Studying What is in Absinthe?

Absinthe, often known as the Green Fairy, is a herbal alcoholic beverage having an anise flavor. It was the drink of La Belle Epoque period of history and of the Bohemian customs of Paris, specifically Montmartre. Absinthe fans – Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde as well as Ernest Hemingway claimed that the drink was responsible for their genius and that it absinthe flavoring provided them ideas – 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 made utilizing a wine based alcohol that has been distilled with natural herbs. It is said that his Absinthe recipe was created utilizing the plant common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) and other herbs including Florence fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, angelica, veronica, nutmeg as well as juniper. A few of these herbs were used at the beginning of the procedure and others were utilised by the end to give the Absinthe its classic green or verte color.

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

Wormwood contains a chemical substance known as thujone. Thujones are monoterpenes and ketones that are found in many other plants too – sage, cypress and tansy. Thujones act about the GABA receptors inside the brain and can trigger convulsions and muscle spasms when ingested in big amounts. They can also be toxic to organs such as the liver and brain. Thujone was thought to be comparable to THC in the drug cannabis creating psychedelic effects such as hallucinations but research shows this to generally be false.

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

– Hallucinations
– Hyper excitability
– Decline of the intellect
– Brain harm
– Madness
– Death

These claims have at the moment been proved false and seem to be just part of the mass hysteria endorsed by the prohibition movement of that time period. Absinthe, even pre ban Absinthe, only includes very small amounts of thujone and it will be impossible to ingest enough thujone to be harmful – you will 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 consists of wormwood along with other essential oils. These oils enable the Absinthe to louche when water is included Absinthe preparation and present it its wonderful anise flavor. Make certain you purchase a quality Absinthe or create your own Absinthe utilizing a top-quality essence from AbsintheKit.com. See AbsintheKit.com for information and help regarding their Absinthe products.

Absinthe also includes alcohol and contains a very high alcohol by volume, up to 75% ABV. Care should be taken when drinking Absinthe, not because it can make you hallucinate but since it is very easy to get drunk on Absinthe especially if you are mixing it with many other alcohol in cocktails.

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