You’re desperate for your first taste of the mythical Green Fairy, the famous drink Absinthe, but you just don’t know where to begin and are asking “Where can I buy Absinthe?”.

There are just so many websites! The Internet is a great resource for finding quality Absinthe but it can confuse rather than help. Here are some buying tips for finding a genuine vintage tasting Absinthe:-

– An economic way of getting the original vintage taste is to make your own Absinthe from top-quality Absinthe essences. The Absinthe Classics Essence kit from AbsintheKit.com only cost $29 and allows you to make 14 bottles of Absinthe (750ml each). The kit also contains a handy measure and 14 bottle labels. The essence is distilled from traditional Absinthe herbs such as wormwood, aniseed and fennel and makes an Absinthe with a thujone content of 35mg per bottle. AbsintheKit also sell 3 other Absinthekits and replicas of antique Absinthe glasses and spoons.

– Learn as much as you can about Absinthe so you know what to look for. Websites like lafeeverte.net, realabsintheonline.com and absinthebuyersguide.com have got lots of information about Absinthe as well as product reviews.

– Make sure that you buy an Absinthe which contains both wormwood and anise. Some Czech Absinth is anise free and so does not have the distinctive anise flavor. There are also lots of fake or substitute Absinthes on sale which do not contain wormwood and you want to avoid those if you want to try real Absinthe.

– Shop around and compare prices of Absinthe. Suppliers who stock a variety of Absinthes include the UK company Thedrinkshop.com, absintheclassics.com and absinth24.net.

– Buy known brands from reputable distillers who have won awards for their Absinthes and then compare prices between suppliers. See below for well known brands.

Where Can I Buy Absinthe Classics?

Brands that you may want to consider are:-

– Sebor – Sebor Absinth is a Czech Absinth. Real Sebor Absinth with 55% worwmood content is only available from seborabsinth.com. It is a well-known Czech brand with a good reputation.

– The Jade Collection by Ted breaux. These Absinthes have won many awards and were created by Ted Breaux who tested and researched vintage Absinthe and geuine recipes to enable him to create his own vintage style Absinthe. The Jade Collection includes Swiss style Absinthes and French Pernod style Absinthes. A wonderful collection. These Absinthes are available from websites like absintheonline.com.

– La Boheme Absinthe Original – Another Czech Absinthe. This Absinthe is based on a 200 year old Swiss recipe and is described as the finest Absinthe. It is available to order from originalabsinthe.com.

– La Ptite Absinthe du Val de Travers – A Swiss Absinthe distilled in Couvet, home of Absinthe, from an 1898 recipe. It is a clear La Bleue style Absinthe which is handmade and can therefore be hard to get hold of. Stock can sometimes be found on absintheclassics.com.

– Absinthe Clandestine – Another Swiss La Bleue style Absinthe. This Absinthe is also distilled in Couvet but by Claude-Alain Bugnon, a former bootleg distiller. It is based on traditional La Bleue recipes and uses traditional Absinthe herbs with alpine plants. This is available from absintheclassics.com.

Absinthe Roquette 1797 – This Absinthe is named after the horse of the legendary creator of Absinthe, Dr Pierre Ordinaire, and is based on an 18th century recipe. It is distilled in Pontarlier, France, in original 19th century alambics. This is available on many websites including absintheclassics.com.

Other noteworthy Absinthes are Doubs Mystique Carte d’Or, Absinthe Duplais, Lucid (created for the USA) and the Spanish Absenta Mari Mayans 70.

Remember to serve your Absinthe in the traditional manner, using The Ritual. To do this you need to:-

– Pour a shot of Absinthe into an Absinthe glass.
– Drip iced water over a lump of sugar on a slotted Absinthe spoon so that it dissolves into the alcohol. Be careful pouring, do it slowly so you get chance to see the liquor louche.
– Stir and serve – delicious.

Enjoy your quest to find the perfect Absinthe and have fun trying different brands or by making your own. I hope this information has answered “Where can I buy Absinthe?”.

Absinthe, the mysterious Green Fairy, is making a big comeback at the moment because various brands of Absinthe were legalized for sale in the United States in 2007. During this time of Absinthe Revival, we really need to know how to prepare the perfect Absinthe drink and what to dilute Absinthe with.

