Absinthesupreme

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.

With bottled Absinthe being so expensive, many people are interested in making their own Absinthe at home and want to know where to find recipe for Absinthe liquor.

Absinthe is a mythical, mysterious drink with an interesting history. It was originally created in the 18th century as an elixir or tonic by the legendary Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland. By the turn of the 19th century, it was being produced as an alcoholic beverage by Pernod Fils and soon became a very popular drink, even more popular than fermented beverages and other alcoholic drinks.

Absinthe, or the Green Fairy, is a very strong liquor which is made by distilling alcohol with herbs such as wormwood (artemisia absinthium), fennel and aniseed. Different distillers use different recipes but these are the three main herbal ingredients.

Absinthe has an anise flavor with a hint of bitterness, which comes from the wormwood. The drink was banned in many countries in the 1900s because of worries that it was leading to widespread alcohol abuse and that it caused hallucinations and insanity. These claims are completely unsourced and are just part of the mass hysteria of the time, and wine producers’ worries over the popularity of Absinthe. Absinthe is perfectly safe to drink and does not make you hallucinate.

Absinthe is usually consumed diluted with iced water. The traditional method of preparation is called the Ritual. This method involves pouring a shot of Absinthe into an Absinthe glass and dripping iced water over a sugar cube on a slotted spoon and into the Absinthe. The water causes the Absinthe to louche and then the drink is ready to consume.

Where to find Recipe for Absinthe Liquor

Commercial Absinthe is made by distilling herbs with alcohol. There are various recipes for distilling Absinthe at home, but home distillation is illegal in many countries without a license, so this is not to be recommended.

So, what are the options for making Absinthe at home?

1.Using an Absinthe steeping kit – You can either purchase a steeping kit online or make up your own by making a blend of herbs to steep in alcohol. Recipes online include herbs such as wormwood, fennel, aniseed, anise, hyssop, calamus root, angelica, lemon balm, coriander seeds, melissa, roman wormwood and many others. These herbs are added to alcohol and left to steep for a few days before the mixture is filtered. Some recipes call for one blend of herbs to be steeped first, then removed, and then another blend to be used as a finishing or coloring blend. Steeping will not give you a true Absinthe because there is no distillation involved.

2.Using Absinthe Essences – AbsintheKit.com produce Absinthe essences by distilling traditional Absinthe herbs with alcohol. These are the same essences that they produce for the Absinthe industry and are top-quality essences. Simply mix 20ml of essence with 730ml of Everclear or vodka to make a true Absinthe. They have four different types of essences available to make four different styles of Absinthe – a La Bleue style, a classic verte Absinthe, an orange flavored Absinthe and a strong Absinthe which contains more wormwood and so has a stronger and more bitter flavor. All four essences contain wormwood.

Making homemade Absinthe by using essences is much quicker and easier than steeping herbs and filtering. For a start you don’t have to bother about where to find recipe for Absinthe liquor because the thinking has been done for you. The essences are ready to use – simple and easy! Enjoy your Absinthe.

The world wide web is where to find Absinthe. On the Internet you can shop around, read about different Absinthe brands, educate yourself about Absinthe and order the Green Fairy online.

Where to find Absinthe Online

There are 3 main options when considering what Absinthe to buy:-

– Bottled Absinthe from a reputable distiller.
– An Absinthe making kit containing blends of herbs to steep and then filter.
– Absinthe essences to make Absinthe.

Buying bottled Absinthe

La Fee Verte, lafeeverte.net, have got an Absinthe Buyer’s Guide on their website which is a great reference on both modern and vintage Absinthes. You can use their site to find out all about Absinthe, its history, different brands of Absinthe and Absinthe from different countries, including Absenta from Spain and Absinth from the Czech Republic. It has details about every Absinthe you can think of and also lots of product reviews – a great place to get recommendations and to find out more about the Green Fairy. You can even post your own review once you have sampled an Absinthe.

When buying a bottle of Absinthe you need to make sure that it is a real Absinthe and not a fake or substitute Absinthe. Many substitute Absinthes were developed during Prohibition so there are many Absinthes around that do not contain grande wormwood, the key Absinthe ingredient. Using sites like La Fee Verte will help you to find a good quality Absinthe.

Buying a Herb Blend Absinthe Kit

Companies like Green Devil make Absinthe making kits which contain:-
– An Absinthe Herb blend to steep in alcohol.
– An Absinthe Flavoring and Finishing Blend to use at the end.
– Muslin bags for infusing the herbs.
– A filtration system to filter the alcohol and herbs mixture.

