The Drink Absinthe

Absinthe is a uniquely strong 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 orginally given to French soldiers in the 1840s to treat malaria and they brought the drink home with them. Absinthe bars began opening all over Paris and special Absinthe hours or “L’heure verte” took place daily. During the middle of the 19th century, Pernod, the distillers of Absinthe, were producing over 30,000 liters of Absinthe daily for sale to the French people!

The Drink Absinthe The History of Absinthe

Legend says that Dr Pierre Ordinaire created Absinthe in the town of Couvet in the 18th century as an elixir or tonic for his patients. The recipte for Absinthe got into the hands of Henri-Luris Pernod who first distilled Absenthe in Couvet and late in Pontartlier, France un the name of Pernod Fils.

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

Among famous drinkers of the Green Fairy were van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway.

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

- Wormwood contains Thujone, thought to be very similar to THC in cannabis and thought to be psychoactive.
– Absinthe was linked with artists and courtesans of Montmartre and their loose morals.
– Absinthe was thought to to cause hallucinations, 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 several other countries around this time.

Many studies have shown that Absinthe only contains very small amounts of thujone and is perfectly safe to drink and this includes vintage Absinthe. Absinthe has been legalized in many countries since the 1990s and here has been an Absinthe revival in many countries, including the USA which has only recently allowed a few brands to go on sale.

About Absinthe 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 herbal ingredients such as aniseed, wormwood, and fennel. Simply mix with either Everclear or vodka to make your very own Absinthe. Essence is available in different types.

The Preparing of Absinthe

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

– Pour 25- 50 ml of Absinthe into an glass.
– Slotted Absinthe spoon can be rested on top of the glass.
– On the slotted spoon, put a sugar cube.
– Drip iced water over the sugar using an Absinthe fountain or by pouring slowly from a carafe.
– Watch for the Absinthe louche.
– Drink this wonderful Absinthe drink.

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