Information about Absinthe

About the Drink Absinthe

Absinthe is a liquor which is generally between 45 and 75% ABV (alcohol by volume), about twice as strong as other types of alcoholic beverages such as whisky and vodka.

Otherwise known as “The Green Fairy” or “La Fee Verte”, Absinthe was the drink associated with Bohemian Paris. It was given to French soldiers in the 1840s to treat malaria and they brought the drink home with them. Absinthe bars opened in Paris and special Absinthe hours or "L'heure verte" took place daily. By the middle of the 19th century, distiller Pernod, who were the distillers of Absinthe, were making over 30,000 liters of Absinthe everyday for the French people to buy!

Absinthe Drink History

History says that Dr Pierre Ordinaire created Absinthe in the Swiss town of Couvet in the 18th century as a tonic for his patients. The original Absinthe recipe eventually got into the hands of Henri-Louis Pernod who first distilled Absinthe in Couvet and then later in Pontarlier, France under the name of Pernod Fils.

Pernod used a base of wine and various herbs including common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica, dittany, star anise, nutmeg and juniper.

Well known drinkers of the Green Fairy were Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, and Ernest Hemingway.

Absinthe became more popular than wine, in France, and a movement campaigned to get Absinthe banned because:-

- The ingredient Thujone, in wormwood, was thought to be similar to THC in cannabis and thought to be psychoactive.
- Absinthe was linked with the loose morals of the artists and courtesans of Montmartre.
- Absinthe was thought to have psychedelic effects, to cause hallucinations, convulsions and to drive people insane.

It was claimed that an Absinthe drinker murdered his whole family – which was just the excuse that the prohibition movement were looking for to persuade the government to ban Absinthe. The buying, selling and consumption of Absinthe in France was made illegal in France in 1915 and in many other countries around this same time.

Many unique studies have shown that Absinthe, including vintage Absinthe, only contains very small amounts of thujone and is perfectly safe to drink. Legalized in most all countries since the 1990s, there has been an Absinthe revival in many countries, including the USA which has recently allowed a few brands to be marketed and sold.

About Absinthe About the Essences in Absinthe

To enjoy Absinthe, you can either order bottles of Absinthe online or you can make your own Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com. These essences are used by the Absinthe industry and are made using traditional herbs such as wormwood, fennal and aniseed. Your own Absinthe can be made by simply mixing with either vodka or Everclear. Four varieties of essence are available.

The Preparing of Absinthe

The proper way to prepare Absinthe is to follow this interesting ritural:-

- Pour 25- 50 ml of Absinthe into an glass.
- Rest a slotted Absinthe spoon on the top of the glass.
- Rest a sugar cube on the spoon.
- Drip iced water over the sugar using an Absinthe fountain or by pouring slowly from a carafe.
- Watch for the louche from the Absinthe.
- Now drink your Absinthe drink.

I hope you have now learned all about Absinthe, the mysterious drink with a very interesting past and a great taste.