Finding out What is in Absinthe?

Absinthe, also 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 history and of the Bohemian culture of Paris, particularly Montmartre. Absinthe fans – Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde as well as Ernest Hemingway professed that the drink was responsible for their genius and that it absintheflavoring afforded them motivation – the Green Fairy was their muse. But, what is in Absinthe?

What is in Absinthe?

Henri-Louis Pernod’s Absinthe of the early 19th century was made utilizing a wine based alcohol that has been distilled with natural herbs. It is known that his Absinthe recipe was made 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 juniper. Many of these herbs were utilized at the start of the method and others were utilised towards the end to provide the Absinthe its classic green or verte color.

Wormwood provided Absinthe its name (from Absinthium) as well as its slightly bitter taste. Roman or petite wormwood (artemisia pontica) is additionally sometimes used in Absinthe manufacturing.

Wormwood includes a chemical substance called thujone. Thujones are monoterpenes and ketones that happen to be present in many other plants too – sage, cypress and tansy. Thujones act on the GABA receptors within the brain and may result in convulsions and muscle spasms when taken in large quantities. They can even be toxic to organs including the liver and brain. Thujone was considered to be comparable to THC in the drug cannabis triggering psychedelic effects like hallucinations but research has shown this to be false.

Wormwood, or thujone, was accountable for the banning of Absinthe in the early 1900s. The medical career of the time believed that drinking Absinthe led to Absinthe addiction, Absinthism whose signs or symptoms were:-

– Hallucinations
– Hyper excitability
– Weakening of the intellect
– Brain damage
– Insanity
– Death

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

All good Absinthe consists 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 obtain a quality Absinthe or create your own Absinthe by using a top-quality essence from AbsintheKit.com. See AbsintheKit.com for information and help regarding their Absinthe products.

Absinthe also includes alcohol and it has a very high alcohol by volume, approximately 75% ABV. Care ought to be taken when drinking Absinthe, not since it will make you hallucinate but because it is so easy to get drunk on Absinthe specifically if you are mixing it along with other alcohol in cocktails.

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