Absinthe

Absinthe is a liquor which is 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 La Belle Epoque and Bohemian Paris. It was first given to French soldiers in the 1840s to treat malaria and they bought the drink home with them. Absinthe bars opened in Paris and special Abinthe hours or “L’heure verte” begin taking place daily. During the middle of the 19th century, the distiller Pernod, who distilled Absinthe, were making almost 30,000 liters of Absinthe every day for sale to the French people!

About Absinthe The History of Absinthe

Legend says that Dr Pierre Ordinaire created Absinthe in the town of Couvet in the 18th century as a tonic for his patients. The recipte for Absinthe come into the hands of Henri-Louis Pernod who first distilled the drink in Couvet and then alter in Pontarlier, France under the name of Pernod Fils.

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

Famous drinkers of the Green Fairy were Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Degas, Gauguin, Verlaine and Baudelaire.

When Absinthe became more popular than wine, in France, the prohibition movement campaigned to get Absinthe banned because:-

– Wormwood contains Thujone, thought to be similar to THC in cannabis and thought to be psychoactive.
– Absinthe was linked with artists, writers and courtesans of Montmartre and their loose morals.
– Absinthe was thought to to cause hallucinations, and to drive people insane.

It was even 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 selling, buying and consumption of Absinthe in France was made illegal in France in 1915 and in many other countries around this time.

Many 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.

Absinthe Drink About 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 fennel, aniseed and wormwood. To make your own Absinthe, mix with either Everclear or vodka. Essence has four different types available.

The preparing of Absinthe

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

– Pour 25 – 50 ml of Absinthe into an Absinthe glass.
– The slotted Absinthe spoon is rested on top of the glass.
– A sugar cube is put on the spoon.
– Drip iced water over the sugar using an Absinthe fountain or pour very 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.