Absinthe is a strong liquor which is high proof but is usually diluted with water in a method known as La Louche or The Ritual. Henri-Louise Pernod used a wine alcohol base to make his exclusive Absinthe and flavored it with natural herbs such as wormwood, aniseed, fennel, hyssop and lemon balm.

The wormwood used in Absinthe production is grande wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium, and this wormwood contains chemicals called thujones. It was the thujone content of Absinthe that was the cause of Absinthe’s ban in many countries around the world in the early 1900s. Thujone was thought to be similar to THC in cannabis and to be psychoactive and to cause psychedelic effects. We now know that Absinthe only contains very small amounts of thujone and does not cause hallucinations. Absinthe is now legal in most countries.

What to Dilute Absinthe With

The traditional way to dilute Absinthe is with iced water. Here are instructions on how to prepare the perfect Absinthe using The Ritual:-

You will need:-
– Absinthe – Use a quality Absinthe containing essential oils like wormwood and anise. You could even make your own by using essences from AbsintheKit.com. A quality Absinthe will ensure that the drink louches and tastes good.
– An Absinthe glass or large glass.
– A slotted Absinthe spoon.
– A sugar lump or sugar cube.
– A carafe or Absinthe fountain of iced water.

Pour a shot of Absinthe into the glass.
Place the sugar on the spoon and rest the spoon over the rim of the glass.
Slowly drip the iced water over the sugar and into the Absinthe.
As the water mixes with the Absinthe, the oils in the alcohol will cause the drink to louche, or become cloudy or milky, because the oils are not water soluble.
Stir your Absinthe drink and enjoy.

The ratio of water to Absinthe is usually between 3:1 and 5:1.

The modern Czech or Bohemian Method is similar to the Ritual but the sugar cube is first soaked in the Absinthe before being set alight on the spoon with a match. The sugar caramelizes and melts into the drink. Water is then added.

Absinthe can also be used in cocktails. Famous Absinthe cocktails include the New Orleans Sazerac and Ernest Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon. Death in the Afternoon is made by mixing 1 part Absinthe to 5 parts champagne.

New Orleans Sazerac

1 teaspoon of a good quality Absinthe
Ice cubes
A sugar cube or 1 teaspoon of sugar.
1 ½ ounces of Rye whisky (not bourbon)
3 dashes of angostura bitters
1 Lemon peel twist
Freeze a glass in your freezer.
Swirl the Absinthe around the glass to coat the sides and bottom of the glass. Discard (or drink!) the excess.
Put the other ingredients in a cocktail shaker or mixer and shake for about ½ a minute.
Pour into the glass, adding the lemon peel.

Absinthe can also be diluted or mixed with mixers like lemonade or cherryade. Experiment with what to dilute Absinthe with and you could come up with your very own Absinthe cocktail.

There are different types of wormwood and it is important, when making or buying Absinthe, to know what kind of wormwood should be used for Absinthe making.

Wormwoods are in a group of plants called the artemisias which, in turn, are members of the Aster (Asteraceae) family of plants. Artemisias include:-
– Tarragon (artemisia drancunculus)
– Sagebrush (artemisia tridentata tridentata)
– Sweet wormwood (artemisia annua)
– Levant wormwood (artemisia cina)
– Silver king artemisia (artemisia ludoviciana albula)
– Roman wormwood (artemsia pontica) or petite wormwood.
– Southernwood (artemisia abrotanum)
– Common wormwood ((artemisia absinthium) or grande wormwood.

What kind of wormwood should be used for Absinthe distillation?

Although substitute Absinthes are often flavored with southernwood and roman wormwood is often added to Absinthe as an extra flavoring, the traditional wormwood used in the distillation of real Absinthe is common wormwood.

The common wormwood plant has tiny yellow flowers and silver gray leaves which have oil producing glands on them. The plant can grow up to 1.5m tall and typically grows in North Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean, in rocky areas or arid ground. The leaves and flowers are collected and dried for use as a natural herb or essential oil.

