Absinthe is now one again a popular alcoholic drink, thanks to its legalization in the USA and other countries after many decades of being illegal. Many young people are trying it for the first time and knocking it back without any consideration of its alcohol content. So, what is Absinthe proof?

Absinthe is an anise flavored liquor which is made from distilling alcohol with a blend of herbs including wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed and fennel. It is commonly known as the Green Fairy, La Fee Verte, because of the characteristic emerald green coloring of classic verte styles of Absinthe.

Absinthe is usually consumed diluted with iced water according to the Ritual. You have to drip the water over a sugar lump on a slotted spoon and into the Absinthe which causes the Absinthe to louche – a lovely effect.

Absinthe was banned in the early 1900s not because of its high alcohol content but because of the wormwood in it. Dr Valentin Magnan tested worwmood on guinea pigs in 1845 and found that a guinea pig given wormwood oil had convulsions, whereas, a guinea pig given alcohol just got drunk. By 1872 Magnan had isolated the chemical thujone from wormwood and, after tests on dogs, established that thujone was far more dangerous than ethanol (alcohol) and so Absinthe was much more harmful than other types of spirits. He and others in the medical profession were convinced that thujone was psychoactive and caused psychedelic effects. Absinthe was therefore banned.

Even in 1975, a nature magazine claimed that a thujone molecule was similar in structure to THC from the drug cannabis and that they therefore acted in a similar manner.

We now know that all these claims are inaccurate and false. Thujone is not like THC, although it does act on the GABA receptors of the brain, when taken in large amounts. We also know from testing Absinthes, including vintage Absinthe, that Absinthe only contains very small amounts of thujone, nowhere near enough to be harmful. You would have to drink vast amounts of Absinthe and die of alcohol poisoning before suffering any effects from thujone!

Although Absinthe will not cause us to hallucinate or convulse, it is a highly alcoholic drink which needs to be consumed with care because it will get you drunk quite quickly.

What is Absinthe proof?

Let’s see what the proof of well-known brands of Absinthe is:-

Lucid Absinthe 62% abv (124 proof)
La Clandestine Absinthe 53% abv (106 proof)
Sebor 55% abv (110 proof)
Pere Kermanns 60% abv (120 proof)
Pernod Absinthe 68% abv (136 proof0
Mari Mayans Collectors 70 70% abv (140 proof)
La Fee XS Absinthe Suisse 53% abv (106 proof)
La Fee XS Absinthe Francaise 68% abv (136 proof)
La Fee Bohemian 70% abv (140 proof)
La Fee Parisian 68% abv (136 proof)
Kubler 53 53% abv (106 proof)
Doubs Mystique Carte D’Or 65% abv (130 proof)
Roquette 1797 75% abv (150 proof)
Jade PF 1901 68% abv (136 proof)
Jade Edouard 72% abv (144 proof)
Jade Verte Suisse 65% abv (130 proof)
Jade Nouvelle Orleans 68% abv (136 proof)

If we compare that to other alcoholic beverages we can see that Absinthe is very strong:-

Absolut Blue Vodka 40% abv (80 proof)
Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila 38% abv (76 proof)
Beer tends to be 4 or 5% alcohol by volume (8-10 proof).
Table Wine 9-12% alcohol by volume (18-24 proof).
Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof).
Everclear 95% abv (190 proof)

If you make homemade Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com then your homemade Absinthe’s proof will depend on what neutral alcohol you use.

What is Absinthe proof? Very high is the answer!

Lots of people around the world are asking “What is Absinthe alcohol?” because we seem to be experiencing an Absinthe revival at the moment. Absinthe is seen as a trendy and mysterious drink which is associated with Bohemian artists and writers, films such as “From Hell” and “Moulin Rouge” and celebrities like Johnny Depp and Marilyn Manson. Manson has even had his own Absinthe created called “Mansinthe”!

Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway talked of Absinthe giving them their inspiration and genius. They even called the Green Fairy their muse. Absinthe features in many artistic works – The Absinthe drinker by Picasso, The Absinthe Drinker by Manet and L’Absinthe by Degas. The writer Charles Baudelaire also wrote about it in his poetry too. Absinthe has definitely inspired great works and has had an amazing effect on history.

What is Absinthe Alcohol?

Absinthe is an anise flavored, high proof alcohol. It is usually served with iced water to dilute it and to cause it to louche. Henri-Louis Pernod distilled it in the early 19th century by using a wine alcohol base flavored with natural herbs and plants. Traditional herbs used in Absinthe production include wormwood, aniseed, fennel, star anise, hyssop and lemon balm, as well as many others. Spanish Absenta, the Spanish name for Absinthe, tends to be a bit sweeter than French or Swiss Absinthe because it uses a different type of anise, Alicante anise.

Legend has it that Absinthe was created in the late 18th century by Dr Pierre Ordinaire as an elixir for his patients in Couvet, Switzerland. The recipe then got into the hands of two sisters who started selling it as a drink in the town and eventually sold it to a Major Dubied whose daughter married into the Pernod family – the rest is, as they say, history!

By 1805, Pernod had opened a distillery in Pontarlier, France and started producing Absinthe under the name “Pernod Fils” and, by the middle of the 19th century, the Pernod company was producing more than 30,000 liters of Absinthe a day! Absinthe even became more popular than wine in France.

Absinthe had its heyday during the Golden Age of La Belle Epoque in France. Unfortunately, it became associated with drugs such as heroin, cocain and cannabis and was accused of having psychedelic effects. Prohibitionists, doctors and wine producers, who were upset with Absinthe’s popularity, all ganged up against Absinthe and were able to persuade the French Government to ban the beverage in 1915.

Fortunately, Absinthe has since been redeemed. Studies and tests have shown that Absinthe is no more harmful than any other strong liquor and that it does not induce hallucinations or damage people’s health. The claims of the early 20th century are now seen as mass hysteria and falsehoods. It was legalized in the EU in 1988 and the USA have allowed various brands of Absinthe to be sold in the US since 2007.

You can read more about its history and interesting facts on absinthebuyersguide.com and the Buyer’s Guide and forum at lafeeverte.net. The forum is useful because there are reviews on different Absinthes. You can purchase Absinthe essences, which make real wormwood Absinthe, along with replica Absinthe glasses and spoons at AbsintheKit.com.

So, what is Absinthe alcohol? It is a mythical, mysterious drink with an incredible history.