I get a lot of questions about absinthe both here through this site and in real life.
Not surprisingly many of these questions were the same coming in over and over again
and many based on old beliefs and rumours. So, to straighten things out I've put
together a little FAQ covering the most common questions get.
Absinthe is a tasty anise-based aperitif. To be enjoyed and sipped as any other
aperitif. Absinthe is known for its green color which is obtained from the use
of herbs to color the distillate in production. Other colors exist but are less
common. Traditionally absinthe was green or completely transparent.
It is a high proof liquor with an alcohol level commonly between 55% and 72%
However, there are absinthes at both lower and higher strengths than those.
A whole lot of rumours and myths exist around absinthe. Most of them completely
untrue but some of course include atleast a bit of reality. The ones most common
are those that tell you that absinthe will make you go mad, cut off your ears,
see little green fairies and all kinds of things. Absinthe will do neither of this.
Absinthe is an anise-based drink. Of all the ingredients in absinthe anise is
one of the absolute key players and makes up the greatest portion in most recipes.
There are absinthes on the market that claims to be "anise free absinthe" which
pretty much would mean that they are not really to be considered absinthes, atleast
not in the aspect of what classic, properly made Belle Epoque style absinthe is.
Of course there is more to it than anise, and all other herbs lends their own unique flavour
to absinthe as well. However, absinthe will always carry an anise taste.
No. Neither of this is true. Absinthe is not a drug and it will not show up on
a drug test, unless the test is specifically made to detect traces of any of the
(very common) ingredients of absinthe.
Many myths and rumours about absinthe's hallucinogenic properties have been floating
around for ages and ages. Absinthe is not hallucinogenic though and it will not
get you high. It was previously believed that thujone, from wormwood, had the same
properties as THC because they had a similar molecualr structure. This has since
been proven completely untrue. Thujone has no relation to THC or anything else remotely
close to Cannabis.
This is a very long story and it is explained and told in the
History & facts section of this
site. However to put it in short, it goes something like this.
There was a very powerful temperance movement who saw absinthes popularity among the
people as a huge threat. The temperance movement together with the wine industry which
saw much of its profits eaten by absinthe did all in their power to put an end to
absinthe. Scientific research, often paid by the wine industry and the temperance
movement, was done to find proof that absinthe caused all kinds of health problems
and had to be stopped. "Absinthism" was coined and supposed to be caused by absinthe.
The effects of absinthism were all very much like those of alcoholism but this was a
long time ago...
Fuelled by the notorious "Lanfray murders", where a farmer shoots part of his family
are blamed on absinthe, as were other crimes, the temperance movement gained a lot of
ground and absinthe took one step closer to its grave.
Thujone was found as a part of absinthe and studies made on thujone showed that thujone
caused severe damage to your body and eventually killed you. Of course, those studies
were made on little fluffy lab critters and they were injected pure thujone and wormwood
oil in amounts not obtainable from drinking absinthe. Science were not very well regulated
and even accurate in those days.
Lots of things were done by the largest absinthe manufacturers to meet this and they
worked hard to prove that absinthe wasn't dangerous. However, in the end the temperance
movement won and absinthe was banned in several countries around the time of 1910-1915.
Absinthe is legal in all of Europe today as well as in South-america
and Canada. Absinthe was banned in the U.S.A because of restrictions on thujone content up until
late 2007 when the regulations where slightly altered. Since then several authentic absinthes
have been released on the market in the U.S and also some U.S made absinthes have seen the light
of day.
Common belief is that absinthe was banned all over the world and only
remained legal in Portugal for a long time. This is not true...
Absinthe was never banned in Spain where production of absinthe kept on
going and actually never stopped. Absinthe was never banned in Sweden or
Denmark either as well as in the U.K and of course, Portugal.
It is highly likely that there are several other countries in which absinthe
was never banned, simply because absinthe never posed either a health problem
or a "threat" to other liquors.
The proper way to prepare an absinthe is to dillute it with water.
You would typically pour a measure of absinthe (about 3cl) into a glass
and slowly add iced water to this. The water to absinthe ratio ranges
from 3:1 up to 5:1 depending on personal preference and alcoholic strength of
the absinthe itself.
Sugar can be added to sweeten the drink and in some cases bring forward certain
falvour profiles of the drink. This is typically done by placing a slotted spoon,
an absinthe spoon, on top the glass containing the absinthe. A sugar cube is placed
on the spoon onto which iced water is slowly dripped. Drop by drop the water dissolves
the sugar which drips into the absinthe. Water is continously added until the
desired ratio is reached.
Illustrations an further instructions can be found at the
Absinthe ritual page of this
site.
That's bogus and completely pointless. Admitedly it
may look cool on the silver screen but it has absolutely
nothing to do with a traditionally prepared absinthe.
This is a method mainly promoted by producers of "czech style"
absinth which tastes rather flat and candylike in the first
place and neither benefits nor loses anything on this method.
What will happen is that the sugar will melt into a burnt lump
of sugar adding a caramelized burnt taste to your drink.
Myths have been circulating that the burning method should somehow
magically enhance the effect of thujone and give a boost to the
alcohol punch. With only very little brain capacity it is
easy to see through this and realize that burning alcohol will only
remove alcohol from the drink and it will most certainly not increase
the effect of anything it burns, since it wil disappear.
Absinthe, properly made, is always distilled and naturally colored
if colored at all. Even in the pre-ban era there were brands made
from mixing oils and alcohol and adding colorants, just as today.
