07 December

Knowledge About Absinthe

Absinthe had been the favorite drink of several popular artists and writers.

Absinthe is a strong alcoholic beveragedistilled at high proof but generally served diluted with iced water or in cocktails. The preparation of Absinthe liquor is done from a wine alcohol base and is flavored with herbs and essential oils together with wormwood, aniseed and fennel. Absinthe is also prepared from other herbal ingredients like hyssop, lemon balm, star anise, angelica, juniper, nutmeg, dittany, calamus root and mint.

Information about Absinthe History

Absinthe has a very long and interesting history. Wormwood has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times. In the Swiss town of Couvet in the Val-de-Travers a French doctor, Dr Pierre Ordinaire made Absinthe. It was used on the patients as an elixir which gave astonishing results.

Henri-Louis Pernod distilled Absinthe by using the Absinthe recipe in Couvet and under the name of Pernod Fils in Pontarlier. Absinthe was produced upto 30,000 liters each day by the Pernod company!

Along with France, La Belle Epoque Absinthe was also famous in several other countries. In France Absinthe overtook wine as the favorite drink. Simultaneously there were concerns related to health and the effects of Absinthe. The loose morals and artists and writers of the Bohemian culture were linked with the liquor. People started believing that thujone caused psychedelic effects, convulsions, insanity, brain damage and death.

According to the people’s thought Absinthe was the cause behind Van Gogh’s insanity and his suicide, a man killing his family and the rising rate of alcohol abuse in France. Absinthe was made illegal in 1912 in the USA and in 1915 in France. Absinthe was banned in other countries also.

Absinthe Revival

During the ban, people either drank Absinthe substitutes, such as Pernod Pastis, or bought bootleg Absinthe. Studies and research showed that the claims made about Absinthe were untrue.

Studies showed that effects of Absinthe was same as consuming other strong alcoholic beverages and the thujone content in Absinthe is not harmful for anyone.

Americans can buy certain brands of Absinthe as the USA has authorized Absinthes that contain 10 ppm thujone and the EU has legalized Absinthe up to 10mg/kg of thujone .

France, home of Pernod’s original Absinthestill has a ban on products labeled “Absinthe” and France also strictly regulates drinks containing fenchone, a chemical in fennel which is a key ingredient in Absinthe. Absinthes is known as “spirit a base de plantes d’absinthe” in France and only contain up to 5mg per liter of fenchone.

Now it is possible to get Absinthe or Absinthe essences from anywhere.The website AbsintheKit.com provides all the information related to Absinthe essences. They also sell replica Absinthe glasses and spoonslike a Pontarlier glass and Eiffel Tower spoon.

 

 

 

 

 

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26 September

All About Absinthe Liquor

There has been a renewed interest in Absinthe liquor about the world in the last decade since Absinthe’s legalization in many countries. All the brands of Absinthe are not legal in the United States.

Know about Absinthe Liquor? 

Absinthe is a distilled anise flavored spirit which was created for medicinal purposes as an elixir or tonic by the legendary Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Couvet, Switzerland. In between the 19th and 20th century it started becoming popular in Switzerland and France and left behind the popularity of wine in France.

Absinthe is generally prepared from a wine base and is flavored with herbs. Basic herbal ingredients of Absinthe are common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium), which gives Absinthe it’s name and it’s bitter taste, aniseed and fennel. Hyssop, lemon balm, star anise, dittany, juniper, nutmeg and licorice are the other common herbs used in the production of Absinthe.

There are many different types of Absinthe liquor:-

- Verte – This is the classic green Absinthe of the French La Belle Epoque and the Absinthe favored by the Bohemian culture of Montmartre and consumed by artists and writers such as Pablo Picasso, Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Gauguin, Degas, Baudelaire and Verlaine.

- Everyone knows La Blueu as La Blanche also. Describing a clear Absinthe. During the ban Bootleg Swiss Absinthe was clear.

