Posts Tagged ‘absinthe’

What are the well known Effects of Absinthe?

Friday, April 30th, 2010
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Now that Absinthe is again legal in many countries around the world, people are asking “What are the effects of Absinthe?”, “Will it make me trip out?”, “Will I perhaps see the Green Fairy?”.

The drink Absinthe is a mythical drink with many legends and stories surrounding it. Orginally created in Switzerland as an elixir or tonic by Dr Pierre Ordinaire, it quickly became a best selling alcoholic beverage when Henri-Louis Pernod started distilling it in France. It overtook beer, cider and even wine as the most popular drink in France in the period known as La Belle Epoque, the

age leading up to the First World War.

Among the famous drinkers of the Green Fairy was Oscar Wilde who said “After the first glass of Absinthe you see things as you wish they were. After a second you see them as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the one of the most horrible thing in the world.”

Pernod made his recipe for Absinthe from a wine base flavored with natural herbal ingredients such as wormwood, fennel, aniseed, star anise, veronica, dittany, lemon balm, hyssop, nutmeg, angelica and dittany. Many manufacturers used additional herbs such as coriander, calamus root and mint.

What are the effects of Absinthe?

Absinthe was popular in the time known as “The Great Binge”, a time when beverages containing cocaine were popular and the time when heroin was thought safe to use in medicine. It was linked to these other types of drugs and was thought to be psychoactive and to cause:-

- Hallucinations
- Extreme excitability
- Convulsions and other spasms
- Destroying the intellect
- Insanity
- Addiction
- Brain damage
- Violence
- Death

Artists and writers who drank Absinthe say it helped them gain inspiration and was responsible for their genius. Famous Absinthe poetry.

The prohibition led people to believe that Absinthe was going to drive the French people immoral and cause the collapse of the nation. Doctors tested wormwood and thujone, the chemical from wormwood , on animals and claimed that it was like cannabis and that it caused epileptic fits and the prohibition movement blamed Absinthe for causing a man to murder his whole family, despite the fact that he had only consumed two glasses of Absinthe and copious amounts of other alcoholic beverages. The consumption of Absinthe was also blamed for Van Gogh cutting off his own ear and for his suicide.

Absinthe was thought to contain huge amounts of thujone, up to 350mg per liter but high tech tests on original vintage bottles have proved that claims about thujone levels and the safety of Absinthe were completely false. Absinthe only contained very small amounts, up to 6mg, not enough to cause anyone to even hallucinate a little. Studies show that Absinthe is just as safe as any other strong alcoholic drink.

Absinthe will not help you see green fairies but it is very strong drink, up to 75% alcohol — so will get your drunk rather quckly. Also the mysterious blend of alcohol and herbs will give you a strange drunken experience, a “lucid” or “clear headed” drunkenness – a completely new experience!

What are the major effects of Absinthe? There are no bad effects except perhaps a hangover if you overdo it. Absinthe is a unique drink to be enjoyed and to make you feel good. You should buy good quality Absinthe which contains real wormwood or make your own with essences from AbsintheKit.come and enjoy the taste of Absinthe, also known as the Green Fairy. Absinthe kits are available from http://absinthekit.com/.


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Ideas About Absinthe

Sunday, September 27th, 2009
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It is not easy to believe on so many contradictory Absinthe informations.

Misleading Absinthe Information

One book “Absinthe The Cocaine of the 19th Century: A History of the Hallucinogenic Drug and its Effect on Artists and Writersin Europe and the United States” by Doris Lanier, compares Absinthe to drugs such as cocaine because it was said to be addictive, to give a sense of euphoria, have psychedelic effects and weaken the brain and other faculties.

Absinthe became popular at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, a time known as “The Great Binge”. This was a time when numerous of today’s unauthorized drugs such as crack cocaine, morphine and heroin were developed and used by people for medicine, on prescription for coughs etc. Also in drinks. Popular drinks in bars were Absinthe, Vin Maraiani (cocaine and wine) and Coca Cola (then made from cocaine, wine and kola nuts). As these drugs and drinks were all thought to be harmless so they were widely consumed throughout Europe.

Absinthe was linked with these drugs because of its popularity with Bohemian artists and writers and with the loose morals of the courtesans of the Moulin Rouge and Montmartre.

Wormwood contains thujone which was thought to be psychoactive and alike THC in the drug cannabis. The essential oils contain THC and Thujone which affects the central nervous system and the GABA receptors in the brain respectively. A person can have hallucinations and fantasies, euphoric feeling, relieve from pain and an aphrodisiac with the over dose of wormwood.