Common wormwood has been used in medicine since ancient times as an antiseptic, to treat intestinal worms, as a digestive tonic and to reduce fevers. It contains a chemical called thujone which was thought to be psychoactive and to cause psychedelic effects in Absinthe drinkers. Claims that Absinthe was dangerous due to its large amounts of thujone, caused the drink to be banned in the early 1900s. Research and studies have since shown that Absinthe is just as safe to consume as any other strong liquor. It is now legal in most countries.

Although thujone is a neurotoxin and can cause convulsions when consumed in large amounts, Absinthe actually only contains small amounts of thujone and you would die of alcohol poisoning before being able to consume enough Absinthe for thujone to have any effect on you.

It is the wormwood that gives Absinthe its name and its characteristic bitter taste. You need to buy an original Absinthe which contains wormwood to be able to experience the true Absinthe taste. You can even make your own wormwood Absinthe by using top-quality essences from AbsintheKit.com. These essences are distilled with traditional Absinthe herbs, including Wormwood, aniseed and fennel. Simply mix with vodka or Everclear to make a real Absinthe.

Once you have bought or made your Absinthe you will want to prepare the perfect drink using the traditional “Ritual” of dripping iced water over a cube of sugar and into the Absinthe to cause it to louche. To get yourself in the Absinthe mood, you could use real antique Absinthiana (Absinthe equipment) or replicas to take yourself back to the 19th century! Collectible Absinthiana includes:-
– Absinthe glasses – An Absinthe glass is quite large to accommodate the Absinthe and water.
– Cuilleres – A cuillere is an Absinthe spoon. Absinthe spoons are slotted and made to rest over the rim of an Absinthe glass.
– An Absinthe pyrogene – A pyrogene is a porcelain match striker which was put on the table for people to use while smoking and enjoying their Absinthe. They often advertised a particular brand of Absinthe.
You can also buy Absinthe fountains and drippers.
AbsintheKit.com sell replica Absinthe glasses such as a Pontarlier style glass, and spoons such as the lovely Eiffel Tower spoon. Touches like these really add to the Absinthe experience.

To enjoy the real flavor of Absinthe, remember to buy Absinthe containing wormwood. What kind of wormwood should be used for Absinthe? Common wormwood (grande wormwood or artemisia absinthium).

There is much interest in Absinthe, the drink known as the Green Fairy or La Fee Verte. People want to know how to buy it, what type to buy, how to prepare it and what is the recommended amount of Absinthe to use when preparing a drink.

First you need to buy a quality Absinthe which is rich in essential oils and that contains wormwood. There are many Absinthe substitutes and fake Absinthes on sale which contain southernwood or roman wormwood instead of common wormwood (artemisia absinthium). Make sure you buy a proper real Absinthe. If you live in a country where it is hard to find a good quality Absinthe then you could make your own Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com.

Once you have got your Absinthe, you will need to learn The Ritual, or La Louche. This is the traditional French or Swiss way of preparing Absinthe and it uses one shot of Absinthe. Here are the instructions:-

To perform the Ritual, you will need an Absinthe glass, a slotted Absinthe spoon, a lump of sugar and iced water.

– Pour 25-50ml of Absinthe into the glass.
– Rest the Absinthe spoon over the rim of the glass and place a cube of sugar on it.
– Slowly drip iced water over the sugar either by dripping from the tap of the fountain or by using a steady hand to pour from a carafe. Dripping it slowly will give the sugar chance to dissolve and drip through the slots of the spoon. You should see a lovely “louche” effect as the water mixes into the alcohol. The Absinthe louches because the essential oils of the herbs are soluble in alcohol but not in water and so make the mixture cloudy or milky when water is added.
– Sit back and enjoy your Absinthe drink.

The Bohemian or Czech Method is very similar to the Ritual but is a modern way of preparing cheap Czech Absinthes. The Bohemian method is scorned by many Absinthe followers.

Instructions and tips for using the Bohemian method:-

– Pour 25-50ml of Absinthe into the glass and dip the sugar cube into it to soak the sugar.
– Place sugar cube on the Absinthe spoon and rest on the rim of the glass.
– Set the sugar cube alight for one minute to allow the sugar to caramelize and melt. The sugar should drip through the slots of the spoon and into the Absinthe.
– Put the spoon into the Absinthe and pour the iced water into the Absinthe to put out any flames and to cause the Absinthe to louche.
– Enjoy your Absinthe drink.

