What is Absinthe?

Question

What is absinthe? What is it made from? What does it taste like? Is it illegal to have in the U.S. (if so, why)?

Answer 1

People, quit copying and pasting, they would go to wikipedia if they wanted that answer.

Absinthe is a green (it becomes transparent when you are drinking it) alcohol that is distilled from wormwood, a mild hallucinogen. You pour it over sugar and for various reasons it turns clear if you do it right (I've heard of people messing this up but don't know how they could). It is a strong spirit, I haven't seen one under 160 proof (80% alcohol). The only thing I can tell you about the taste is that it tastes strong. It is illegal to have in the U.S. and that is because of the wormwood it contains. I read about a scientist retesting it and finding that it isn't any more harmful than any other beverage of the same proof, but don't remember where I heard that. Also, the hallucinogen is really mild and some people that have had it that I talked to don't believe it is and they do drugs regularly.

As a side note, Edgar Allen Poe and Van Gough both drank a whole lot of Absinthe. Just a random bit of trivia for you.
Btw, Everclear is definitely legal in the U.S. and I don't get why people think it isn't. Just about every single liquor shop that I have been to sells it.

Wormwood contains thujone, not thc.

Answer 2

Absinthe is an aniseed flavoured spirit that is clear until water is added to it, when it turns milky.

Absinthe contains a number of herbs and spices, but the one that got it that reputation - most likely unfairly - is wormwood. Wormwood has an ingredient called thujone which has a structure similar to T.H.C. which is the active chemical in cannabis.

There is a tiny amount of wormwood - used for its bitter flavours - in Absinthe, and you'd have to drink an enormous amount of it to be affected. Bear in mind that absinthe has a very high alcohol content, around 70% alcohol (normal spirits are 40%), but that it is drunk with 6 -8 times as much water, thus diluting the alcohol and active ingredients.


However, it was made illegal in France and some other countries because of fear that people were made mad by absinthe. The stories about the effect of the wormwood content were over exagerated. But there was tremendous consumption of absinthe in France and people certainly drank too much.

What does it do? Same as any other spirit. It makes you drunk if you have too much of it. Does it make you high? Well, it didn't affect me. I think you'd have to drink so much of it that you'd be drunk from its high alcohol content first


Does it still have wormwood in it? Yes of course. Bear in mind it wasn't made illegal in all countries and even though France made absinthe illegal and thus Pernod made a wormwood free replacement drink known as Pastis, Pernod continued to make real absinthe for export.

I'm not a lawyer but the absinthe merchants say that it is only illegal to SELL absinthe in the US, but legal to buy and consume it, and so companies like eabsinthe.com ship personal orders to the US and guarantee refund if a consignment is lost or seized.

However, if you want to know what absinthe is like without buying it, go to any bar or pub and ask for a glass of Pernod or Ricard pastis. Pastis is the wormwood free replacement produced after absinthe was made illegal. These also have lower alcohol, so you add less water. The taste and look of pastis is the same as absinthe.

I've drunk absinthe several times. The last time was in November at at tasting of several different brands of absinthe in London, where it was never banned. My favorite was Pernod 68


This online merchant that will ship absinthe to US customers from the UK - see http://www.eabsinthe.com

Answer 3

The older absinthes were, as stated above, very highly alcoholic, and if drunk to excess could lead to absence from work the next day. (pun intended).
The generic name for what is now on sale here in France and elsewhere is "Pastis", generally on sale at 40 to 45% strength.
It's probably my favourite drink, diluted with about 5 times as much clear lemonade and an ice-cube or two on hot days. Ricard and Pernod are the two brands that I see in all the shops, but most supermarkets have their own-label brands too. There is even a no-alcohol version which, surprisingly, tastes very good too.

Answer 4

is a distilled, highly alcoholic, anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs including the flowers and leaves of the medicinal plant Artemisia absinthium, also called wormwood. Although it is sometimes incorrectly called a liqueur, absinthe does not contain added sugar and is therefore classified as a liquor or spirit.[1]

Absinthe is often referred to as la Fée Verte ("The Green Fairy") because of its coloring — typically pale or emerald green, but sometimes clear. Due to its high proof and concentration of oils, absintheurs (absinthe drinkers) typically add three to five parts ice-cold water to a dose of absinthe, which causes the drink to turn cloudy (called "louching"); often the water is used to dissolve added sugar to decrease bitterness. This preparation is considered an important part of the experience of drinking absinthe, so much so that it has become ritualized, complete with special slotted absinthe spoons and other accoutrements. Absinthe's flavor is similar to anise-flavored liqueurs, with a light bitterness and greater complexity imparted by multiple herbs.

Absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir, but is better known for its popularity in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers whose romantic associations with the drink still linger in popular culture. In its heyday, the most popular brand of absinthe worldwide was Pernod Fils. At the height of this popularity, absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive, psychoactive drug; the chemical thujone was blamed for most of its deleterious effects. By 1915 it was banned in a number of European countries and the United States. Even though it was vilified, there is no evidence showing it to be any more dangerous than ordinary alcohol although few modern medical studies have been conducted to test this. A modern absinthe revival began in the 1990s, as countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale

Answer 5

Absinthe (also absinth) (IPA English: [ˈæbsɪnθ] IPA French: [ap.sɛ̃t]) is a distilled, highly alcoholic, anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs including the flowers and leaves of the medicinal plant Artemisia absinthium, also called wormwood. Although it is sometimes incorrectly called a liqueur, absinthe does not contain added sugar and is therefore classified as a liquor or spirit.[1]

Absinthe is often referred to as la Fée Verte ("The Green Fairy") because of its coloring — typically pale or emerald green, but sometimes clear.