Absinthe was banned along with some drugs in the early 1900s and was made illegal to buy and sell in many countries around the world. Banning it was just a part of the hysteria of the time. Besides being related with drugs Absinthe is also mentioned as magic mushrooms, LSD, weed, cannabis and ecstasy by many sites and people. 

Absinthe Information – What we now know

We know that medical studies on Absintheand wormwood in the past were not accurate and were “colored” by the prohibition movement of the time and the worry that Absinthe was a drug. Absinthe contains very small amounts of thujone after it is distilled which is insufficient to cause any harmful side effects or hallucinations. According to the tests on vintage pre ban Absinthe it hardly contained any thujone. Alcohol can kill a person before the thujone effects.

Studies and research have caused various nations to relegalize Absinthe due to which it can now be enjoyed everywhere across the world.

Anyone can easily get drunk on Absinthe due to it’s high proof. It has twice the alcohol content of spirits so one should be careful while drinking it. The alcoholism experienced by Absinthe is far different from other spirits or fermented beverages. This type of drunkenness is explained as a “lucid” or “clear headed”. This can be understood with the help of a solution of sedatives and stimulants. These qualities are improved by making cocktails having Absinthe and the caffeine loaded drink Red Bull!

A person can be disappointed with some of the confusing Absinthe information. There is fun to make this great anise flavor herbal alcoholic beverage. To make own wormwood Absinthe at home one can visit the site AbsintheKit.com.Absinthe can be enjoyed at low cost at AbsintheKit.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Suggestions To Get Absinthe Info

Sunday, September 27th, 2009
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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. It is not fermented like the alcoholic beverages, beer and cider.

Absinthe got it’s name and it’s distinctive bitter taste from the wormwood, artemisia absinthium. Due to the ban on the use of thujone in some countries “fake” Absinthes were produced which do not contain wormwood.

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. When water is mixed with Absinthe it louches. The oils are soluble in alcohol but insoluble in water which causes the drink to go 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. According to the thought of people thujone cause harmful effects. The thujone content in Absinthe was thought to be very high making it extremely toxic and dangerous. In the beginning of 1900s lots of nations banned Absinthe.

There is no truth in the statements and claims given about Absinthe. A person can be in risk with high amount of thujone. There is a great difference between the thought of 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and recent studies about the thujone content in Absinthe. One has to drink sufficient amount of Absinthe for thujone to be of any danger!

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.

The normal French or Swiss Absinthe is less sweeter than the Spanish Absinthe.

- Bohemian or Czech style Absinthe is a wormwood bitter than an Absinthe which lacks 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. A person can prepare his own Absinthe by mixing with a neutral alcohol such as vodka or Everclear.

AbsintheKit.com provides more Absinthe info and info about buying essences, replica spoons and Absinthe glasses.

 

 

 


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Tips To Use Absinthe

Monday, August 31st, 2009
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Absinthe has once again become a popular drink and, with the legalization of a few brands of Absinthe in 2007 in the United States, it can even be said that we are experiencing an Absinthe revival. Yet, some people don’t really know how to use Absinthe correctly or even what Absinthe is.

What is Absinthe

Absinthe is not a hallucinogen or a drug. It is a strong alcoholic beverage with an alcohol by volume of up to 75% and an anise flavor.

Absinthe was created as a medicine by Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Couvet, Switzerland in the 18th century. Absinthe was distilled and sold by Henri-Louis Pernod commercially by the turn of the 19th century. Pernod used a wine alcohol base distilled with variety of natural herbs and also fennel, aniseed, star anise,wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium),  hyssop, lemon balm, angelica, juniper, dittany, nutmeg and melissa.

In France Absinthe became more famous than wine. Absinthe bars use the “Ritual” method for preparing Absinthe.

After presuming that Absinthe contained psychoactive chemicals and causes hallucinations, convulsions, insanity and death, the drink was banned in France. These claims were unreal and now every one knows that. Absinthe cannot and does not cause such effects. In most of the nations Absinthe was legalized in the 1990s.

How to Use Absinthe the Traditional Way

To prepare Absinthe in the traditional way is to use the “Ritual”.
These are necessary items :-
- A large glass or Absinthe glass.
- Absinthe
- An Absinthe spoon– replica glasses and spoons can be purchased online at AbsintheKit.com along with top-quality Absinthe essences to make your own Absinthe. Get top-quality Absinthe essences to make your own Absinthe.
- A Big sugar cube.
- Take a carafe of iced water.

