What is Absinthe? | Everything You Need To Know

No other drink has such mythology  attached to it quite like absinthe.   As a once illicit spirit it seems that drinking  absinthe will never escape appearing dangerous   or forbidden. Although drinking absinthe  was at its height in the late 1800s,   the spirit actually dates back to ancient  Egypt when it was used for medicinal   purposes. Its popularity grew in France after  soldiers returned from fighting in Algeria.   There, it was used as an anti-malarial and mixed  with wine to make it palatable. When phylloxera,   a vine disease decimated the wine industry in the  1870s, its popularity grew as it was inexpensive   and easy to produce. During the Belle Époque  it was known to be the beverage of choice for   many artists and poets of the time such  as Van Gogh, Monet and Toulouse-Lautrec.   It was served in French cafes, cabarets, bistros  and music halls and even the city of New Orleans   were drinking absinthe as it made its way across  the pond. However the temperance movement assisted   by winemakers targeted absinthe as the reason  for society's problems and wanted it banned.   Shortly after the First World War began it was  outlawed in France and banned in the U.S in 1912.   Spain and the Czech Republic continued to  produce and legally consume it but much of   the world forgot about absinthe. In 2007 the laws  regarding absinthe in the U.S were reinterpreted,   stating that absinthe must be thujone free, though  technically that doesn't mean zero—but what is   thujone? Thujone is a chemical compound found in  a number of plants but most famously it's found   in artemisa absinthium, or grand wormwood. And  while wormwood has zero hallucinogenic properties,   thujone was blamed for absinthe drinkers  going mad during the height of its popularity.   Thujone offers a menthol-like aroma and is toxic  if consumed in large quantities yet the amount   of thujone found in wormwood is so small that  you would die of alcohol poisoning before you   would die of thujone poisoning in fact there's  more thujone found in sage than in wormwood. Absinthe is a distilled spirit  flavored with aniseed, grand wormwood   and fennel. These botanicals are known as  the holy trinity. Other botanicals can be   used but those three are required. Absinthe  begins its life as a neutral spirit which   can be made of any agricultural ingredient,  though beets and grains are commonly used.   The neutral spirit is infused with the proper  botanicals then redistilled. At this point it can   be bottled as is or reduced slightly with water.  The final alcohol content ranges from 55 to 72%   ABV. If bottled clear, it's considered  to be made in the Swiss Style also known   as blanc or blue. If after redistillation  the maker wants to achieve a green color   they add herbs to macerate in the spirit. This is  the french style of absinthe also known as vert. Due to its high ABV absinthe is not intended  to be consumed neat and is definitely not meant   to be consumed as a shot. When drinking, it's  recommended that you add cool or ice water to   your glass. If you find it too bitter you  can add sugar. This is where the absinthe   spoon comes in—it's a decorative and flat utensil  that's placed right across the top of your glass   prior to adding water. To serve place a  sugar cube on top of the spoon and then   slowly drip or pour the water into your glass.  To learn more about absinthe and other spirits   head on over to distiller.com or  download the app on your smartphone today

Channel: Distiller

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Id: 1X4EiseJX4w

Length: 3min 49sec (229 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 14 2020