Since there has been an Absinthe revival in many countries over the past few years, many people are seeking Absinthe info.

Absinthe is a strong herbal liquor which is nicknamed “La Fee Verte” or “The Green Fairy” because of its characteristic green color. A wine base and different type of herbail ingredients are used in it’s distillation process.

The main herb in Absinthe is common wormwood, artemisia absinthium, which gives Absinthe both its name and its distinctive bitter taste. Some “fake” Absinthes do not contain wormwood because thujone, from wormwood, was strictly regulated in countries like the USA and proper wormwood Absinthe was banned.

Fennel, green aniseed, star anise, hyssop, lemon balm, juniper, angelica, licorice, dittany, coriander, nutmeg and sweet flag are the other herbs and essential oils used in the preparation of Absinthe. It is the essential oils in Absinthe which cause the drink to louche when water is added. Due to the solubility of oils in alcohol and insolubility in water the drink appears cloudy.

Absinthe Info about the Ban

The prohibition movement claimed that Absinthe was harmful and that drinking Absinthe led to “Absinthism” which was characterized by convulsions, fits, madness, brain damage and ultimately death. Thujone was thought to be the cause for psychedelic effects. It was thought that Absinthe contained a high quantity of thujone and was extremely toxic and dangerous. The use of Absinthe was illegal in many countries in the early 1900s.

These statements and claims regarding to Absinthe are totally unreal. Thujone can be harmful when taken in large quantities. From the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries it was believed that Absinthe contain as much as 350mg of thujone per kg which recent studies have shown to be 6mg per kg. A person can die because of Alcohol poisoning before experiencing the dangerous effects of thujone if drunk an impossible amount of Absinthe!

Absinthe has now been legalized in most countries and there are many types and styles available:-

– Clear Absinthe – This is known as La Bleue or Blanche Absinthe and is commonly distilled in Switzerland.

– La Verte – This is traditional green Absinthe, the Green Fairy.

Spanish Absinthe is more sweet than normal French or Swiss Absinthe because it is made with Spanish Alicante Anise.

– Bohemian or Czech style Absinthe – Also known as Absinth, it is a wormwood bitter, rather than an Absinthe, which does not contain other herbs such as aniseed or fennel.

All of the above Absinthes contain wormwood but some Absinthes which were developed during the ban are not real as they do not contain thujone or wormwood.
You can also make your own Absintheby using Absinthe essences from AbsintheKit.com. These essences are distilled using modern carbon dioxide distillation and contain the classic Absinthe herbs – aniseed, wormwood and fennel. Absinthe with real wormwood can be prepared by making a solution with a neutral alcohol.

The website AbsintheKit.com is available with all the informations related to Absinthe and Absinthe accessories.com.

When you have bought or made your own Absinthe how to prepare it is the next issue because Absinthe is not like any other alcoholic beverage, it is usually served diluted with iced water. In La Belle Epoque in France and Switzerland the serving of Absinthe was done in the traditional manner. A person can learn “The Ritual” or “La Louche” without any difficulty.

Absinthe How to Prepare using The Ritual

To perform the Ritual, you will need the following:-

– Absinthe – A good quality Absinthe containing real herbal ingredients such as wormwood, aniseed and fennel. One must get the Absinthe having the thujone content.
– An Absinthe glass – An antique Absinthe glass or replica one is required. AbsintheKit.com keeps a stock of replicas of antiques such as Pontarlier glasses and Eiffel Tower spoons.
– One must take a slotted Absinthe spoon.
– Necessity of a cube of sugar.
– It is good to use iced water in a carafe or in an Absinthe fountain.

Instructions for preparing the perfect Absinthe drink:-

– Pour 25-50ml of Absinthe into the glass.
– One has to rest the Absinthe spoon over the rim of the glass and place a cube of sugar on it.
– Either by dripping from the tap of the fountain or by using a carafe one can drip iced water over the sugar. The sugar dissolves by it’s slow dripping and drip from the opening of the spoon. A person can see a “louche” effect after mixing the water into the alcohol. The mixture becomes milky when added with water because the essential oils of the herbs in Absinthe are soluble in alcohol but not in water.
– The Green Fairy, Absinthe is good to enjoy.

The Bohemian or Czech Method

This method of preparing Absintheis not traditional but is a modern way of preparing cheap Czech Absinthes. The Bohemian method is disliked by lots of Absinthe followers.

