General Absinthe INFO

What Is Absinthe?

Although wormwood-infused drinks have been used in medicine for thousands of years, when we speak of “absinthe” nowadays, we are evoking a very specific spirituous liquor that rose to popularity in France and Switzerland beginning in the 18th century. There are many traditional drinks from around the world which include wormwood, and yet they are not absinthe. It takes more than simply including wormwood as an ingredient to be able to be justifiably categorize a spirit as “absinthe.”

To put it concisely: Absinthe is an wormwood-flavored anise spirit distilled from anise, fennel and absinthium wormwood. Although it is often referred to as a “liqueur”, this isn’t really accurate, since liqueurs are pre-sweetened and absinthe is not.

Absinthe takes its name from the wormwood, whose botanical name is Artemisia absinthium. “Absinthe” is the French word for the absinthium wormwood plant and the name of the liquor, extrait d’absinthe, simply means “wormwood extract.” This shouldn’t be confused with wormwood extracts sold in herbal apothecaries. These are not distilled, but rather simple tinctures—wormwood soaked in alcohol.

Other traditional absinthe ingredients include petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica), melissa (Melissa officinalis) and hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis). Absinthe is very high in alcohol content, usually in the 55% to 72% range (110 to 144 proof) for comparison, whisky is generally around 40%, or 80 proof. Absinthe is intended to be served diluted with iced water at a ratio of approximately three to five parts water to one part absinthe.

What Does Absinthe Taste like?

Absinthe is, above all, an anise spirit, similar to ouzo, raki and arak. Depending on the variety, the flavor of genuine absinthe is primarily that of anise and fennel with a subtle, meadow-like herbal bitterness from the wormwood. It is not as bitter as its century-old reputation suggests, and proper absinthe never has been, as can be attested by those who have tasted pre-ban absinthe. But there’s no denying it: it has a peculiar flavor and is often an acquired taste. As one gains experience in tasting absinthes, one can discern the various herbs which make up its complex and interesting flavor.

Many associate the flavor of anise with black licorice, to which it is only slightly similar. Part of the reason for this is that most licorice candies are actually flavored with anise oil. With very little experience, one can easily tell the difference between anise and genuine licorice.

Many people who wish to embrace the romance and spirit of absinthe just happen also to dislike the flavor of anise, and inquire if there are any non-anise absinthes. To this the purist will reply: “That wouldn’t be absinthe.” An analogy would be asking for orange juice that didn’t taste like citrus. However there are always entrepreneurs eager to fill a need, so many liquors have come along with little or no anise and are being marketed as absinthe. In our opinion “absinthe” is an inappropriate designation for this type of spirit, although in a well made absinthe, the anise flavor is balanced with the other botanicals in such a way that it tastes much more complex than just licorice candy.

• Absinthe is not a drug and it never was.
It won’t make you “trip”, hallucinate, cut your ear off, or anything else you wouldn’t ordinarily do when intoxicated with liquor. Alcohol is technically a drug, but that’s not usually what we mean when we say “drugs”. Otherwise, we wouldn’t say “drugs and alcohol.” The terrifying hallucinations suffered by early absinthe abusers were most likely due to the withdrawal symptoms of acute alcoholism: alcoholic hallucinosis, or, the DTs. There are no psychedelic or psychotropic ingredients in authentic absinthe. Absinthe is not a drug.

• Thujone isn’t a drug either, and it’s not related or similar to THC.
Thujone, the primary volatile oil in wormwood, is present in only in trace amounts in absinthe and is subtle in its effects at these levels. The current “high-thujone” and ” extra strong” hype on many sites selling absinthe is a marketing gimmick aimed at the gullible who are in search of a new high. The role of thujone in the so-called “secondary effect” is greatly exaggerated, as is the effect itself. If you’re here to read about thujone, read through the articles in our Absinthe Science section. The similarity in effect to THC was an un-tested conjecture from the mid-1970s and is unsupported by later studies. Thujone is NOT: a hallucinogen, a psychotropic substance, or a psychedelic. Thujone isn’t a drug either.

• Burning sugar or flaming absinthe has never been an authentic absinthe tradition
- not in France, the Czech Republic or anywhere else prior to the late 1990’s. There are a number of time-honored classic drinks which are flamed, but absinthe isn’t one of them.

• Authentic absinthe isn’t horribly bitter,
less so than unsweetened tea. The primary flavor of absinthe is anise—what most people call the “black licorice” flavor—but well-made absinthes have an herbal complexity that makes them taste like more than just licorice candy.