What is Absinthe?
What is absinthe made of? The spirit is produced from vermouth, anise, and fennel. Aside from these, many brands use additional herbs to make the aroma more unique. In many cases, absinthe can be recognized from the radiant grass green colour. That’s also where the name “the green fairy” (la fée verte) comes from.
The origin of the bitter spirit lies in the Val de Travers in the Canton of Neuchâtel, where it was used as a healing elixir in the 18th century. In the second half of the 19th century, the green drink gained traction, especially in France. In the artist scene, the spirit was regarded as a source of inspiration and became a favourite of Edgar Allan Poe, Vincent van Gogh, and Oscar Wilde. The French poet Baudelaire wrote that absinthe gave life a festive colour and that it lit up its dark depths.
Is Absinthe Dangerous?
With the growing popularity, the rumors grew as well: The contained thujone was suspected of being addictive and having devastating health effects. In 1915, this bad reputation resulted in the prohibition of the drink in many European countries.
Today it is known that absinthe drinkers don’t have to worry about the thujone content of their drink. The addictions and the detrimental health effects are now thought to have come from the bad quality of the alcohol in the 19th and 20th century. That’s why the absinthe prohibition was lifted in most European countries in 1998 (in Switzerland it took until 2005).
After the Prohibition
Since the prohibition was lifted, many new distilleries have been established, for example, Mata Hari Absinthe or Mansinthe Absinthe by Marylin Manson. And even old brands experienced a revival: Kübler Absinthe, a company that was founded in 1875, was re-opened by the fifth generation great-grandson Yves Kübler in 2001. The new distillery is only a few miles away from the original one.
Usually, absinthe is diluted with water. However, there are three established ways of drinking absinthe: The Swiss way, the Czech way and the French drinking ritual.
How to Drink Absinthe
To drink absinthe the Swiss way, it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3 – 1:5. It is drunk without sugar.
The French drinking ritual was especially popular in the 19th and early 20th century: A sugar cube is put on an absinthe spoon and is then slowly dowsed in water.
The spectacular Czech way of drinking absinthe wasn’t invented until the 1990s, however, it is known to many people: At first, absinthe-soaked sugar cubes are put on an absinthe spoon and set on fire. As soon as the sugar begins to caramelize, the fire is extinguished immediately. Even though this way of drinking might sound exciting, it is important to know that it imposes a real fire risk – especially if burning pieces of sugar fall into the absinthe!
Useful Accessories
Several accessories have become part of the absinthe ritual. Besides the pontarlier glass, the absinthe spoon is the most important tool (at least if you want to enjoy your drink with sugar). Additionally, an absinthe fountain or a so-called brouille can be used to add water.
Browse now in our selection of interesting absinthe brands.