However the best quality absinthes can only be achieved through
proper distillation using the correct equipment and technique.
To put it in short, a set of herbs are macerated in 85% alcohol
for a certain period of time. This charge is distilled to collect a
nicely scented and distillate which have extracted the oils and aromas
of the herbs that we want in our absinthe. The bad and nasty stuff is
left behind since it doesn't carry over in distillation.
This perfumed distillate is then colored using the coloring herbs of
your choice and then filtered. This is then watered down to between
55-75%.
There is more to it than this, but I'm not here to make you graduate
in absinthe production.
First of all, based on what is stated above, you need
to own and know how to operate a still. In most countries
this is not legal and therefor you cannot properly make
absinthe at home. In some countries owning a still is
actually legal and for people residing in those countries
it would be possible to make absinthe. However, obtaining
an absinthe-kit for this purpose is not recommended.
First, the herbs are most often of very poor quality and
sometimes, more often so than not, not even of the correct
cultivars.
Some of the kits and recipes found online state that all
you have to do is let the herbs sit in a bottle of vodka
for a certain amount of days and then filter the lot and
you will supposedly have absinthe. That is not correct.
What you have just made is nothing but a rather vile
concoction more closely comparable to a really poorly made
aquavit.
Yes, what about thujone? Thujone does not play as big a part
in absinthe as you may think or may have heard. As a matter of fact
thujone is more or less irrelevant. Thujone content has nothing to
do with the quality of an absinthe and it is often safe to say that
those brands marketing themselves as having the highest amount of
thujone are likely to be the worst ones.
Either way, thujone was what got the blame for everything and
eventually used to put a ban on absinthe. In that aspect thujone
is not irrelevant to the history of absinthe.
A common misconception is that pre-ban absinthes contained up to
260-300ppm of thujone. In recent studies this has been proven
false and it turns out that pre-ban absinthe actually would fall
in well under the modern regulations of allowed thujone content.
More information on thujone can be found in the
thujone section
of this site and an outstanding resource for information, modern
and historic research and papers on thujone and absinthe, can
be found at
http://www.thujone.info/.
In April 2008 the single most important paper on thujone levels in pre-ban and modern era absinthes this far
was released. It effectively proves that the previously alledged levels
of thujone (based on calculations rather than scientific testing) are not true as has been debated for
a long time.
This is a completely useless question really. First of all because
we cannot entirely trust what the manufacturers claim on their labels.
Second because there is really no use in thinking about this at all.
The amount of thujone found in most absinthes today is well below the
EU-regulated 10 and 35 mg/l. Even those claiming to have thujone levels
above that would not make a difference as to the supposed effects or
overall experience. As a matter of fact, most of the so called
"high thujone" absinthes instead carry an unwanted bitterness coming
from either added wormwood oil or a final maceration and/or coloration
using Artemisia absinthium.
In short, never mind the thujone content and instead find something
with a taste that appeals to you.
That is another one of those odd rumours that somehow people just take for
being the complete and only truth. As a matter of fact, it couldn't be more
wrong. Absinthe from the Czech republic are most often very far from real
absinthe. Most of the Czech products are simple mixes of artificial colorants
and artificial tastes or oil extracts, essences. Some are herbs macerated
in high proof alcohol and then filtered and bottled. None of them are any
good representation of what actual real absinthe is or ever was.
There are an extremely limited range of Czech absinthes that are actually
properly distilled and produced to be actual absinthes. However none of
those are any more real than the products coming out of France, Switzerland,
Spain or where ever it may be.
Yes they are. There are several absinthes available on the market today that
can be considered "real" absinthes. They are made according to the same old
methods, using the same type of equipment and based on age old recipes.
There have been no modifications to "adjust" them for modern day regulations.
Mainly since such adjustments are rarely needed at all in the first place.
Funny thing is that as of today none of those absinthes come from the country
that has the most products claiming to be the "only real absinthes" available,
the Czech Republic. Instead, the majority come from absinthes birthplace -
France and Switzerland.
I have compiled the
Quick Reference for this very purpose.
If you have a look at that, you will soon see which absinthes I consider to be the best ones.
The Quick Reference is continously updated and is likely to change over time as new and better
absinthes are released. It is safe to say that it is a fairly good indicator of what is good
and what is not.
Keep in mind that in this world, price is not always a quality indicator. Two of the most
expensive absinthes, King of Spirits Gold and Logan Fils, both cost over $200 for a 0.7 liter
bottle. Also, they are both of lesser quality and certainly nowhere near an authentic
"Belle Epoque" absinthe.
Considering that absinthe isn't really a mainstream drink like vodka or scotch,
you're not likely to find quality absinthes in many liquor stores around the world.
There are a few though but you will most likely find the best assortment online.
Be sure though, to stick to vendors with a selection of good absinthes and do not
let yourself to be fooled by the many marketing tricks relying on old myths and
false "facts".
If you have a look at my
Recommended Vendors index you are sure to get good service
and a good selection of quality absinthes.
Well, absinthe is legal in Canada. Unfortunately the only brands available right now
are more or less crap. The problem with ordering online into Canada is that
Canada Post does not allow the sending of liquors in mail. That is, any kind of
liquor - not only absinthe. Since it's very hard for vendors to guarantee the safe arrival
of any type of liqour to Canada, not many ship there. However, since the second half of 2007
there is actually an authentic absinthe made in Canada, sold online with delivery guaranteed.
This is the Taboo absinthe and you can find that at
Absinthe Classics Canada