If you want to enjoy your Absinthe properly the you will want some Absinthiana – Absinthe glasses, spoons and perhaps even an Absinthe fountain to control the flow of the water. Replicas of antique spoons and glasses can be purchased from AbsintheKit.com.

So, what is the recommended amount of Absinthe to use when preparing an Absinthe drink? About 45ml or a US shot. Obviously, you can use Absinthe in cocktails too – search for recipes online.

Everyone has heard of the magical mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink thought to be hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy that may make you see fairies, the anise flavored herbal spirit popular in Bohemian Montmartre. But, not many people can answer the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They may say wormwood but not many will be able to expand on that!

So, what is Absinthe made of?

Well, Absinthe was created by the legendary Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland in the late 18th century as an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started selling Absinthe commercially at the turn of the 19th century and used 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 juniper to flavor and color the alcohol.

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

It is the essential oils of the herbs in Absinthe which cause the Absinthe to louche when water is added. The oils are soluble in alcohol but not in water and so precipitate when the water is added making the drink turn cloudy or milky. If your Absinthe does not louche then it may not be a real Absinthe or a quality Absinthe rich in essential oils.

AbsintheKit.com, who make distilled Absinthe essences for people to make real Absinthe at home, use classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This means that Absinthe made from their essences will taste just right and will also louche beautifully.

Some Czech Absinth does not contain anise or aniseed and is really just a type of wormwood bitters. Make sure that you buy real anise and wormwood Absinthe to experience the true classic flavor.

The common wormwood plant is the most famous Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient which gives Absinthe its slightly bitter taste and the ingredient which caused Absinthe to be banned in many countries in the early 1900s. Originally used since ancient times as a medicine, it became labeled as a psychoactive neurotoxin which cause psychedelic effects such as hallucinations, convulsion and spasms. Wormwood oil contains a chemical called thujon or thujone which was compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was thought to contain vast amounts of thujone and to be responsible for driving people to insanity and even to death.

However, recent studies and tests have shown that vintage Absinthe actually only contained small amounts of thujone, nowhere near enough to be at all harmful. EU and US laws only allow Absinthe with small amounts of thujone to be bought and sold so Absinthe is perfectly safe to consume and enjoy.

Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not a liqueur as it does not have added sugar. It is a high proof alcoholic beverage but is usually served diluted with iced water and sugar. Although it is safe to consume, you must remember that it a very strong spirit and will quickly get you drunk especially if you mix it with other spirits in cocktails!

So, the answer to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is easily answered – alcohol and a blend of herbs.

Absinthe is a distilled (not fermented), high proof, herbal liquor (not a liqueur), first used by its legendary creator, Dr Pierre Ordinaire, as an elixir in the late 18th century. By the turn of the 19th century Pernod Fils were distilling it in France using a wine alcohol base flavored with a variety of herbs. The Pernod recipe included wormwood, aniseed, fennel, star anise, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica, nutmeg, juniper, dittany and veronica.

Unlike other alcoholic beverages, Absinthe is served diluted with water according to the method known as “The Ritual” or “La Louche”. A shot of Absinthe is poured into an Absinthe glass and a cube of sugar is placed on a slotted Absinthe spoon resting on the rim of the glass. Iced water is then dripped over the sugar and into the Absinthe. As the water mixes into the Absinthe the drink louches, turns milky or cloudy. This wonderful effect is caused by the essential oils in the Absinthe not being soluble in water. Absinthe has a lovely anise taste.

Absinthe was outlawed in many countries, including France and the United States, in the early 1900s. Its ban was due to the fact that its key ingredient, wormwood oil, contained a chemical called thujone. Absinthe was thought to contain vast amounts of thujone, up to 350mg per bottle, and thujone was alleged to cause many psychedelic effects and ill health:-

– Addiction
– Hallucinations
– Convulsions
– Insanity
– Brain damage
– Death

Absinthe was even blamed for a man murdering his pregnant wife and children even though he had only consumed two glasses of Absinthe and many glasses of other spirits! He was also a man prone to abuse and violence.

