Absinthe, also referred to as the Green Fairy, is actually a herbal alcoholic drink having an anise flavor. It was the drink of La Belle Epoque period of history and of the Bohemian culture of Paris, in particular Montmartre. Absinthe fans – Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde as well as Ernest Hemingway reported that the drink was accountable for their genius and that it provided them inspiration – the Green Fairy was their muse. But, what is in Absinthe?
What is in Absinthe?
Henri-Louis Pernod’s Absinthe of the early nineteenth century was developed using a wine based alcohol which was distilled with natural herbs. It is known that his Absinthe recipe was developed using the plant common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) and also other herbs like 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 outset of the method and others were used by the end to offer the Absinthe its classic green or verte color.
Wormwood provided Absinthe its name (from Absinthium) and its particular somewhat bitter taste. Roman or petite wormwood (artemisia pontica) is usually sometimes used in Absinthe creation.
Wormwood contains a chemical referred to as thujone. Thujones are monoterpenes and ketones that are found in various other plants too – sage, cypress and tansy. Thujones act about the GABA receptors within the brain and can result in 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 similar to THC in the drug cannabis triggering psychedelic effects for instance hallucinations but research has shown this to generally be false.
Wormwood, or thujone, was accountable for the banning of Absinthe in the early 1900s. The medical occupation of the time claimed that drinking Absinthe resulted in Absinthe addiction, Absinthism whose signs and symptoms were:-
– Hallucinations
– Hyper excitability
– Deterioration of the intellect
– Brain harm
– Insanity
– Death
These claims have right now been proved false and appear to be just part of the mass hysteria endorsed by the prohibition movement of that time. Absinthe, even pre ban Absinthe, only consists of really small amounts of thujone and it would be impossible to consume enough thujone to become harmful – you will die of alcohol poisoning first! There is a lot more thujone in sage and no one hallucinates after consuming a casserole flavored with sage!
All good Absinthe is made up of wormwood as well as other essential oils. These oils permit the Absinthe to louche when water is put in Absinthe preparation and give it its wonderful anise flavor. Ensure that you obtain a quality Absinthe or create your own Absinthe using a top-quality essence from AbsintheKit.com. See AbsintheKit.com for details and help regarding their Absinthe products.
Absinthe also contains alcohol and it has an extremely high alcohol by volume, approximately 75% ABV. Care needs to be taken when drinking Absinthe, not since it will make you hallucinate but since it is very easy to get drunk on Absinthe specifically if you are mixing it with other alcohol in cocktails.
I hope that this info has answered the question “What is in Absinthe?”. Enjoy getting to know the Green Fairy!