Absinthe: The Green Fairy’s Celestial Mixology

Absinthe: The Green Fairy’s Celestial Mixology

Absinthe, an alcoholic spirit purporting psychedelic properties, has an unusual past. Contrary to popular belief and its fearful reputation derived from stories of hallucinations and psychoses associated with absinthe use, absinthe actually has rather mild effects compared with what some have reported attributed to it; most effects attributed to absinthe are actually caused by other substances rather than its consumption.

Traditional absinthe was a highly alcoholic distilled spirit that required diluting with water before consumption. Diluting caused essential oils from various herbal ingredients to precipitate into solution and create its well-known “louche effect.” Similar effects can be achieved when adding ice water to coffee to create an opalescence effect.

Today there are various absinthe products on the market. Many are not distilled but rather manufactured using a cold-mix process similar to cheaply compounded gin production; this form is generally considered inferior due to having more alcohol content due to not distilling.

Historical absinthe was traditionally produced by steeping dried herbs like fennel and anise overnight in an 85% (by volume) ethanol solution before boiling the concoction the following morning and collecting its distillate – this included both alcohol as well as any extracted terpenoids from plants such as Roman wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), hyssop and lemon balm to add color and flavor. Other plant extracts were sometimes also included by different producers but all contained high concentrations of thujone that may explain psychological effects associated with consumption of absinthe.