All of us have been aware of the magical mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink thought to be hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy that could allow you to see fairies, the anise flavored herbal spirit popular in Bohemian Montmartre www.absinthekit.com. But, very few people can answer the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They could say wormwood yet not most will be capable to expand on that!
So, what is Absinthe made of?
Well, Absinthe was made by the renowned Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland while in the late 18th century as an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started out 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 flavor and color the alcohol.
Other herbs utilized in Absinthe production contain: calamus root, mint, cloves, sweet flag, licorice, caraway seeds, coriander seeds plus roman wormwood (artemisia pontica) also referred to as petite wormwood. Claude-Alain Bugnon, the renowned bootlegger who now distills Absinthe in Switzerland, also 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’s 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 yet 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 might not be an actual Absinthe or a top quality Absinthe abundant in essential oils.
AbsintheKit.com, who create distilled Absinthe essences for individuals to produce real Absinthe at home, employ classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This indicates that Absinthe made from their essences will taste beautifully and also will louche superbly.
Some Czech Absinth doesn’t consist of anise or aniseed and it’s really just a type of wormwood bitters. Ensure that you purchase real anise and wormwood Absinthe to experience the real classic flavor.
The common wormwood plant is regarded as the most famous Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient which provides Absinthe its somewhat bitter taste and the ingredient which caused Absinthe to be restricted in lots of countries in early 1900s. Initially used for thousands of years as a medicine, it started to be called a psychoactive neurotoxin which cause psychedelic effects such as hallucinations, convulsion and spasms. Wormwood oil has a chemical called thujon or thujone which has been compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was thought to contain huge amounts of thujone and to lead to driving people to insanity and also to death.
Nonetheless, recent surveys and tests have demostrated that vintage Absinthe actually only covered small amounts of thujone, nowhere near enough to be at all harmful. EU and US laws only allow Absinthe with small amounts of thujone to be traded so Absinthe is completely safe to consume and enjoy.
Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not only 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. Though it remains safe and secure to take, you must remember that it is an extremely strong spirit and will quickly allow you to get drunk particularly if you mix it with other spirits in cocktails!
So, the answer to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is handily answered – alcohol as well as a combination of herbs.