Absinthe Classics

Absinthe was the toast of Europe for most of the 19th century, it was believed to spur creativity and great artists and writers were regular consumers of absinthe or the green fairy as it was called then. In the initial days, it was considered more as a tonic than liquor. Some of the great names in the field or art and literature preferred to drink absinthe over other alcoholic beverages. Classic absinthe is the version of absinthe that was available throughout Europe before it was banned in the beginning of the twentieth century.

Absinthe was the most popular drink in Europe when the bohemian movement was at its pinnacle. It was common to find great artists, thinkers, and painters drinking the cloudy liquid in a Paris café. Absinthe was affectionately called as the green fairy or the green muse back then. It was the most popular alcoholic drink in Europe and United States. Due to some unsubstantiated rumors, absinthe was banned in Switzerland and most of Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, Spain and some other countries did not follow suit and ban absinthe.

Absinthe is more than a tasty alcoholic beverage. An elaborate ritual is to be followed to prepare your absinthe. First step is you pour an ounce of absinthe in a glass. The liquid is clear green in color. After this you place a flat perforated spoon on the glass and place a sugar cube on it. Next you pour ice cold water over the sugar cube slowly so that the sugar cube dissolves and falls in the glass along with the ice-cold water. As the water mixes with the green liquid in the glass it turns in to a cloudy opaque liquid. This effect is called as louching as the essential oils are released. Once it is diluted you stir the liquid with the spoon and then drink it.

Absinthe has made a successful comeback in the beginning of the 21st century as most European Union countries lifted the ban. The pre ban absinthe is considered classic absinthe and many bottles from the pre-ban era are found in France, Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands. It is widely believed that classic absinthe has higher Thujone content and many pre-ban bottle contents were analyzed to determine the concentration of Thujone. Thujone is a component of wormwood which is used in the distilling absinthe. Many other herbs are also used in the preparation of absinthe. Classic absinthe contains Thujone in the range from zero to 75 milligrams per liter. However all absinthe whether classic or not contains high concentration of alcohol.

Today absinthe distillers make absinthe with different concentrations of Thujone to satisfy the various regulatory agencies in some European and North American countries. American citizens can buy genuine absinthe online from reputed manufacturers in Europe. Brands that come close to the original taste are generally considered classics. Various absinthe accessories and other products are also available online one such genuine place where you can buy absinthe spoons, glasses, labels, essences, etc is absinthekit.com.