Learning What is Absinthe Made Of?
Everyone has been aware of the magical mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink considered to be hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy that could make you see fairies, the anise flavoured herbal spirit well-known in Bohemian Montmartre. But, only a few people can respond to the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They could say wormwood though not many will be capable to expand on that!
So, what is Absinthe made of?
Well, Absinthe was developed by the renowned Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland while in the late 18th century as an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started selling Absinthe from the commercial perspective at the turn of the 19th century and utilized a wine base and macerated herbs together with common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, angelica root, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, veronica and also juniper to flavor and shade the alcohol.
Other herbs used in Absinthe manufacturing include: calamus root, mint, cloves, sweet flag, licorice, caraway seeds, coriander seeds plus roman wormwood (artemisia pontica) also known as petite wormwood. Claude-Alain Bugnon, the famous bootlegger who now distills Absinthe in Switzerland, likewise flavors his La Clandestine Absinthe with local Alpine herbs which give his Absinthe a taste of honey as well as a bouquet of Alpine meadows.
It’s the essential oils of the herbs in Absinthe which result in the Absinthe to louche when water is added. The oils are soluble in alcohol but not in water therefore precipitate once the water is added in making the drink turn cloudy or milky. If your Absinthe does not louche then it may not be a real Absinthe or a top quality Absinthe loaded with essential oils.
AbsintheKit.com, who create distilled Absinthe essences for folks to make real Absinthe in the home, make use of classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This signifies that Absinthe produced from their essences will taste excellent and also will louche superbly.
Some Czech Absinth does not consist of anise or aniseed and is really just a type of wormwood bitters. Ensure that you purchase real anise and wormwood Absinthe to see the real classic flavor.
The common wormwood plant is the most renowned Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient that gives Absinthe its somewhat bitter taste as well as the ingredient which caused Absinthe to be restricted in many countries during the early 1900s. Initially used since ancient times as a medicine, it grew to become defined as a psychoactive neurotoxin which trigger psychedelic effects for instance hallucinations, convulsion as well as spasms. Wormwood oil includes a substance called thujon or thujone which has been compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was shown to contain vast amounts of thujone and to result in driving people to insanity as well as to death.
However, recent reports and tests have established that vintage Absinthe actually only covered small quantities of thujone, nowhere near enough to be at all harmful. EU and US laws only permit Absinthe with small amounts of thujone to be traded so Absinthe is completely safe to consume and enjoy.
Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not only a liqueur as it does not have added sugar. It’s a high proof alcoholic beverage but is normally served diluted with ice cold water and sugar. While it remains safe and secure to consume, you must remember that it is a very strong spirit and definitely will quickly get you drunk particularly if you blend it with other spirits in cocktails!
So, the reply to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is easily answered – alcohol and a mixture of herbs.