Green Devil claim that the finished Absinthe will have a thujone content of 70-90mg of thujone per liter, a very high dose of thujone. Thujone, the chemical found in wormwood, was one of the reasons why Absinthe was banned in the 1900s. Thujone was thought to have psychedelic effects like cannabis. Artists and writers like Van Gogh and Oscar Wilde claimed that Absinthe gave them their genius and that the Green Fairy was their muse. Research has since shown that bottled Absinthe will not give you hallucinations, or genius, and is very low in thujone.

A kit from companies like Green Devil will not make a true Absinthe because there is no distilling involved, you are simply flavoring the alcohol.

Buying Absinthe Essences

AbsintheKit sell Absinthe essences on their online shop AbsintheKit.com. These essences are great because they are already distilled from the finest traditional Absinthe herbs and all you need to do is to mix an essence with Everclear or vodka. You will get a true Green Fairy experience from these Absinthe essences because they are distilled. They are also sold to the Absinthe industry, so you know you are getting quality.

It is possible to get Absinthe essences shipped world wide if you order from AbsintheKit.com and the site also sells replicas of antique Absinthe glasses and spoons.

So, I hope this information has helped you with where to find Absinthe.

Lucid Absinthe Superieure is the first real wormwood containing Absinthe to be legalized in the US since the ban in 1912 so many people are desperate to know where to buy Lucid Absinthe.

Lucid was developed by distiller Ted Breaux and Viridian Spirits for the US Absinthe market. Unlike other fake Absinthes, which were developed to be sold in the US, it contains real grande wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) and other traditional Absinthe herbs. More details can be found at drinklucid.com but here are some facts about Lucid Absinthe Superieure:-

– It gets its green color from whole herbs and not artificial colors.
– It contains wormwood, sweet fennel, green anise and other classic Absinthe herbs.
– It was developed by Ted Breaux, a leading Absinthe distiller, who used his knowledge of traditional Absinthe making techniques to make this historically accurate vintage style Absinthe which meets US regulations.
– Lucid contains a full measure of grande wormwood just like pre ban Absinthes. It was a myth that Absinthe contained vast amounts of thujone – tests on vintage bottles showed that they would all pass US regulations (10mg/kg or under of thujone).
– Lucid contains 62% alcohol by volume.
– It is distilled in Saumur in France.
– Lucid has a very distinctive black bottle with green cat’s eyes inspired by a Montmartre cabaret show “Le Chat Noir” from 1881.

Where to buy Lucid Absinthe

According to the Lucid website it can be bought across the United States so you should be able to buy it from your local liquor store. You can look on the drinklucid website for stockists of Lucid by state, online stockists such as Shoppers Vineyard and Crown Wine and Spirits, and also for bars and restaurants that serve Lucid. The website also has a web shop where you can order Lucid apparel.

Lucid is not the only Absinthe to have been legalized in the United States – a brand called Green Moon and Absinthes from Kubler have also been legalized.

Another great way of enjoying Absinthe in the USA is to order Absinthe essences from AbsintheKit.com who offer free world wide shipping. There is a handling fee for the first item but shipping and handling is free for additional products ordered.

The essences from AbsintheKit.com are made from an alcohol base which is distilled with top-quality herbs such as wormwood, aniseed and fennel. The essences are very economical, only $3.95 ($4.95 for the Strong 55) per 20ml essence which makes a 750ml bottle of Absinthe. Kits containing 280ml of essence, a measure and bottle labels are also available costing $29 ($39 for Strong 55). These kits make 14 bottles of Absinthe so they are a great buy. Simply mix 20ml of essence with 730ml of Everclear or vodka and you have your very own real Green Fairy, as Absinthe is known.

Essences are a great alternative to searching for where to buy Lucid Absinthe and are fun to use too.

It’s not so much a question of where can you buy Absinthe, but more a question of where can you buy quality wormwood Absinthe?

If you walk into a liquor store there will be a vast array of spirits, liqueurs, beer, cider and wine and looking for a good bottle of Absinthe may be tricky. It will probably be easier to order your first Absinthe online.

However, there are also many websites offering sales of Absinthe so how do you know what Absinthe to buy? Here are some buying tips:-

– Use websites like absinthebuyersguide.com and lafeeverte.net to educate yourself about Abinthe and for recommendations on what Absinthe to try.

