Learning What is in Absinthe?

Absinthe, also referred to as the Green Fairy, is a herbal alcoholic drink which has an anise flavor. It was the drink of La Belle Epoque time history and of the Bohemian way of life of Paris, specifically Montmartre. Absinthe fans – Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway reported that the drink was responsible for their genius and that it absinthe flavoring afforded them motivation – 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 created using a wine based alcohol that was distilled with natural herbs. It is said that his Absinthe recipe was created making use of the plant common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) as well as other herbs such as Florence fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, angelica, veronica, nutmeg and also juniper. A few of these herbs were utilised at the beginning of the procedure and others were used by the end to offer the Absinthe its classic green or verte color.

Wormwood offered Absinthe its name (from Absinthium) as well as its slightly bitter taste. Roman or petite wormwood (artemisia pontica) is usually sometimes employed in Absinthe creation.

Wormwood contains a compound known as thujone. Thujones are monoterpenes and ketones that are present in many other plants too – sage, cypress and tansy. Thujones act about the GABA receptors within the brain and can cause convulsions and also muscle spasms when taken in big amounts. They can also be toxic to organs including the liver and brain. Thujone was thought to be a lot like THC in the drug cannabis triggering psychedelic effects for instance hallucinations but research has shown this for being false.

Wormwood, or thujone, was answerable for the banning of Absinthe in the early 1900s. The medical occupation of the time stated that drinking Absinthe resulted in Absinthe addiction, Absinthism whose symptoms were:-

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

These claims have now been proved false and seem to be just part of the mass hysteria promoted by the prohibition movement of the time. Absinthe, even pre ban Absinthe, only includes very tiny quantities of thujone and it will be impossible to ingest enough thujone to be harmful – you would die of alcohol poisoning first! There is much more thujone in sage and no one hallucinates after eating a casserole flavored with sage!

All good Absinthe is made up of wormwood as well as other essential oils. These oils allow the Absinthe to louche when water is included Absinthe preparation and provide it its wonderful anise flavor. Make certain you buy a quality Absinthe or create your own Absinthe using a top-quality essence from AbsintheKit.com. See AbsintheKit.com for information and help regarding Absinthe products.

Absinthe also contains alcohol and contains an incredibly high alcohol by volume, approximately 75% ABV. Care ought to be taken when drinking Absinthe, not since it could make you hallucinate but because it’s so easy to get drunk on Absinthe specifically if you are mixing it along with other alcohol in cocktails.

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