You will need:-

– Absinthe
– Utility of an Absinthe glass
– Importance of an Absinthe slotted spoon
– One can utilize a cube of sugar
– Use a lighter or match
– Iced water

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.
– Rest the Absinthe spoon on the rim of the glass after placing sugar cube on it.
– The sugar will caramelize and melt by keeping it alight for one minute. A person will need a spoon to drip sugar 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.
– This is the way of enjoying Absinthe drink.

* Care should be taken with this method because the Absinthe in the glass may set alight too *

Absinthe can also be used in many cocktails. Ernest Hemingway always mixed it with champagne, he called it “Death in the Afternoon”.

A large number of legends, mysteries and stories are there encircling different aspects of Absinthe. This famous mythical drink can be enjoyed like this.

Absinthe Green Fairy is an alcoholic drink with an interesting history. Being developed as an elixir or tonic in the 18th century it is now among the most controversial and popular drinks of all time.

Between 45 and 75% Alcohol by volume Absinthe is incredibly strong. The “Green Fairy” is so called because it is emerald green in color. There is utilization of herbs in the preparation of this distilled liquor. The three important herbs for it is wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium), green aniseed and fennel (fennell). Henri-Louis Pernod, who first commercially distilled Absinthe, used other herbs such as hyssop, lemon balm, nutmeg, juniper, veronica, star anise and dittany to produce his famous original Pernod Absinthe recipe. The herb calamus was thought to be psychoactive along with wormwood and nutmeg. When the chilled water is poured over the sugar on the Absinthe spoon the essential oil extract from the herbs causes Absinthe to louche. The reason of Absinthe to cloud or louche is the insolubility of oils in water.

Absinthe Green Fairy and the Art World

Absinthe is famous for inspiring many artists and writers associated with the Bohemian culture of the Montmartre area of Paris. People know Vincent Van Gough, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Degas, Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde as Absinthe drinkers. Many writers and artists were benefited with the effects of Absinthe. Van Gogh and Picasso are among the painters who featured Absinthe and Absinthe drinkers in their paintings.

The prohibition campaigners required Absinthe’s association with old Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge and the Bohemian sect. France banned Absinthe in 1915 because of it’s relation with the murder of a family and increasing alcohol addiction in this nation. It was legal in only the Czech Republic, the UK, Spain and Portugal.

Wormwood contains the chemical thujone which was blamed for the psychedelic effects of consuming the Green Fairy. According to the belief thujone and THC in cannabis were similar. However Absinthe is mainly alcohol, ethanol, and therefore only contains minute quantities of thujone. There is no harmful effects of Absinthe and it is the alcohol content not the thujone that is dangerous. Several studies and articles have been written on the subject. A person should be careful about the quantity while consuming it as it is double strong in comparison to the vodka or the whisky.

During the time of prohibition many people enjoyed buying and drinking vintage style Absinthe in Absinthe bars in the Czech Republic, served in the classic Absinthe large glassesand in surroundings decorated with vintage Absinthe posters. Absinthe is legal in various nations with thujone levels controlled by the EU and the United States only allows marketing of Absinthe with trace quantity of thujone.

You can buy Absinthe online by the bottle or order Absinthe essences (visit the website AbsintheKit.One can visit AbsintheKit.com to make his own Absinthe Green Fairy to bottle at home. Some new Absinthes which are made for the US market do not contain thujone.

Absinthe Green Fairy is a delicious spirit and can be used in cocktails too – mix with champagne for a truly decadent drink!

The Absinthe fairy was used on Absinthe label and posters. The film Moulin Rouge was focused on the french Bohemian culture of Montmartre in Paris where the Green Fairy Absinthe was the favorite drink of artists and writers.

Absinthe Fairy Followers

Famous devotees of La Fee Verte, the Green Fairy, were Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Gauguin, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway who created his own Absinthe cocktail “Death in the Afternoon” – a mix of Absinthe and champagne. Many pieces of art of the time feature Absinthe or Absinthe drinkers and writers and artists also said that Absinthe gave them their genius and their inspiration. The Belle Epoque period of history was popular as the hey day for Absinthe.