The French government was persuaded that Absinthe was fueling the country’s growing alcohol abuse problem and that it would cause the downfall of the nation. Absinthe was therefore made illegal in 1915, just like it had been in the USA in 1912.

Many people were not happy to go back to drinking beer and wine, so Absinthe substitutes were produced, like Pernod Pastis, which had an anise taste but without the wormwood. In 1934 two men, J M Legendre and Reginald Parker, started producing a thujone free Absinthe style drink in New Orleans. They used knowledge they had learned in France in the First World War to produce Herbsaint. They first named it “Legendre Absinthe” but this was not allowed so they changed the name to Legendre Herbsaint. Herbsaint did not contain wormwood and so was legal for sale in the USA and it gave people some of the taste of Absinthe without the risk of having to get Absinthe shipped from abroad or making bootleg Absinthe.

Herbsaint is still available to buy and is often used in cocktails such as a Herbsaint Frappe.

What is Absinthe law today?

Today, Absinthe is legal for sale in many countries. Research, studies, articles and tests have shown that Absinthe actually only contains small amounts of thujone and that you would have to consume somewhere over 100 liters to suffer any harmful effects of thujone! Even in countries where Absinthe is still strictly regulated, it is possible to buy Absinthe online for personal consumption. Absinthe essences from AbsintheKit.com are also available online and can be shipped worldwide. They contain wormwood and are already distilled. All you have to do is to mix 20ml of essence with 730ml of Everclear or vodka – simple and they make a true wormwood Absinthe.

What is Absinthe? A wonderful mysterious drink with an extremely colorful history!

If you type in “Absinthe recipe” on a search engine you will find plenty of free DIY recipes and instructions to make Absinthe at home. Some recipes I found contained ingredients such as wormwood, hyssop, calamus root, mint, cloves, fennell seeds, star anise, nutmeg, ouzo and Everclear. Now, these herbs all seem to be acceptable herbs for making Absinthe and the Everclear and Ouzo give the homemade Absinthe its alcohol content BUT making Absinthe at home from herbs is not quite as simple as making homemade beer and is very risky.

Common Wormwood, or Artimesia Absinthium, has been known to be an hallucinogen in large doses and calamus root and nutmeg are all herbs that are psychoactive and can have psychodelic effects. The alcohol and other ingrediants can have a sedative effect and the alcohol is obviously an intoxicant. Is it really safe to mix these herbs with alcohol using recipes from the Internet? Probably not! This type of Green Fairy might well leave you feeling rather ill!

It is best to buy quality Absinthe brands such as Pernod, Hapsburg, Mari Mayans and Rodniks from known suppliers or to buy Absinthe essences online from companies like AbsintheKit.com. You can buy Absinthe, also known as Absenta, with or without wormwood although many people believe that Absinthe is not Absinthe without wormwood, after all that’s how it got its name.

Absinthe Recipe – The Ritual

Once you have bought your quality Absinthe, or made a bottle from essence, you will need to learn how to prepare proper Absinthe, the Absinthe from history enjoyed by famous artists and writers including Oscar Wilde and Van Gogh.

These instructions will help you make the perfect Absinthe. You will need:-
– Absinthe
– An Absinthe glass or large glass
– An Absinthe spoon (or strainer)
– A cube of sugar
– Iced water

Pour about 25-50ml of Absinthe into the glass.
Place the cube of sugar onto the spoon and rest on top of the glass.
Slowly pour or drip the cold water over the sugar and into the Absinthe.
Enjoy La Louche – the essential oils of the herbs in the Absinthe are not water soluble and so louche or cloud and make the drink milky. It’s great to watch.

You can buy antique Absinthiana including spoons, glasses and Absinthe fountains or you can buy cheaper replicas. These will give your Absinthe preparation and drinking real style. An Absinthe fountain allows you to control the dripping of the water to give you a great louche effect.

There are many cocktail drinks you can make with Absinthe, including Ernest Hemingway’s favorite “Death in the Afternoon” which is a mix of Absinthe and champagne.

Avoid any Absinthe Recipe for homemade Absinthe and buy safe products where the levels of thujone and psychoactive herbs are controlled and measured.

