Understanding What is Absinthe Made Of?

All of us have heard about the enchanting mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink considered to be hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy that may cause you to see fairies, the anise flavoured herbal spirit well-known in Bohemian Montmartre www.absinthekit.com. 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 developed by the legendary Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland while in the late eighteenth century being an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started selling Absinthe in a commercial sense at the turn of the nineteenth century and used a wine base and macerated herbs which includes common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, angelica root, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, veronica as well as juniper to taste and color the alcohol.

Other herbs utilized in Absinthe creation include: calamus root, mint, cloves, sweet flag, licorice, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and roman wormwood (artemisia pontica) also referred to as petite wormwood. Claude-Alain Bugnon, the famous bootlegger who now distills Absinthe in Switzerland, furthermore flavors his La Clandestine Absinthe with local Alpine herbs which provide his Absinthe a taste of honey plus a bouquet of Alpine meadows.

It is the essential oils of the herbs in Absinthe which make the Absinthe to louche when water is added in. The oils are soluble in alcohol yet not in water and so precipitate if the water is added making the drink turn cloudy or milky. In case your Absinthe does not louche then it is probably not an actual Absinthe or a top quality Absinthe loaded with essential oils.

AbsintheKit.com, who produce distilled Absinthe essences for folks to produce real Absinthe from home, employ classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This indicates that Absinthe made from their essences will taste beautifully as well as louche superbly.

Some Czech Absinth doesn’t consist of anise or aniseed and is really just a form of wormwood bitters. Make sure that you buy real anise and wormwood Absinthe to discover the true classic flavor.

The common wormwood plant is easily the most renowned Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient which gives Absinthe its somewhat bitter taste and the ingredient which caused Absinthe to be restricted in several countries in the early 1900s. Initially used for thousands of years as a medicine, it became defined as a psychoactive neurotoxin which result in psychedelic effects just like hallucinations, convulsion as well as spasms. Wormwood oil contains a chemical called thujon or thujone that was compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was thought to contain quantities of thujone and to result in driving individuals to insanity and even to death.

However, recent surveys and tests have shown that vintage Absinthe actually only contained small amounts 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 just a liqueur as it lacks added sugar. It’s really a high proof alcoholic beverage but is usually served diluted with iced water and sugar. Though it remains safe and secure to consume, you need to know that it is an incredibly strong spirit and definitely will quickly get you drunk specifically if you mix it with other spirits in cocktails!

So, the reply to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is easily answered – alcohol as well as a combination of herbs.