Information about Absinthe

The Drink Absinthe

Absinthe is a uniquely strong liquor which is generally between 45 and 75% ABV (alcohol by volume), about twice as strong as other types of alcoholic beverages such as whisky and vodka.

Otherwise known as “The Green Fairy” or “La Fee Verte”, Absinthe was the drink associated with Bohemian Paris. It was first given to French soldiers in the 1840s to treat malaria and they bought the drink home with them. Absinthe bars began opening all over Paris and special Absinthe hours or “L’heure verte” took place daily. During the middle of the 19th century, the distiller Pernod, who distilled Absinthe, were making almost 30,000 liters of Absinthe every day for sale to the French people!

All About Absinthe The History of Absinthe

Legend says that Dr Pierre Ordinaire created Absinthe in the town of Couvet in the 18th century as an elixir or tonic for his patients. The Absinthe recipte eventually reached the hands of Henri-Louis Pernod who first distilled Absinthe in Couvet and later in Pontarlier, France using the name of Pernod Fils.

Pernod used a wine base and various herbs including common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica, dittany, star anise, nutmeg and juniper.

Famous drinkers of the Green Fairy were Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, and Ernest Hemingway.

Absinthe eventually became more popular than wine in France, and the prohibition movement campaigned to get Absinthe banned because:-

- Wormwood contains Thujone, thought to be very similar to THC in cannabis and thought to be psychoactive.
– Absinthe was linked with the loose morals of the artists, writers and courtesans of Montmartre.
– Absinthe was thought to to cause hallucinations, and to drive people insane.

It was even claimed that an Absinthe drinker murdered his whole family – which was just the excuse that the prohibition movement were looking for to persuade the government to ban Absinthe. The buying, selling and consumption of Absinthe was made illegal in france in 1815 and in other countries around this time.

Many studies have shown that Absinthe, including vintage Absinthe, only contains very small amounts of thujone and is safe to drink. Legalized in most all countries since the 1990s, there has been an Absinthe revival in many countries, including the USA who have only recently allowed a few brands to go on sale.

Absinthe Essences

To enjoy Absinthe, you can either order bottles of Absinthe online or you can make your own Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com. These essences are used by the Absinthe industry and are made using traditional herbs such as aniseed, wormwood and fennal. To make your own Absinthe, simply mix with either vodka or Everclear. There are four different types of essence available.

Preparation of Absinthe

The proper way to prepare Absinthe is to follow a ritural:-

– Pour 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into an Absinthe glass.
– The slotted Absinthe spoon is rested on top of the glass.
– Rest a sugar cube on the spoon.
– Drip ice water over the sugar with a Absinthe fountain or pour slowly from a carafe.
– Watch the Absinthe louche.
– Drink your great tasting Absinthe drink.

I hope you have now learned all about Absinthe, the mysterious drink with a very interesting past and a great taste.