- Czech Style Absinth – Some Czech Absinthes are normal Absinthes but this term refers to “Absinths” which are actually wormwood bitters and do not have an anise flavor.

- Absenta – Spanish Absinthe which has a sweeter flavor because it is made with Alicante Anise.

- The red color in Rouge or Rose Absinthe is because of the hibiscus flowers.

You can buy many different types and styles of Absinthe online– traditional styles and modern classics which are based on vintage Absinthes but have a modern twist.

As well as buying these different types of Absinthe beverages, you can also make your own Absinthe from Absinthe essences. AbsintheKit.Essences are provided by AbsintheKit.com to the Absinthe industry and to consumers. The 4 different essences that they make are a classic green Absinthe essence, a clear Absinthe essence, a strong essence and an orange flavored essence. Wormwood Absinthe can be produced easily by using the top-quality and distilled essences from the Internet.

AbsintheKit.com also sell Absinthiana such as replicas of famous Absinthe glasses and spoons such as the Eiffel Tower spoon.

Having 75% alcohol by volume Absinthe is very strong in comparison to whisky or vodka. Care should be taken when consuming such a strong spirit especially if it is being mixed with other strong spirits in cocktails – it is very easy to get drunk on Absinthe!

There are not many drinks like Absinthe liquor about which there are many myths, legends, lies and falsehoods – it has a very colorful and interesting history and is a lovely beverage to enjoy.

 

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22 September

Know About Absinthe Liquor

There has been a renewed interest in Absinthe liquor about the world in the last decade since Absinthe’s legalization in many countries. A few brands of Absinthe has been legalized in the United States since 2007 so there is much interest in the liquor in the US.

Know about Absinthe Liquor? 

Absinthe is a distilled anise flavored spirit which was created for medicinal purposes as an elixir or tonic by the legendary Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Couvet, Switzerland. It’s popularity began in the 19th and early 20th centuries in France and Switzerland.

Absinthe is flavored with herbs and prepared with a wine base. Its main herbal ingredients are common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium), which gives Absinthe its name and its bitter taste, aniseed and fennel. Other common herbs that are used in the preparation of Absinthe are hyssop, lemon balm, star anise, dittany, juniper, nutmeg and licorice.

There are many different types of Absinthe liquor:-

- Verte – This is the classic green Absinthe of the French La Belle Epoque and the Absinthe favored by the Bohemian culture of Montmartre and consumed by artists and writers such as Pablo Picasso, Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Gauguin, Degas, Baudelaire and Verlaine.

- La Blueu or La Blanche. This is a clear Absinthe. Bootleg Swiss Absinthe was clear at the time of ban.

The term Absinths in Czech Style Absinth are actually wormwood bitters and do not have an anise flavor.

- To give Absenta, Spanish Absinthe a sweeter taste Alicante Anise is used.

- Rouge or Rose Absinthe has a naturally red color because of the added ingredient of hibiscus flowers.

You can buy many different types and styles of Absinthe online– traditional styles and modern classics which are based on vintage Absinthes but have a modern twist.

As well as buying these different types of Absinthe beverages, you can also make your own Absinthe from Absinthe essences. AbsintheKit.The website AbsintheKit.com provides essences to the Absinthe industry and to consumers. They make 4 varieties of essences that give a stronger bitter wormwood flavor and a lovely orange-yellow color to Absinthe. A person can prepare wormwood Absinthe from the essences available on the websites.

AbsintheKit.Absinthiana such as replicas of famous Absinthe glasses and spoons are available on AbsintheKit.com.

Having 75% alcohol by volume Absinthe is very strong in comparison to whisky or vodka. A person should be careful while consuming such a strong spirit as it is very easy to get drunk on Absinthe!

There are not many drinks like Absinthe liquor about which there are many myths, legends, lies and falsehoods – it has a very colorful and interesting history and is a lovely beverage to enjoy.

 

Posted by wineauthor under Wine Insider | Comments Off |