– Choose whether you want a “Deluxe” Absinthe, a “Classic” Absinthe or a “Speciality” Absinthe. Deluxe Absinthes are high quality Absinthes and include Absinthes like Franco Suisse, Absinthe Suisse La Bleue Clandestine, Pernod Absinthe (not Pastis), Francoise Guy and Suisse Vert. Classic Absinthes are a slightly lower quality than deluxe styles and include Spanish Absinthes (known as Absenta) such as Deva Absenta and Mari Mayans. Speciality Absinthes are for people who want something a bit different, Absinthe with a twist, and include Hill’s Anise Free Absinthe from the Czech republic, Mansinthe created by Marilyn Manson and Gothica from Germany which is 80% alcohol by volume.

– Read product descriptions carefully. For example, Hill’s Anise free Absinthe is not a true Absinthe because it does not contain anise. You would not buy this one if you wanted a true Absinthe flavor. Wormwood “bitters” like Bairnsfather Bitter are not Absinthes.

– Read reviews on Absinthes – Find out what other people are saying about particular brands of Absinthes.

– Look at the thujone content, if listed. True Absinthe contains wormwood which contains the chemical thujone.

– Look at how strong the Absinthe is, what its alcohol by volume is. Most Absinthes are between 50 and 75% abv.

– Once you have chosen a particular brand of Absinthe, shop around for the best price and remember to take shipping costs into account as well as the sale price.

In your search for good quality Absinthe, you may come across Absinthekits, kits to help you make your very own bottled Green Fairy. Absinthe kits can be great fun to use but some do not really provide you with original tasting Absinthe.

Where Can You Buy Absinthe Kits?

If you search online for Absinthe kits you get a huge list of different types of kits. How do you choose from these and what types of kits are available?

– Steeping Kit – Absinthe kits such as those from Green Devil provide you with herbs to steep in alcohol and filters to filter the mixture. No distillation is involved which means that you can make it legally in most countries BUT if there is no distillation then there is not going to be a true Absinthe resulting from the procedure.

– Absinthe Kits which are gift items and are not for producing your own Absinthe but contain a ready made Absinthe with an Absinthe spoon and sugar to prepare your Absinthe drink according to the Ritual.

– Absinthe Essences – AbsintheKit.com make Absinthe essences which are 100% natural essences made from a variety of herbs including wormwood, aniseed and fennel. The great thing about these essences is that they are already distilled so all you have to do is to mix an essence with a neutral alcohol, like vodka or Everclear, to get a true Absinthe. No steeping or filtering is needed and these essences are also sold to the Absinthe industry. You can purchase the essences in 20ml bottles, for $3.95, to make a 750ml bottle of Absinthe, or you can purchase a kit which includes a 280ml bottle of essence to make 14 bottles of Absinthe, a handy measure and 14 artistic bottle labels – all for $29! Order at their web shop at AbsintheKit.com.

There are so many resources online to help you with the question “where can you buy Absinthe?”, have fun learning more about the mythical Green Fairy.

With the range of Absinthes, fake Absinthes, colored Absinthes and Absinthe substitutes available, many people are on a quest to find an Absinthe that has an original, genuine, vintage pre ban flavor. So, let’s answer the question “Where can I buy the original Absinthe?” by looking at some Absinthes which are based on historical recipes and that use traditional distilling techniques:-

– La Boheme Absinthe Original – This Absinthe is distilled in the Czech Republic, a country known for its Absinthes, and is made from a 200 year old Swiss recipe. It claims to be the finest quality Absinthe available. More details can be found at laboheme.cz.

– The Jade Collection of Absinthes by Ted Breaux. Ted Breaux was committed to making vintage style Absinthes. He tested vintage bottles that he had collected for their ingredients and thujone levels and then used this knowledge to distill vintage style Absinthes at his distillery in Saumur, France, using 19th century alambics and traditional techniques. His collection includes a classic Pernod Fils style Absinthe, a Swiss green Absinthe, a clear La Bleue style Absinthe and an Edouard Pernod inspired Absinthe. The Jade collection Absinthes have won many awards.

– Absinthe Roquette 1797 – This Absinthe is named after the horse of Dr Pierre Ordinaire, legendary creator of Absinthe. It is based on an original 18th centruy Absinthe and is distilled in the French home of Absinthe, Pontarlier, in 19th century alambics.

Doubs Mystique “Carte d’Or Absinthe” – This is also instilled in 19th century alambics in Pontarlier and is made using traditional methods and ingredients.

