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Absinthe Info

Absinthe is a herbal spirit which contains the active agents of a herb called wormwood or vermouth (artemisia absinthium). Aside from alcohol absinthe contains a number of different psychoactive substances.

Absinthe Effects

Among these thujone is of major importance, a substance released by the wormwood plant. Today in Germany and other European countries the maximum content permitted by the law is 10 milligram per kilogram, Absinthe which is declared as "bitter spirit" is allowed to contain up to 35 mg thujone per kg. Unfortunately an increasing amount of spirits are recently being sold under the name of Absinthe although they actually don't have anything to do with the real thing - they only contain artificial aromes of absinthe and have no other effect than that of the alcohol... The effect of real absinthe can be mood-brightening, stimulating, even euphorizing. It sometimes also acts as an aphrodisiac. Oscar Wilde, however, describes his own absinthe experiences as follows: "After the first glass you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world."

How to drink Absinthe?

You pour 2 to 4cl (about a tenth pint) of Absinthe into an Absinthe Glass. You dilute ice-cold water (3-5 parts) as you like (comparable with the preparation of Pastis Pernod or Ricard, the follower or substitute of Absinthe after its prohibition).
Ernest Hemingway usually preferred a variation with champagne instead of water. There is an infinity variety of Absinthe Cocktails – the first historically reported cocktail (the so-called Sezerac) was an Absinthe Cocktail. Meanwhile the bohemian variation of drinking Absinthe has become very popular. You put one or two lumps of sugar on an Absinthe Spoon and pour Absinthe over it. You light up the sugar and wait until the flames caramelize it, then you use water to guide the sugar softly into the Absinthe. In France they put one or two lumps of sugar on an Absinthe Spoon placed over the glass filled with an amount of Absinthe and then gently pour water over the spoon. In the former times so-called “Absinthe Fountains”, “brouille sets” and “reservoir glasses” were widely used to dissolve the sugar with a thin beam of water. Suisse “La Bleue” Absinthe is served traditionally just with cold water. To consume pure Absinthe is not advisable as the alcohol content is too high. You see, there are a lot of possibilities how to drink Absinthe.

Absinthe History

In a newspaper ad of 1789 the two Henriod sisters from Neuchatel, Switzerland, advertised their remedy “Bon Extrait d’Absinthe”, which consisted of alcohol, wormwood, aniseed, lemon balm and other herbs. Later, this formula was distributed by a certain Dr. Ordinaire – and the success story of the “Green Fairy” was born. Around the year 1800 the formula was sold to Mr. H. L. Pernod of Pontarlier, France, where a minor production line was started and helped Pernod to gain a fame that lasted until our present time. During the Algier War in the 19th century France made use the inciting effects of Absinthe and provided the soldiers with regular rations of the liquor. The veterans, who had survived this war pushed the production output of Absinthe from 400 liters daily (appr. 90 gallons) to more then 20.000 liters a day and more. Absinthe distilleries started to spread all over France like mushrooms. However, artists and intellectuals of those times were the ones especially devoted to Absinthe. Many great works of contemporary art owe their existence to the inspiring effect of Absinthe. Great names like Baudelaire, Manet, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Oscar Wilde, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh, Gaugin, and Picasso are found among these early adepts of Absinthe. For different reasons around 1910 the total turnover of Absinthe distribution had reached immeasurable peaks. Many distilleries made use of low-grade alcohol, which in some not to rare cases caused blindness among the consumers. These irresponsible dealings with the drink finally resulted in the prohibition of Absinthe in (almost) all countries of Europe and the United states by the year 1920. Since in 1981 (and again in 1998) the European Community has returned to legalizing the production and distribution of Absinthe, the cult around this drink has experienced a true revival. Starting from London, Absinthe is about the conquer the club & party scene and leaves them all plunging back into the euphoria of the 19th century.