An Absinthe revival can be experienced due to the authorization of some brands of Absinthe in 2007 in the United States. 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.
In the 18th century Absinthe was made as a medicine by Dr Pierre Ordinaire of Switzerland for his patients. During the 19th century Henri-Louis Pernod was distilling Absinthe and selling it commercially. A wine alcohol base distilled with different types of natural herbs including wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium), fennel, aniseed, star anise, hyssop, lemon balm, angelica, juniper, dittany, nutmeg and melissa was used by Pernod.
People of France prefer Absinthe to wine. The traditional process of using and preparing Absinthe was born with the Absinthe bars.
Due to it’s assumed harmful effects Absinthe was banned in France in 1915. It is now known that these claims were false. Absinthe is not responsible for such effects. Absinthe was legalized in many countries in the 1990s.
How to Use Absinthe the Traditional Way
To prepare Absinthe in the traditional way is to use the “Ritual”.
One will require :-
– A large glass or Absinthe glass of appropriate size.
– Absinthe
– An Absinthe spoon– replica glasses and spoons can be purchased online at AbsintheKit.The top-quality Absinthe essences are available on the site which can be used to make own Absinthe. Get top-quality Absinthe essences to make your own Absinthe.
– One has to use a sugar cube.
– Sufficient amount of carafe of iced water.
Pour a shot of Absinthe into the glass.
The spoon should be kept motionless on the rim of the glass before putting the sugar cube on it.
One has to drop slowly the iced water over the sugar to dissolve it.
One can see the Absinthe louche as the water mixes into the Absinthe. Because of insolubility of the essential oils in the water the mixture gets cloudy.
Stir your Absinthe and 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 out of a curious blend of herbs that are either naturally relaxing in nature or are stimulants. One can feel a very different drunkenness with this blend of herbs. It is also known 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. Once the sugar has caramelized and melted through the spoon and into the Absinthe, you add the iced water.
There is a bit of enjoyment with the Bohemian method of drinking Absinthe. As the whole glass of Absinthe can catch fire so it can be a bit risky! It is necessary to take care.
Away from the Ritual method one can also search on the Internet for using Absinthe in cocktail recipes.