La Ptite Absinthe – Produced by Guadentia Persoz in Couvet, Switzerland, the home of Absinthe, this traditional La Bleue is based on a 1898 real Absinthe recipe. Persoz found this recipe, along with an alambic, when she moved into her house in Couvet.

La Clandestine Absinthe – This Absinthe is a La Bleue Absinthe which is also distilled in Couvet. The distiller, Claude-Alain Bugnon, is a former bootleg distiller and bases La Clandestine on traditional La Bleue recipes using classic Absinthe herbs and alpine plants.

Absinthe Duplais – A verte Absinthe which is based on 19th century Swiss Absinthe protocols from a manual written by P.Duplais. It is distilled in Switzerland.

Absinthe Brevans – Also distilled in Switzerland, this Absinthe is based on a recipe from 1897 and on a historical manual written by a distiller named Brevans.

Lucid – By Viridian Spirits and Ted Breaux. This Absinthe was created especially for the American market. The USA has strict rules regarding thujone, a chemical found in wormwood, but this Absinthe has been legalized in the USA. Breaux created this Absinthe by using traditional recipes and techniques.

Where Can I Buy the Original Absinthe Mentioned Above?

From online companies like TheDrinkShop.com or absintheclassics.com, your local liquor store may stock them or you may be able to order them.

In your search for quality Absinthe, you may also come across absinthekits to make your very own Absinthe at home. Some of these kits will just make an Absinthe flavored drink rather than a real Absinthe because they do not involve distilling. AbsintheKit.com sell Absinthe essences, through their web shop, which are already distilled and are made from the finest traditional Absinthe herbs. They make 4 different varieties, including a “strong” essence which contains a higher quantity of thujone. A 20ml essence makes one 750ml bottle of Absinthe or you can buy a kit which makes 14 bottles of Absinthe. A 20ml bottle is $3.95 and a kit, which also includes a measure and arty bottle labels, costs $29. This is a very economical way of enjoying an original tasting Absinthe.

I hope this information answers your question “where can I buy the original Absinthe” and that your quest is successful.

The traditional way of serving Absinthe is to use a method called The Ritual and to dilute it with water. Some people are bored of drinking Absinthe in this way and want to know what to mix Absinthe with. I hope that this information will help you to enjoy Absinthe even more.

Absinthe is a strong liquor which is flavored with natural herbs including grande wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed and fennel. It also sometimes contains petite wormwood (artemisia pontica). The aniseed gives the drink its wonderful anise taste and the wormwood gives the Absinthe its characteristic bitter or slightly sour taste.

Grande wormwood contains thujone, named 3 thujamone or 3 sabinone by the book The IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry. Thujone is a ketone and a monoterpene like the other terpenes, menthol and camphor. Other names that thujone extracted from wormwood has been referred to as are Absinthol, salvinol and tanacetone.

Thujone is the reason why Absinthe was banned in many countries in the early 1900s. It was the thujone that was blamed for the insanity and suicide of Van Gogh and many artists and writers claimed that drinking Absinthe gave them their genius and inspiration through dreams and hallucinations. The famous Absinthe drinker Oscar Wilde said of Absinthe:
“After the first glass of Absinthe you see things as you wish they were. After the second you see them as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.” Who knows what would happen after a whole bottle?!

We now know that Absinthe is no more dangerous than any other strong spirit like vodka and whisky, although it is twice the strength. Research has shown that Absinthe only contains traces of thujone and that it is not possible to consume enough Absinthe for thujone to have any negative or harmful effects. It will not cause you to hallucinate or go insane and is now legal in most countries. It is still illegal in Ireland but the Irish can order it from abroad and get it shipped for personal consumption.

You can make your very own bottled Absinthe by using Absinthe essences from AbsintheKit.com. These essences are made by distilling traditional Absinthe herbs and all you have to do is to mix them with vodka or Everclear – an easy and economical way to make Absinthe.

What to Mix Absinthe With

Now that Absinthe is legal in most countries, we can experiment with using it in cocktails or make classic Absinthe cocktails such as the New Orleans Sazerac or Death in the Afternoon.

Sazerac Recipe

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.

Death in the Afternoon

5 ounces of chilled champagne mixed with 1 ounce of Absinthe – delicious!

Some people like to use mixers such as lemonade, 7UP and cherryade with their Absinthe and I have even heard of Red Bull being mixed with Absinthe! Be inventive when deciding what to mix Absinthe with, use recipes off the Internet but give them your own twist or make up your own. Have fun.

