Finding out What is in Absinthe?

Absinthe, also referred to as the Green Fairy, is a herbal alcoholic drink which has an anise flavor. It was the drink of La Belle Epoque period of history and of the Bohemian way of life of Paris, specifically Montmartre. Absinthe fans – Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde and also Ernest Hemingway reported that the drink was accountable for their genius and that it gave them ideas – the Green Fairy was their muse. But, what is in Absinthe?

What is in Absinthe?

Henri-Louis Pernod’s Absinthe with the early 19th century was made utilizing a wine based alcohol which was distilled with natural herbs. It is known that his Absinthe recipe was made utilizing the plant common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) as well as other herbs like Florence fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, angelica, veronica, nutmeg and also juniper. Many of these herbs were used at the beginning of the process and others were utilized by the end to offer the Absinthe its classic green or verte color.

Wormwood gave Absinthe its name (from Absinthium) and its marginally bitter taste. Roman or petite wormwood (artemisia pontica) is likewise sometimes employed in Absinthe creation.

Wormwood contains a substance called thujone. Thujones are monoterpenes and ketones that are found in several other plants too – sage, cypress and tansy. Thujones act about the GABA receptors inside the brain and may trigger convulsions as well as muscle spasms when consumed in large quantities. They can also be toxic to organs like the liver and brain. Thujone was believed to be a lot like THC in the drug cannabis leading to psychedelic effects just like hallucinations but research has shown this to be false.

Wormwood, or thujone, was answerable for the banning of Absinthe in the early 1900s. The medical job of the time believed 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 at the moment been proved false and seem to be just part of the mass hysteria promoted by the prohibition movement of that time. Absinthe, even pre ban Absinthe, only consists of very tiny amounts of thujone and it will be impossible to take in enough thujone to get harmful – you would die of alcohol poisoning first! There is far more thujone in sage and no one hallucinates after eating 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 put in Absinthe preparation and provide it its wonderful anise flavor. Ensure that you purchase a quality Absinthe or make your own Absinthe by using a top-quality essence from AbsintheKit.com. See AbsintheKit.com for details and help regarding Absinthe products.

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

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