Knowing What is Absinthe Made Of?
People have been aware of the enchanting mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink considered to be hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy that may make you see fairies, the anise flavoured herbal spirit popular in Bohemian Montmartre absinthekit. But, very few people can respond to the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They could say wormwood yet not many will be able to expand on that!
So, what is Absinthe made of?
Well, Absinthe was made by the renowned Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland while in the late eighteenth century as being 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 including 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 employed in Absinthe production contain: calamus root, mint, cloves, sweet flag, licorice, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and also roman wormwood (artemisia pontica) also called petite wormwood. Claude-Alain Bugnon, the renowned bootlegger who now distills Absinthe in Switzerland, furthermore flavors his La Clandestine Absinthe with local Alpine herbs which give his Absinthe a taste of honey plus a bouquet of Alpine meadows.
It’s 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 when the water is added making the drink turn cloudy or milky. In case your Absinthe does not louche then it might not be an actual Absinthe or a quality Absinthe abundant in essential oils.
AbsintheKit.com, who produce distilled Absinthe essences for people to produce real Absinthe at home, make use of classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This means that Absinthe created from their essences will taste excellent and also will louche beautifully.
Some Czech Absinth doesn’t comprise anise or aniseed and it is really merely a form of wormwood bitters. Ensure that you acquire 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 marginally bitter taste and also the ingredient which triggered Absinthe to be prohibited in several countries in the early 1900s. Formerly used since ancient times as a medicine, it became labeled as a psychoactive neurotoxin which result in psychedelic effects just like hallucinations, convulsion as well as spasms. Wormwood oil includes a chemical called thujon or thujone that was compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was thought to contain quantities of thujone and to be responsible for driving people to insanity and even to death.
However, recent studies and tests have demostrated that vintage Absinthe actually only comprised small quantities of thujone, nowhere near enough to become at all dangerous. EU and US laws only allow Absinthe with small quantities of thujone to be traded so Absinthe is flawlessly safe to take and enjoy.
Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not only a liqueur as it lacks added sugar. It’s really a high proof alcoholic drink but is usually served diluted with cold water and sugar. While it is safe to consume, you need to know that it is an extremely strong spirit and will quickly get you drunk specifically if you blend it with other spirits in cocktails!
So, the reply to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is readily answered – alcohol and a combination of herbs.