A person has to pour a shot of Absinthe into the glass.
Rest the spoon on the rim of the glass and put the sugar cube on the spoon.
The sugar can be mixed by dripping slowly the iced water over it.
The Absinthe louche is seen as the water mixes into the Absinthe. The essential oils in the Absinthe are insoluble in water which causes the mixture to louche.
Stir Absinthe to enjoy the taste of the Green Fairy.

However Absinthe will not give hallucinations but it is a strong drink and can be consumed easily. Absinthe is made from naturally sedative and stimulants herbs. This blend of herbs can give a very different drunkenness effect than the others. It is also described as a “clear headed” drunkenness.

The Czech or Bohemian Method

With this method, once you have poured the shot of Absinthe into the glass you dip the sugar cube into the alcohol and then set it alight on the spoon with a match. Iced water can be added after the sugar has caramelized and melted.

There is a bit of enjoyment with the Bohemian method of drinking Absinthe. It can be dangerous as the Absinthe glass can burn also! Take care.

The Ritual is the very famous way of using Absinthe however it can also be used in cocktails.

 

 


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Suggestions About Absinthe Effects

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
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The effects of Absinthe are infamous. Absinthe is known throughout the world for it’s colorful history and the mysterious myths that surround it.

During 18th century Absinthe was made as an elixir or tonic in Switzerland and was primarity used for treating patients. From the ancient times it’s main ingredient has been used in medicine in different ways
- As a tonic
-  To negate poisoning caused by hemlock and toadstools
- To improve digestion
- To treat parasitic intestinal worms.

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. Van Gogh, Verlaine, Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde and Hemingway are among the famous artists and writers who relied on the effects of Absinthe. Due to the influence of the Green Fairy Absinthe Van Gogh cut off his ear.

A large number of people assumed that Absinthe was harmful and could give rise to violence and madness. According to a description a French man had murdered his whole family after drinking Absinthe. After drinking the Absinthe an individual must had consumed sufficient quantity of other alcoholic beverages.

The Absinthe effects were blamed on the wormwood extract in the drink which contained a chemical called thujone. Thujone are similar to TCH. In the year 1915 Absinthe was banned and made illegal in France and several other countries also. Spain, Portugal, the UK or the Czech Republic never banned it.

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. Because of this reason Absinthe was made legal again in many countries in the 1990s. According to EU legislation bottled Absinthe can only be sold if it contains 10mg/kg or less of thujone EU legislation means that bottled Absinthe can only be sold if it contains 10mg/kg or less of thujone and US law only allows the sale of Absinthe with trace amounts of thujone.

The Absinthe ban is related to the new Absinthe-like products that had been created to replace Absinthe for satisfying people’s appetite. These beverages are still available along with artificial Absinthes which have been created for the US market. If you want real Absinthe you need an Absinthe which contains the vital ingredient, wormwood, which gives Absinthe it’s characteristic bitter flavor. 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.

A person should worry about Absinthe effects if consuming a decent amount of Absinthe. The drinking amount of the Absinthe should be appropriate because it is too strong from whisky!


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Usefulness Of Absinthe Fairy

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
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The Absinthe fairy was used on Absinthe label and posters. Artists and writers used to drink the Green Fairy Absinthe in the film Moulin Rouge which was based on the french Bohemian culture of Montmartre in Paris. 

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. Writers and artists claimed that Absinthe gave them their genius and their inspiration and many pieces of art of the time feature Absinthe or Absinthe drinkers. The Belle Epoque period of history was the hey day for Absinthe.

Absinthe is prepared from herbs and essential oils. Absinthe is prepared from the herb wormwood. Wormwood is used to give Absinthe it’s characteristic bitter taste and herbs like aniseed, anise and fennel to give it’s anise flavor.

Thujone, a chemical found in wormwood oil, was thought to be psychoactive and to give psychedelic effects, cause hallucinations and eventually insanity. The prohibition campaigners ammunition get Absinthe banned in France in 1915. It was illegal to buy or sell Absinthe. Most of the countries banned 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. Ricard was among the Absinthe substitutes.

In most of the countries bootleg absinthe was still available after distillation which focused that Absinthe distillation process has never been disappeared.

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 really adds to the Absinthe preparation ritual.

Absinthe was legalized because studies showed that the liquor only contained minute quantities of thujone and that it was just as safe as drinking other strong spirits. In comparison to other spirits Absinthe is much higher in alcohol then also it was never prepared to drink neat. The clouding that happens when the water mixes with the alcohol can be enjoyed by mixing it with iced water.

The real wormwood Absinthe and the essences are available on the sites to make own bottled Absinthe.com.

 

 


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Know About Absinthe Green Fairy

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
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Absinthe Green Fairyis 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.

