Absinthe, also known as the Green Fairy, is a herbal alcoholic beverage which has an anise flavor. It was the drink of La Belle Epoque time period of history and of the Bohemian lifestyle of Paris, specifically Montmartre. Absinthe fans – Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway stated that the drink was responsible for their genius and that it gave them inspiration – 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 by using a wine based alcohol that was distilled with natural herbs. It is stated that his Absinthe recipe was created utilizing the plant common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) and also other herbs like Florence fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, angelica, veronica, nutmeg and juniper. Some of these herbs were used at the beginning of the process and others were used at the end to give the Absinthe its classic green or verte color.
Wormwood gave Absinthe its name (from Absinthium) and its particular somewhat bitter taste. Roman or petite wormwood (artemisia pontica) is additionally sometimes employed in Absinthe production.
Wormwood includes a chemical referred to as thujone. Thujones are monoterpenes and ketones which are seen in various other plants too – sage, cypress and tansy. Thujones act on the GABA receptors within the brain and can cause convulsions and also muscle spasms when ingested in big amounts. They can additionally be toxic to organs such as the liver and brain. Thujone was thought to be similar to THC in the drug cannabis creating psychedelic effects like hallucinations but research has revealed this to be false.
Wormwood, or thujone, was answerable for the banning of Absinthe in the early 1900s. The medical career of the time claimed that drinking Absinthe led to Absinthe addiction, Absinthism whose signs and symptoms were:-
– Hallucinations
– Hyper excitability
– Decline of the intellect
– Brain injury
– Madness
– Death
These claims have at the moment been proved false and are generally just part of the mass hysteria endorsed by the prohibition movement of the time. Absinthe, even pre ban Absinthe, only includes very small amounts of thujone and it would be impossible to take in enough thujone to get harmful – you will die of alcohol poisoning first! There is far more thujone in sage and no one hallucinates after enjoying a casserole flavored with sage!
All good Absinthe consists of wormwood and other essential oils. These oils enable the Absinthe to louche when water is put in Absinthe preparation and provide it its wonderful anise flavor. Ensure that you obtain a quality Absinthe or make your own Absinthe utilizing a top-quality essence from AbsintheKit.com. See AbsintheKit.com for details and help regarding their Absinthe products.
Absinthe also contains alcohol and features an extremely high alcohol by volume, approximately 75% ABV. Care ought to be taken when drinking Absinthe, not since it can make you hallucinate but since it is really easy to get drunk on Absinthe specifically if you are mixing it with other alcohol in cocktails.
I hope that this information has answered the question “What is in Absinthe?”. Enjoy observing the Green Fairy!