The herbs and essential oils are used in the preparation of Absinthe. The herb wormwood is it’s vital ingredient which is an extract of the plant wormwood or artemisia absinthium. The bitter taste of Absinthe comes from wormwood and it’s anise taste from herbs like aniseed, anise and fennel.

Thujone, a chemical found in wormwood oil, was thought to be psychoactive and to give psychedelic effects, cause hallucinations and eventually insanity. Due to the loose morals of the drinkers in Montmartre prohibition campaigners ammunition banned Absinthe in France. There was restriction in buying or selling of Absinthe. Several other countries also restricted it. Countries like Spain, Portugal, the UK and the Czech Republic did not restrict the Green Fairy.

Absinthe Fairy and Prohibition

During the prohibition period, distilleries, such as the Pernod Fils distillery, started producing Absinthe substitutes such as Pernod Pastis to market to the people who were missing the anise flavor of Absinthe. One of the Absinthe substitutes was Ricard.

In many countries bootleg absinthe was still distilled and sold and fortunately this has meant that knowledge regarding the distilling of Absinthe has never been lost.

In the 1990s Absinthe was made legal in many countries, although Switzerland, home of Absinthe, had to wait until 2005 for legalization. You can now buy Absinthe and Absinthe essence kits online along with Absinthiana such as glasses, spoons and fountains. Drinking Absinthe out of a special antique or replica glass with a proper spoon give effects to the Absinthe preparation ritual.

Absinthe contains minute quantities of thujone which cannot harm anyone so it is not banned in most of the nations. Although Absinthe is much higher in alcohol than other spirits but it was never designed to drink neat. The clouding that happens when the water mixes with the alcohol can be enjoyed by mixing it with iced water.

By purchasing real wormwood Absinthe from the websites a person can prepare his own bottled Absinthe.com.

Absinthe effects are notorious. Absinthe is popular in the whole world for its colorful history and the mysterious myths that surround it.

In Switzerland in the 18th century Absinthe was manufactured as an elixir or tonic. There were several ways of using the herb wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) from ancient times
-It can be used as a tonic
– Methods to prevent poisoning caused by hemlock and toadstools
– For stimulating digestive system
– Parasitic intestinal worms are treated by it.

Absinthe started to be distilled and sold by Pernod at the turn of the 19th century and became famous in La Belle Epoque period and linked with the Bohemian culture of the Montmartre area of Paris – home to many artists and writers. Many famous artists and writers including Van Gogh, Verlaine, Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde and Hemingway relied on the effects of Absinthe saying that it freed their minds and inspired them. A few people belief that Van Gogh cut off his ear under the influence of the Green Fairy, Absinthe.

Many people began to think that Absinthe was harmful, claiming that it was psychoactive, an hallucinogen, that it had psychedelic and intoxicating effects and could cause violence and insanity. As per description a French man killed his whole family after drinking Absinthe. Other alcoholic beverages must have been taken in decent amount after drinking the Absinthe.

The Absinthe effects were blamed on the wormwood extract in the drink which contained a chemical called thujone. Thujone is a bit similar to TCH that is content of the drug cannabis. Absinthe was banned and made illegal not only in France but also in several other countries in 1915. Interestingly, it was never banned in Spain, Portugal, the UK or the Czech Republic.

Many people researched thujone and Absinthe and it was found that drinking Absinthe was just as safe as drinking any strong spirits, and liquor with a high alcohol by volume, and that Absinthe contained only very minute quantities of thujone. Hence Absinthe was made legal again in many nations in the 1990s. EU legislation refers that bottled Absinthe having 10mg/kg or less of thujone can only be sold and US law gives the right only to the sale of Absinthe with trace amounts of thujone.

To satisfy people’s appetite for an anise flavored alcoholic beverage various new Absinthe-like products had been prepared. Even today these beverages are available along with artificial Absinthes which have been created for the US market. An Absinthe which contains the vital ingredient and wormwood is the real Absinthe. Absinthes or Absinthe essences that contain wormwood and are soluble with vodka or Everclear can be used to produce bottled Absinthe. These essences are used by the Absinthe industry and can be bought online through sites like AbsintheKit.com. They are available with instructions on how to use them and Absinthe spoon and glass is necessary for using them.

You only need to worry about Absinthe effects if you are going to consume a significant amount of Absinthe. One should not forget that Absinthe is twice as strong as whisky and should drink it in moderation!