueur as it does not have added sugar. It’s really a high proof alcoholic beverage but is usually served diluted with ice cold water and sugar. Although it remains safe and secure to consume, you have to remember that it is an incredibly strong spirit and definitely will quickly get you drunk specifically if you mix it with other spirits in cocktails!
So, the reply to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is easily answered – alcohol and a combination of herbs.