Absinthe, often known as the Green Fairy, is actually a herbal alcoholic beverage which has an anise flavor. It was the drink of La Belle Epoque time period of history and of the Bohemian way of life of Paris, in particular Montmartre. Absinthe fans – Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde as well as Ernest Hemingway claimed that the drink was liable for their genius and that it https://absintheflavoring.com gave them ideas – 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 developed by using a wine based alcohol which was distilled with natural herbs. It is said that his Absinthe recipe was made making use of the plant common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) as well as other herbs including Florence fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, angelica, veronica, nutmeg and juniper. Many of these herbs were used at the beginning of the method and others were utilized towards the end to give the Absinthe its classic green or verte color.
Wormwood provided Absinthe its name (from Absinthium) and its marginally bitter taste. Roman or petite wormwood (artemisia pontica) is also sometimes used in Absinthe production.
Wormwood includes a compound known as thujone. Thujones are monoterpenes and ketones that are seen in several other plants too – sage, cypress and tansy. Thujones act within the GABA receptors inside the brain and might result in convulsions and muscle spasms when ingested in big amounts. They can additionally be toxic to organs including the liver and brain. Thujone was considered to be comparable to THC in the drug cannabis causing psychedelic effects just like hallucinations but research has revealed this to be false.
Wormwood, or thujone, was accountable for the banning of Absinthe in the early 1900s. The medical occupation of the time stated that drinking Absinthe triggered Absinthe addiction, Absinthism whose symptoms were:-
– Hallucinations
– Hyper excitability
– Decline of the intellect
– Brain damage
– Insanity
– Death
These claims have now been proved false and seem to be just part of the mass hysteria marketed by the prohibition movement of the time. Absinthe, even pre ban Absinthe, only contains very tiny levels of thujone and it would be impossible to ingest enough thujone to get harmful – you’d die of alcohol poisoning first! There is much more thujone in sage and no one hallucinates after enjoying a casserole flavored with sage!
All good Absinthe is made up of wormwood along with other essential oils. These oils allow the Absinthe to louche when water is added in Absinthe preparation and give it its wonderful anise flavor. Make sure that you buy a quality Absinthe or create your own Absinthe utilizing a top-quality essence from AbsintheKit.com. See AbsintheKit.com for info and help regarding their Absinthe products.
Absinthe also contains alcohol and it has a very high alcohol by volume, as much as 75% ABV. Care needs to be taken when drinking Absinthe, not mainly because it will make you hallucinate but because it is so easy to get drunk on Absinthe especially if you are mixing it along with other alcohol in cocktails.
I hope that this information has answered the question “What is in Absinthe?”. Enjoy observing the Green Fairy!