Answer 6

Absinthe is a strong herbal liqueur distilled with a great number of flavorful herbs like anise, licorice, hyssop, veronica, fennel, lemon balm, angelica and wormwood (the flavor of anise and/or licorice, at least in contemporary forms of the liquor, tends to predominate). Wormwood, the one that's gained the most notoriety, is Artemisia absinthum, an herb that grows wild in Europe and has been cultivated in the United States as well. Much of the liquor's legendary effect is due to its extremely high alcohol content, ranging from 50% to 75% (usually around 60%), plus the contribution of the various herbs. It has been assumed by many that the so-called "active ingredient" in absinthe is wormwood, although that is apparently not really the case.

It was traditionally served with ice water and a cube of sugar; the sugar cube was placed on a slotted "absinthe spoon", and the water was drizzled over the sugar into the glass of absinthe (typically in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio). The sugar helped take the bitter edge from the absinthe, and when the water is drizzled into the the liquor it all turns milky greenish-white (the effect is called "louche").

The drink was referred to in France as "La Fée Verte", or The Green Fairy, which is a reference to its often dazzling green color (depending on the brand). The color usually came from the chlorophyll content of the herbs used in the distillation process; however, some disreputable manufacturers added toxic chemicals to produce both the green color and the louche (or clouding) effect that in reputable brands was caused by the precipitation of the essential oils of the herbs. It is quite probable that the bad reputation absinthe developed was due to these low-grade and perhaps quite poisonous version of the real thing.

Wormwood had been used medicinally since the Middle Ages, primarily to exterminate tapeworm infestations while leaving the human host uninjured and even rejuvenated by the experience. At the end of the 18th century -- the age of revolution and skeptical humanism -- the herb developed a recreational vogue. People discovered they could get high off it. The problem was the means of delivery, as it was unacceptably bitter in taste.

A French expatriate living in Switzerland by the name of Dr. Ordinaire found the answer by inventing absinthe, which delivered both the herb and alcohol in a stunningly tart beverage, with a flavor resembling licorice. The most well-known maker of absinthe was French distiller Henri-Louis Pernod, who was impressed with Dr. Ordinaire's beverages and purchased the secrets of its distillation and manufacture. Absinthe would eventually enjoy its greatest popularity in fin-de-siècle Paris, with Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Verlaine, Alfred Jarry and Oscar Wilde among its most ardent imbibers.

Given the French character of the Crescent City, absinthe achieved quite a bit of popularity in New Orleans as well, where it was widely consumed by people from artists to musicians to Storyville madams. Visitors to New Orleans can still check out the beautiful, ornate spigot at the Old Absinthe House bar on Bourbon Street; it was used to drip cold water over the sugar into the beverage. (Note: I haven't been to that bar in a while, but I understand it was recently sold and gutted; I'm not sure the original spigot is still there.)

Around the turn of the century, after observing a subset of alcoholism referred to as "absinthism", and noting that heavy absinthe users had a propensity toward madness and suicide, by the second decade of this century it became banned in the Western world, unfairly lumped in with opiates, cocaine, and marijuana when it is, in fact, just another alcoholic beverage (although one with unique properties). Although the effects of thujone can be toxic when consumed in very large quantities, this substance is found in properly made and distilled absinthe in only the smallest trace amounts. The most popular misconception about absinthe is that it is a drug. "Not so!" says the Fée Verte FAQ. As for the so-called "secondary effect", we refer you again to the FAQ:

Answer 7

Yahoo recently deleted an answer from a friend of mine to this question. The reason given was "Chatting or Private Correspondence."

The answer was sarcasm echoing the main thrust of the answer by Acceptance, namely that the asker should have used the search box first because several iterations of this question have been asked already.

The answer also pointed out inaccurate information posted by two users.

I'm guessing someone didn't like the honesty presented in my friend's answer, however, honesty doesn't violate Yahoo Answers guidelines.

Please email Yahoo Answers and ask them to be consistent and logical when metting out these "violation notices" ... and maybe ask them to add new violation categorie for redundant questions and copy/paste answers. You should lose points for being too lazy to use the search engine or so lazy you just copy/paste from Wikipedia.

You should also see the following link regarding the fallacy of Poe drinking absinthe:
http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poealchl.htm

Yahoo's inconsistency and lack of logic is mind-boggling! I'm sure they will delete me too!

Answer 8

Absinthe is a plant that was used to made a liquor in the 19th century. Users of it were drug addicts and suffered the consequences. That's why it was ban.

Answer 9

Yes it's illegal in the US. I had it up in Canada and it costs $10 a shot where I was. You are supposed to hallucinate on it but nothing happened to me. If you are looking for for a high alcohol content look for something called Everclear. It's not legal in all states though.

Answer 10

It was brought back by my husband from Russia and is said to make you see the "Green Fairy".