Many people have heard that the drink Absinthe will make them trip and hallucinate but is this true – Whats Absinthe effect on the body?

Absinthe, otherwise known as La Fee Verte or the Green Fairy, is the drink that was blamed for the madness and suicide of Van Gogh as well as being the muse of many famous artists and writers. Would the works of Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso be the way they are if they hadn’t consumed Absinthe while working? Would Oscar Wilde have written his famous “The Picture of Dorian Gray” without the help of Absinthe? Writers and artists were convinced that Absinthe gave them inspiration and even their genius. Absinthe even featured in many works of art – The Woman Drinking Absinthe by Picasso and L’Absinthe by Degas. It is claimed that the predominance of yellow in Van Gogh’s works was a result of Absinthe poisoning and that Picasso’s cubsim was inspired by Absinthe.

Wormwood (artemisia absinthium) is a key ingredient in Absinthe and is the reason for all the controversy surrounding the drink. The herb has been used in medicine since ancient times:-

– to treat labor pains.
– as an antiseptic.
– as a cardiac stimulant in heart medication.
– to stimulate digestion.
– to reduce fevers.
– as an anthelmintic – to expel intestinal worms.
– to counteract poisoning from toadstools and hemlock.

However, wormwood is also known as a neurotoxin and convulsant because wormwood oil contains the chemical thujone which acts on the GABA receptors in the brain.

A 1960s article from “Sweat” Magazine tells of how the French medical profession, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, were concerned about “Absinthism”, a condition caused by prolonged Absinthe drinking. Doctors were convinced that Absinthe was far worse than any other alcohol and that it was more like a drug. Doctors listed symptoms of Absinthism as:-

– Convulsions and frothing at the mouth.
– Delirium.
– Hypersensitivity to pain.
– Loss of libido.
– Sensitivity to hot and cold.
– Insanity.
– Paralysis.
– Death.

They claimed that even occasional Absinthe drinking could cause:-

– Hallucinations.
– A feeling of exhilaration.
– Restless nights and nightmares.
– Trembling.
– Dizziness.

We now know that these claims are false and part of the mass hysteria of the time. Prohibitionists were desperate to get alcohol banned, wine producers were putting pressure on the government to ban Absinthe because it was becoming more popular than wine, and doctors were concerned about growing alcoholism in France. Absinthe was banned in 1915 in France but has since become legal in many countries around the world from the 1980s onwards.

Research and studies have shown that Absinthe is no more dangerous than any of the other strong spirits and that the drink only contains very small amounts of thujone. It would be impossible to drink enough Absinthe for thujone to have any negative effects on the body.

Even though it has been proved that Absinthe does not cause hallucinations or convulsions, Absinthe buyers and drinkers still need to be aware that it is a high proof liquor and so can intoxicate very quickly, especially if it is mixed with other strong spirits in cocktails. So, whats Absinthe effect on the body? A “clear headed” or “lucid” drunkenness is how getting intoxicated on Absinthe has been described by those who drink bottled Absinthe or who make Absinthe from essences like those from AbsintheKit.com. It can also cause a pleasant tingling of the tongue but no hallucinations!

There are so many discussion threads on forums about Absinthe and how to hallucinate by drinking Absinthe. Lots of people want to know what the best Absinthe to buy for hallucinating is and what is the Absinthe high like.

Unfortunately, these people are believing the propaganda from the late 19th century and early 20th century and also books like Doris Lanier’s “Asbinthe The Cocaine of the 19th Century: A History of the Hallucinogenic Drug and its Effect on Artists and Writers in Europe and the United States”. In this book Lanier talks about Absinthe being like opium and cocaine in its effects and that it caused a rapid loss of both physical and mental faculties. Is there any truth in this?

Absinthe was popular in a time known by some as “The Great Binge”, a time when heroin and cocaine were used in children’s medicines and in beverages. The medical profession realized that these chemicals weren’t as safe as they thought and they thought the same about Absinthe. They claimed that thujone, a chemical found in the wormwood in the drink Absinthe, was psychoactive and could cause psychedelic effects just like THC in cannabis. They alleged that Absinthe wasn’t just a drink that intoxicated people, it was also a harmful drug that gave you hallucinations and could drive you insane. Doctors even came up with a name for prolonged Absinthe drinking – “Absinthism”, which they said caused:-

– Convulsions
– Delirium
– Insanity
– Brain damge
– Paralysis
– Death

Really, “Absinthism” was just alcoholism, it was nothing special.

