Absinthe: what is it, how to buy the right one, what kind of brand can be by country

What is absinthe?

Absinthe is a drink with an alcohol content of 50 to 89.9 percent by volume, the most important ingredient of which is wormwood.

Wormwood essential oils contain the substance “thujone”, which in certain concentrations causes psychedelic visions and hallucinations.

Thujone or monoterpine (chemical formula: C10H16O) is a colorless substance, has a characteristic smell reminiscent of menthol. It is believed that the higher the strength of absinthe, the better the thujone is retained in the drink, but this is not certain.

To give a more refined taste, Roman wormwood, anise, fennel, calamus, mint, lemon balm, licorice, angelica and some other herbs can also be added to absinthe.

cocktails with absinthe

How to buy the right absinthe?

1. Volume of alcohol in absinthe

   Always above 50%. It is important.

2. Thujone content

   It is believed that a psychedelic effect can be achieved at a mark of 260 ml / l.

   Absinthe is usually sold on store shelves up to 25 ml / liter, anything higher is prohibited by law in many countries.

   You should definitely not take absinthe without thujone, it has no soul.

   Everything above 100 ml/liter is extremely interesting, but it is difficult and expensive to buy such absinthe.

3. Alcohol type

   Ideally, if made on the basis of grape alcohol, but not critical.

11 ways to drink absinthe

Which country’s absinthe is better?

1. Switzerland

   Produces predominantly extremely strong, highly thujone-rich absinthe, but in very limited, virtually non-commercial quantities.

2. Czech Republic

   First of all, it specializes in extremely strong varieties with varying degrees of thujone saturation, produced in huge batches.

3. Spain

   It does not just produce absinthe on an industrial scale, but tries to please both lovers of a less strong drink with a low content of thujone, and their opponents.

4. France

   The second homeland of absinthe – France – stands apart. As you know, French manufacturers completely abandoned the use of bitter wormwood in their products, replacing it with star anise, which makes the drinks they offer are only similarities of absinthe.

   There are, however, such brands of absinthe containing thujone as “La fee” and “Lucid”, which are positioned as produced in France. But at the same time, the first of them is produced by the British company Green Utopia, and the second by the American company Viridian Spirits LLC.

5. Other countries

   Secondary countries producing absinthe or drinks close to it in content are: Italy, Germany, the USA and the Netherlands.

   Also, Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria are trying to join the club of absinthe-producing countries.

   You can find an expanding list of brands by country at the end of the article.

What color is absinthe?

1. Green (light green to emerald)

   Classic (chlorophyll) color of absinthe.

2. Red (light ruby)

   It is achieved by adding pomegranate extract to the drink.

3. Black (dark brown)

   In the manufacture, chlorophyll-free roots of wormwood and dark infusion of black acacia are used.

4. Blue (cyan)

   This absinthe is made by adding colors (artificial or natural) and sometimes flavorings.

5. Yellow (amber)

   It is obtained due to the gradual “aging” of chlorophyll cells.

6. White absinthe (clear)

   During the prohibition period, there was the so-called white or “secret” absinthe (“La Bleue”) – a drink containing thujone, but for the purpose of masking, devoid of a characteristic color due to a slightly modified manufacturing technology.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that in the modern absinthe industry, the desired color can be imparted to the drink using food coloring.

the history of absinthe: from popularity to ban

Swiss absinthe

1. Swiss La Bleu

2. Logan Son

Czech absinthe

1. King of Spirits Original

2. Maktub

3. Old Tradition

4. Boulevard

5. Dreams

6. Hill’s absinth

7. Staroplzenecky Absinth

8. Prague Absinth

9. Logan 100 от Logan Absinthe

10. Absinth Beetle

11. Green Magic

12. Teichenne Absinthe

13. Zelena Muza

14. Absinthe Original

Spanish absinthe

1. Jacques Senaux

2. Tunnel

3. Deva Absenta

4. Absent Serpis

French absinthe

1. La Fee

2. Big Absent 69

Italian absinthe

1. luxardo

2. Xenta

German absinthe

1. Mr. Jekyll

This list of brands is far from complete and will be updated as far as possible.

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Relevance: 03.03.2021

Tags: absinthe