Wormwood oil is an essential oil from the Common Wormwood plant, also known as Artemisia Absinthium. The wormwood plant is a perennial herb which often grows in rocky areas and on arid ground in the Mediterranean area, Asia and North Africa. It has also been found growing in North America. Wormwood has other names including green ginger, grande wormwood, armoise and absinthum or absinthium.

The plant has silver gray leaves and tiny yellow flowers and the leaves have tiny oil producing glands on them. It is in a group of plants called artemisias which are in the Aster family (Asteraceae). Other artemisia plants include tarragon, sagebrush, sweet wormwood, Levant wormwood, silver king artemisia, Roman wormwood and southernwood.

Its name Absinthium is thought to be from the Ancient Greek which may mean “unenjoyable” perhaps referring to its bitter taste. The Artemisia group of plants were linked to the moon goddess Artemis. In the Book of Revelation, in the Bible, the Wormwood star falls to Earth and poisons all of the Earth’s freshwater.

For use as a herb and essential oil, the leaves and aromatic flowers are collected and dried. Wormwood oil is an extraction from the flowers and leaves using the technique of steam distillation.

Wormwood Oil and Medicine

Wormwood has been used as a herb and essential oil in medicine since Ancient times. Here are some of its uses:-

– As a tea to give to women to help ease labor pains.
– As an antiseptic.
– In the pharmaceutical industry as a cardiac stimulant.
– As a digestive tonic, to stimulate digestion.
– As a anthemintic – to expel parasitic intestinal worms.
– To reduce fevers.
– To counteract poisoning caused by toadstools and hemlock.

Although it is an aromatizing herb and has been used since Ancient times, many aromatherapists will not now use it because it is a neurotoxin and convulsant and the oil contains large amounts of thujone which has been compared to THC the chemical in the narcotic drug cannabis. Thujone is on the banned substances list of the FDA in the USA and cannot be used as a food additive.

Wormwood and Cooking

Wormwood extract has been used by chefs in sauces and in stuffings for poultry and goose.

Wormwood and Absinthe

Wormwood is well known as being one of the natural primary ingredients of the strong herbal liquor Absinthe. It even gives Absinthe its name.

Absinthe, otherwise known as the Green Fairy, was a famous alcoholic beverage, of the Belle Epoque period in France. Absinthe contained many plant extracts and essences, which were natural and not synthetic, including wormwood, green aniseed, fennel, star anise, lemon balm, hyssop and many others. These essential oils in the Absinthe cause the Absinthe to louche when the water is added to the drink.

Absinthe was famously banned in the early 1900s because many believed that the wormwood in Absinthe caused hallucinations, addiction, weakened the intellectual part of the brain and was toxic. Some believe that Van Gogh’s suicide was caused by “absinthism”, his prolonged enjoyment of Absinthe.

Absinthe Today

The wormwood oil in Absinthe is now thought to only contain very small amounts of thujone and Absinthe has therefore been legalized for sale in most countries. You can even buy essences to make your own bottled Absinthe from companies like AbsintheKit.com whose essences include real wormwood in safe doses.

Wormwood oil extracted from Artemisia absinthium, a herb that grows in the temperate regions of North Africa, Asia, and Europe. Wormwood has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries. Wormwood oil is considered toxic in its pure concentrated form. It is extracted using the steam distillation method. Only the leaves and flowering tops of the plant are used for oil extraction.

The plant Artemisia absinthium belongs to the Asteraceae family and is also known as the green ginger, wormwood, absinthium, and armoise. The medicinal properties of this plant were recognized by early civilizations. In fact, the word absinthium comes from a Greek word apsinthion. Wormwood oil has been used in the treatment of several conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, Gall bladder inflammation and as an agent that expels intestinal parasites. Wormwood oil’s aromatic and antiseptic properties were appreciated by medical practitioners for centuries.

At the end of the eighteenth century a French doctor Dr Pierre Ordinaire invented absinthe using wormwood to treat stomach ailments. It was also used a digestive tonic in those days. Absinthe soon caught the fancy of the public and by the end of nineteenth century it had become one of the most sought after liquors in Europe. So popular had absinthe become that at one time it rivaled wine in popularity. Absinthe however, had high alcohol content and its unique effects added to its popularity. It was the favorite drink of many intellectuals, artists and painters along with the common man. Absinthe was considered as a creative stimulant and many great artists, painters and writers of the eighteenth and nineteenth century attributed their creative genius to its unique effects.