Absinthe is an anise flavored spirit which is incredibly strong, between 45 and 75% Alcohol by volume. Because of it’s emerald green color it is known as “Green Fairy” or as “La Fee Verte” in French. It is a distilled liquor prepared from herbs. The common herbs tend to be wormwood, green aniseed and fennel. Herbs such as hyssop, lemon balm, nutmeg, juniper, veronica, star anise and dittany was used by Henri-Louis Pernod to prepare his original Pernod Absinthe recipe. The herbs like calamus were used by some manufacturers which was thought to be psychoactive. It is the essential oil extract from the herbs which causes Absinthe to louche when iced water is poured over the sugar on the Absinthe spoon. The oils are insoluble in water that’s why cause Absinthe to cloud.

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. A lot of writers and artists were impressed with Absinthe believing that it gave them inspiration and their genius. Painters like Van Gogh and Picasso even featured Absinthe and Absinthe drinkers in their paintings.

Absinthe’s association with old Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge and the Bohemian sect, was just the excuse that prohibition campaigners needed. Absinthe was banned in France in 1915 because it was linked with the murder of a family and the growing problem of alcohol addiction in France. Other countries also banned it but it remained legal in the Czech Republic, the UK, Spain and Portugal.

The chemical thujone, present in wormwood was thought to be the reason behind the psychedelic effects. People thought that there were similariyies between thujone and THC in cannabis. Alcohol and ethanol are the main contents of Absinthe. Research has shown that Absinthe is just as safe as any other strong liquor and that it is the alcohol content not the thujone that is dangerous. Several studies and articles have been written on the subject. It should be drunk in appropriate quantity because it is approximately twice as strong as vodka or 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. Today Absinthe is legal in many countries with controlled thujone levels and the United States only allows Absinthe with decent quantity of thujone.

Internet is the best way of getting Absinthe by the bottle or for ordering Absinthe essences.An individual can make his own Absinthe Green Fairy to bottle at home by going through the website. A few new Absinthes prepared for the US market are without thujone content.

One can also use Absinthe Green Fairy in cocktails – mix with champagne for a truly decadent drink!

 


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The Recommended Amount of Absinthe is How Much?

Thursday, July 16th, 2009
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There is much renewed interest in Absinthe, which is also known as the Greeny Fairy or La Fee Verte. Before preparing a drink, people want to know how to buy Absinthe, what type to buy, how to prepare it and what is the recommonded amount to use.

First you need to buy a quality Absinthe which is rich in essential oils and that contains wormwood. Many Absinthe substitutes or fake Absinthes are for sales but you should buy Absinthes that contains common wormwood. It is important that you buy a real Absinthe. If you live where a good quality Absinthe is hard to find, then you can make your own using essences from AbsintheKit.com.

When you have your Absinthe, you will need to learn The Ritual or La Louche. This is the traditional Swiss or French way of preparing Absinthe and uses one shot of Absinthe. Instructions:-

You need the following to perform the Ritural, lump of suger, a slotted Absinthe spoon, iced water and and Absinthe glass.

- Pour 25-50ml of Absinthe into the glass.
- Rest the special Absinthe spoon on the rim of the glass and then place a cube of sugar in it.
- Showly drip iced water over the suger either by using a steady hand to pour from a carafe or from the tap of the fountain. Dripping it slowly will give the sugar chance to dissolve and drip through the slots of the spoon. You will see a “louche” effect as the water mixes into the alcohol. The Absinthe louches because the oils of the herbs are soluble in alcohol but not water and make the mixture cloudy or milky when water is added.
- Sit back and enjoy your Absinthe drink.

The Bohemian, also called the Crech Mthod, is very similar to the Ritural but is a modern way of preparing cheap Czech Absinthes. The Bohemian method is scorned by Absinthe followers.

Tips and instructions for using the Bohemian method:-

- Pour 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into the glass and dip the sugar cube into it and soak the cube.
- Place sugar cube on the Absinthe spoon and rest on the rim of the glass.
- Set the sugar cube alight for one minute to allow the surgar to melt and caramelize. The sugar will drip through the slots of the spoon and into the Absinthe.
- Put the spoon into the glass while pouring the iced water into the Absinthe to put out flames and to cause the Absinthe to louche.
- Enjoy the drink.

To properly enjoy your Absinthe then you will want some Absinthiana - Absinthe glasses, spoons and even an Absinthe fountain to control the flow of the water. You can find replicas of antique spoons and glasses for purchased from AbsintheKit.com.

When preparing Absinthe drink, what is the recommended amount of Absinthe to use? Use approximately 45 ml or a shot glass full. Obviously, you can use Absinthe in cocktails too – search for recipes online.


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