Many people blame Absinthe for Van Gogh cutting off his own ear and for his later suicide. But, can we blame a drink for Van Gogh’s madness when he had suffered from mental illness and depression since he was a child and when we consider that he mixed Absinthe with turpentine? I don’t think so. Absinthe cannot be blamed for the so-called “Absinthe Murder” either. A Swiss man murdered his pregnant wife and children after consuming two glasses of Absinthe BUT he had also consumed five liters of wine, six glasses of cognac and many other alcoholic beverages!

What is the Absinthe High Like?

The Absinthe “high” just doesn’t exist. We now know definitively from tests, that Absinthe is not an hallucinogen. Even pre ban Absinthe only contained very small amounts of thujone, nowhere near enough to cause any effect whatsoever. Yes, you will get intoxicated quickly drinking Absinthe, after all it tends to be about 70% alcohol by volume (140 proof) which is stronger than other spirits like vodka but you will not trip or get high.

Absinthe is called the Green Fairy but it will not make you see any fairies!. It does give you a different kind of drunkenness though. The blend of the high alcohol content, which acts as a sedative, and the herbs, which are stimulants, can give you a very strange “clear headed” or “lucid” drunkenness – an alcohol high. Perhaps this is what artists and writers were talking about when they described Absinthe as their muse, saying that it gave them inspiration and even their genius.

Make sure when you buy your first Absinthe that you buy a quality Absinthe or that you make your own from a kit from a reputable company. Some company’s herbal steeping kits claim to make an Absinthe which contains very large amounts of thujone, much larger than vintage Absinthe. Take a look at the essences from AbsintheKit.com which are also used by the Absinthe industry.

Although the answer to the question “What is the Absinthe high like?” might disappoint some people, Absinthe is a great tasting drink which should be enjoyed.

Absinthe, also known as the Green Fairy, is a herbal alcoholic beverage with an anise flavor. It was the drink of La Belle Epoque period of history and of the Bohemian culture of Paris, in particular Montmartre. Absinthe fans – Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway claimed that the drink was responsible for their genius and that it gave them inspiration – the Green Fairy was their muse. But, what is in Absinthe?

What is in Absinthe?

Henri-Louis Pernod’s Absinthe of the early 19th century was produced using a wine based alcohol which was distilled with natural herbs. It is said that his Absinthe recipe was made using the plant common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) and other herbs including Florence fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, angelica, veronica, nutmeg and juniper. Some of these herbs were used at the beginning of the process and others were used at the end to give the Absinthe its classic green or verte color.

Wormwood gave Absinthe its name (from Absinthium) and its slightly bitter taste. Roman or petite wormwood (artemisia pontica) is also sometimes used in Absinthe production.

Wormwood contains a chemical called thujone. Thujones are monoterpenes and ketones which are found in various other plants too – sage, cypress and tansy. Thujones act on the GABA receptors in the brain and can cause convulsions and muscle spasms when consumed in large quantities. They can also be toxic to organs such as the liver and brain. Thujone was thought to be similar to THC in the drug cannabis causing psychedelic effects such as hallucinations but research has shown this to be false.

Wormwood, or thujone, was responsible for the banning of Absinthe in the early 1900s. The medical profession of the time claimed that drinking Absinthe led to Absinthe addiction, Absinthism whose symptoms were:-

– Hallucinations
– Hyper excitability
– Weakening of the intellect
– Brain damage
– Insanity
– Death

These claims have now been proved false and seem to be just part of the mass hysteria promoted by the prohibition movement of the time. Absinthe, even pre ban Absinthe, only contains very small amounts of thujone and it would be impossible to ingest enough thujone to be harmful – you would die of alcohol poisoning first! There is far more thujone in sage and no one hallucinates after eating a casserole flavored with sage!

All good Absinthe contains wormwood and other essential oils. These oils allow the Absinthe to louche when water is added in Absinthe preparation and give it its wonderful anise flavor. Make sure that you buy a quality Absinthe or make your own Absinthe using a top-quality essence from AbsintheKit.com. See AbsintheKit.com for information and help regarding their Absinthe products.

Absinthe also contains alcohol and it has a very high alcohol by volume, up to 75% ABV. Care should be taken when drinking Absinthe, not because it will make you hallucinate but because it is so easy to get drunk on Absinthe especially if you are mixing it with other alcohol in cocktails.

I hope that this information has answered the question “What is in Absinthe?”. Enjoy getting to know the Green Fairy!