Absinthe

This strong alcoholic drink in the 1914th century was famous as a panacea. Then it became the favorite drink of bohemia, and in XNUMX it was banned. And only at the end of the twentieth century it was remembered again. All this, of course, is about absinthe, which got its name from the key herb from which it is made – wormwood (Latin name Artemisia absinthium).

What is absinthe

Absinthe – an alcoholic drink made from wormwood and a number of other herbs (fennel, anise, lemon balm, hyssop, mint, coriander) ^[1]. In fact, its recipe has always varied depending on the country and manufacturer, which each time affected its quality and taste. Traditionally distinguish:

• absinthe suisse (considered the best variety, contains 68-72% alcohol);
• demi-fine (alcohol concentration of 50-68%);
• ordinaire (contains 45-50% alcohol) ^[2].

Absinthe contains significantly more alcohol than other spirits. Alcohol allows you to preserve the beautiful emerald color of the product and prevent the decay of essential oils. It is not customary to use it in its pure form, and if diluted according to the rules, it will not be stronger than good wine.

Today, about 100 brands of absinthe are known, which are mainly produced in France, Switzerland, Spain, and the Czech Republic. As a rule, it is a green-colored drink, although there are several Swiss varieties that are completely transparent. It is believed that the best varieties of absinthe are made exclusively from natural ingredients and without artificial dyes, and the drink gets its characteristic color from chlorophyll secreted from herbs.

Connoisseurs of the drink distinguish 2 types of absinthe: French (or Swiss), which is considered the “heir” of the original recipe, and Czech (or Bohemian) with a bitter taste, which is often made from artificial raw materials, without the use of herbs.

How did the

No other alcoholic drink is as mysterious as absinthe. ^[3]. It is named after bitter wormwood, a shrub whose leaves are part of this bright drink. Lucretius also recalled the product from wormwood and honey. Also, records of the medicinal properties of wormwood were found in ancient Egyptian papyri dated 1550 BC.

The modern era of absinthe dates back to the XNUMXth century, when a green alcoholic drink was created in the Swiss valleys of the Val de Travers rich in many plants, the key ingredient of which was wormwood. It is believed that Madame Ernier invented the drink from wormwood, and at first it was used exclusively as a remedy. ^[4]. At the end of the XNUMXth century, the recipe for the drink was bought by Major Dubier, who, together with his son-in-law, continued to produce absinthe, which had already gained popularity in Switzerland. Soon they learned about alcohol in wormwood in France.

Bohemia’s main drink

In the second half of the XNUMXth century, artists and writers made absinthe an integral part of their bohemian life. He was very popular in France and the Czech Republic. Following the bohemia, people from other walks of life also got used to the drink. Soon the “green fairy” (as the product was called) captivated the whole world and reached the shores of America. Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Edgar Poe, George Byron, Vincent van Gogh, Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Ernest Hemingway and many others loved and regularly consumed this emerald potion. ^[5]. In those days, it was believed that this is not an ordinary alcoholic drink that causes intoxication. Bohemia believed that the “green fairy” opens the mind, sharpens the sensuality and even reveals hidden talents. ^[6]. At the same time, the myth was born that alcohol from wormwood supposedly has hallucinogenic properties.

Fairy or devil

Among the ingredients of this emerald drink is the substance thujone (derived from the essential oils of wormwood). And although, as chemists would say, the drink contains only traces of this substance, it was thujone that caused absinthe to be banned in most Western countries at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. ^[7].

Fighters for sobriety absinthe, whose popularity grew day by day, did not like absinthe for a long time. The last straw was the tragedy that occurred in 1905 in Switzerland. There, the farmer killed his family, and then tried to lay hands on himself. All this happened after drinking absinthe. In 1908, the “green fairy” was banned in Switzerland as a dangerous drink. At the same time, few remembered that the killer farmer was an inveterate alcoholic who, before the emerald drink, consumed a lot of cognac and wine. After the ban, the place of green alcohol was taken by pastis and other alcoholic drinks based on anise, but without wormwood.

The revival of the “green fairy” began in the 1990s. When importers in the UK realized that de jure this drink had never been banned in the country, merchants imported its first batch from the Czech Republic. In 2000, France produced the first batch of absinthe since 1914.

