Learning What is Absinthe Made Of?
People have heard about the enchanting mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink regarded as hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy that may allow you to see fairies, the anise flavored herbal spirit popular in Bohemian Montmartre absinthekit.com. But, very few people can answer the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They may say wormwood but not most will be capable to expand on that!
So, what is Absinthe made of?
Well, Absinthe was made by the renowned Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland in the late eighteenth century as an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod began selling Absinthe in a commercial sense 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 color the alcohol.
Other herbs used in Absinthe creation contain: calamus root, mint, cloves, sweet flag, licorice, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and roman wormwood (artemisia pontica) also known as petite wormwood. Claude-Alain Bugnon, the well-known bootlegger who now distills Absinthe in Switzerland, likewise flavors his La Clandestine Absinthe with local Alpine herbs which provide his Absinthe a taste of honey and a bouquet of Alpine meadows.
It is the essential oils of the herbs in Absinthe which cause the Absinthe to louche when water is added. The oils are soluble in alcohol however, not in water and thus precipitate if the water is added in making the drink turn cloudy or milky. In case your Absinthe does not louche then it is probably not a real Absinthe or a quality Absinthe rich in essential oils.
AbsintheKit.com, who make distilled Absinthe essences for individuals to make real Absinthe at home, use classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This implies that Absinthe made from their essences will taste beautifully as well as louche superbly.
Some Czech Absinth doesn’t consist of anise or aniseed and is really just a kind of wormwood bitters. Make certain you buy real anise and wormwood Absinthe to experience the true classic flavor.
The common wormwood plant is the most renowned Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient which gives Absinthe its somewhat bitter taste and also the ingredient which caused Absinthe to be prohibited in several countries during the early 1900s. Originally used since ancient times as a medicine, it grew to become defined as a psychoactive neurotoxin which cause psychedelic effects such as hallucinations, convulsion as well as spasms. Wormwood oil contains a chemical substance called thujon or thujone that was compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was considered to contain quantities of thujone and to lead to driving people to insanity and also to death.
Nonetheless, recent surveys and tests have shown that vintage Absinthe actually only contained small amounts of thujone, nowhere near enough to become at all damaging. EU and US laws only permit Absinthe with small quantities of thujone to be bought and sold so Absinthe is perfectly safe to take and enjoy.
Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not a liqueur as it doesn’t have added sugar. It is a high proof alcoholic drink but is normally served diluted with cold water and sugar. Although it is safe to consume, you need to know that it is an incredibly strong spirit and definitely will quickly get you drunk specifically if you mix it with other spirits in cocktails!
So, the answer to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is easily answered – alcohol and a mixture of herbs.