Absinthe is made using various herbs and neutral spirits; the main herb being wormwood. Thujone a chemical present in wormwood oil and other essential oils from other herbs were considered responsible for the unique effects of absinthe liquor. Thujone consumed in higher concentrations can cause hallucinations, hyper excitability, and in some cases brain damage

The late nineteenth century also saw an increase in alcohol addiction levels amongst the general population in Europe. Due to unsubstantiated rumors and misinformation, absinthe was eventually banned in most parts of Europe and North America at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, in the light of new research published in the later part of the twentieth century and early twenty-first century most countries in Europe lifted the ban and allowed production, consumption, and sale of absinthe. The research clearly demonstrated, using sophisticated analytical tools that thujone content in absinthe was within safe limits and fit for human consumption in moderation.

Wormwood oil is today used by many herbalists to treat indigestion, worm infestation and other liver and gall bladder problems. Wormwood oil contains active substances like thujone and isothujone.

Wormwood oil is also used in the preparation of absinthe essence. Absinthe continues to be banned in America. However, American citizens can purchase absinthe essence and absinthe kits from non-US producers online and prepare their own absinthe liquor.

For more authentic information on absinthe kits, absinthe essence, and other absinthe accessories visit absinthekit.com

Absinthe the legendary liquor of nineteenth century Europe has made a stunning comeback after being banned for most part of the twentieth century. Absinthe is considered a living fossil amongst all modern drinks. It has the ability to transport its lovers back to the magical days of nineteenth century Europe. Absinthe was the most popular drink of Europeans before it was wrongfully banned. Pre ban Vintage absinthe reminds connoisseurs of the glittering cafés of Paris, bohemian musicians, great painters like Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso and an era that epitomized artistic and cultural refinement.

Absinthe was invented by a French doctor Dr. Pierre Ordinaire just after the French revolution. It was initially used for treating stomach ailments. It was also called “La Fee Verte” or “The Green Fairy” this nickname is fondly used even today. In 1805 the first factory to commercially produce absinthe was started by Henri Louis Pernod, as by that time absinthe was considered an appetizing alcoholic beverage. Absinthe’s popularity grew by leaps and bounds and soon it became the most preferred drink in all cabarets and cafés of Paris. Everyday 5 p.m. was celebrated as the green hour.

By the middle of the nineteenth century concerns were raised as chronic abuse of absinthe had started creating social problems. Absinthe was blamed for a syndrome called absinthism. Hallucinations, epileptic fits, and hyper-excitability were considered as the classic symptoms of this new syndrome. Belgium banned absinthe in the year 1905 and by 1915 almost all European countries except Spain had banned absinthe. Most of the reputed distilleries that were producing absinthe went bankrupt and closed down while some distilleries started producing pastis.

However, in the beginning of this century most European countries lifted the ban on absinthe in the light of new discoveries that rubbished the claim that absinthe contained abnormal levels of thujone. This renewed interest in absinthe; and once again absinthe started to claim its rightful place amongst the finest of liquors. Suddenly vintage bottles of absinthe were the most sought after items and collectors began collecting vintage absinthe bottles from century old cellars.

Vintage absinthe sells for a phenomenal amount and there are people who are ready to pay hundreds of dollars for a 30mL samples. Perfectly sealed bottles with the cork intact sell for hundreds of dollars. The absinthe in these vintage absinthe bottles is very well preserved and louches beautifully and is remarkably smooth to drink.
However, not everyone has the resources to buy vintage absinthe just to spend an evening with the “Green Fairy”. The best alternative to vintage absinthe is to order absinthe essence and prepare your very own absinthe with neutral spirits like vodka. United States continues to ban production and sale of absinthe. US citizens can posses and consume absinthe as it is not a crime. The closest you can get to taste pre-ban absinthe is by ordering absinthe essence from non-US producers of absinthe essence and absinthe kits and make your own absinthe at home. The essence is made using the classic absinthe recipes.

Absinthekit.com is the most trusted site that offers a variety of genuine absinthe essence, absinthe kits, and other absinthe accessories.