Tuyon: harm and benefit

But still, is the thujone contained in absinthe harmful and, according to some sources, causing hallucinations? To answer this question, it is first important to understand what thujone is. ^[8][9]. This substance is a compound found in the essential oils of wormwood ^[10]. It is indeed neurotoxic, and its overdose can cause seizures and dementia. However, absinthe lovers should not panic. In fact, there are stringent requirements that limit the concentration of thujone in a modern drink. First, after distillation, a small amount of this substance remains in wormwood. Secondly, it is concentrated mainly in the stems of the plant, and the leaves are used to make the drink. After many studies, scientists have proven that the content of thujone in absinthe is too low to cause hallucinations or other dangerous reactions. Well, perhaps, the reason for this will be the alcohol contained in the drink.

In the modern “green fairy”, the amount of thujone does not exceed 10 mg / kg, which is 10 times less than the concentration of the substance in the product of a sample from the beginning of the XNUMXth century. ^[11].

Useful Properties

To understand that absinthe is good for health, helped … the war. When the French colonial troops entered North Africa, the soldiers could not resist malaria until someone realized that absinthe helped protect against this infection. ^[12]. The drink not only healed, but also served as a preventive measure for the French, who were not accustomed to the foreign virus. It also protected against intestinal disorders, more precisely, it helped to destroy amoebas in polluted water. And the French soldiers played an important role in popularizing the drink. Returning home, they themselves ordered their favorite absinthe and taught others to drink it. Researchers have calculated that in the first decade of the twentieth century, the French drank 6 times more “green fairy” than wine.

The beneficial properties of this drink are determined by its phytostructure. So, thanks to herbal extracts, absinthe can be considered healing when:

• anemia;
• rheumatism;
• jaundice;
• female diseases;
• lack of appetite;
• gastric secretion disorders;
• excessive excitement;
• decreased libido;
• joint pains;
• bronchitis;
• arrhythmias;
• festering wounds ^[13][14].

Also, this drink (taken in reasonable doses) can dilate blood vessels, relax muscles, and strengthen immunity as an antioxidant. ^[15].

For the treatment of diseases

If you mix about 30 ml of absinthe with a teaspoon of honey and 100 ml of milk, you get an effective expectorant. With bronchitis, such a medicine is taken 1 tbsp. l after meal.

From 50 ml of “green fairy”, 1 tsp. liquid lamb fat and 100 ml of water can be prepared as a remedy for joint pain. Compresses are made from this mixture on sore spots. According to a similar recipe, a preparation is also prepared to remove keratinized skin on the heels.

A small amount of the drink can stop the development of infectious or cold diseases. It can also be used to disinfect wounds, abscesses and ulcers.

How to drink properly

In the 5th century, absinthe was used as an aperitif. During this era, the so-called “green hour” (between 7 and XNUMX pm) gained popularity in Europe, when it was customary to drink absinthe.

There are several ways to drink this drink. ^[16]. The classic (or French (Swiss)) method requires drinking from tall, narrow glasses. The fifth part of the vessel is filled with the “green fairy”. A special perforated spoon with a piece of sugar is placed on the glass. Cold water is poured through the refined sugar and in this way the glass is filled to the brim. Water is poured slowly so that the sugar is completely dissolved. The finished drink is drunk in one gulp.

The second method (Czech) is, one might say, the French method, but vice versa. First, water is poured into the glass, and absinthe is passed through the refinery.

There is a third way to drink the drink. It is more spectacular and is accompanied by a flame. A piece of refined sugar is soaked in absinthe and set on fire. Drops of melted sugar through the same special spoon drip into a green liquid. Then add water and lemon juice.

“Green Fairy”: how to cook yourself

Buy absinthe today will not be a problem. This drink can be ordered in most bars, but in many cases it is very far from what Madame Hernier came up with. Although, if you stock up on all the necessary ingredients, absinthe according to a XNUMXth century recipe can be prepared on your own.

To do this, you need 25 g of wormwood leaves (only tops, without stems), 50 g of anise, 50 g of fennel and 950 mg of alcohol (not weaker than 85%). Plants are poured with alcohol and insisted for 10 days, after which 450 ml of water is added to the mixture and driven off with a distiller (make sure that the herbs do not burn). The output will be approximately 950 ml of the substance. For aesthetics, the drink should be filtered through cheesecloth, folded several times.

Today, absinthe is a legal drink in most countries of the world. They say that today’s celebrities are also not averse to overturning a second glass of emerald drink. Absinthe fans include actor Johnny Depp, singers Eminem and Bjork, and even former Czech President Vaclav Havel. But even today, when almost everything is known about the composition and properties of the “green fairy”, the spirit of mysticism does not leave her. For some, a vessel with a liquid emerald is a symbol of romanticism, for others it is a devilish drink. And even today, few can unequivocally answer what absinthe is: a green fairy or a green devil. Although, most likely, it is both one and the other at the same time – it’s all about the dose taken.

Sources of