Posts Tagged ‘absinthe essences’

Gather Absinthe Info

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Since there has been an Absinthe revival in many countries over the past few years, many people are seeking Absinthe info.

Absinthe is known as “La Fee Verte” or “The Green Fairy” because of its characteristic green color. Unlike the alcoholic beverages, beer and cider it is distilled usually with a wine base and lots of herbal ingredients.

The common wormwood, artemisia absinthium gives Absinthe it's name and it's distinctive bitter taste. Countries like the USA regulated the use of thujone so fake Absinthes were manufactured there which do not contain wormwood.

Absinthe is also prepared with the other herbs and essential oils like Fennel, green aniseed, star anise, hyssop, lemon balm, juniper, angelica, licorice, dittany, coriander, nutmeg and sweet flag. It is the essential oils in Absinthe that causes it to louche when mixed with water. The oils are soluble in alcohol but not in water and so cause the drink to go cloudy.

Absinthe Info about the Ban

The prohibition movement claimed that Absinthe was harmful and that drinking Absinthe led to “Absinthism” which was characterized by convulsions, fits, madness, brain damage and ultimately death. Thujone was thought to be the cause for psychedelic effects. It was assumed that Absinthe was very toxic and harmful due to a high quantity of thujone in it. Most of the countries banned Absinthe in the early 1900s.

The facts about Absinthe is entirely different from the statements given about it. High dose of thujone can be harmful. Recent studies have shown that Absinthe contain a maximum of 6mg per kg of thujone. Thujone can be dangerous only if excess amount of Absinthe is taken by a person!

Absinthe has now been legalized in most countries and there are many types and styles available:-

- Clear Absinthe – This is known as La Bleue or Blanche Absinthe and is commonly distilled in Switzerland.

- La Verte – This is traditional green Absinthe, the Green Fairy.

Due to the use of Spanish Alicante Anise Spanish Absinthe becomes sweeter than normal French or Swiss Absinthe.

- Bohemian or Czech style Absinthe – Also known as Absinth, it is a wormwood bitter, rather than an Absinthe, which does not contain other herbs such as aniseed or fennel.

A real Absinthe is that which contain thujone or wormwood.

You can also make your own Absintheby using Absinthe essences from AbsintheKit.com. The distillation process of these essences are done by using modern carbon dioxide distillation. The Absinthe can be made by dissolving it with a neutral alcohol.

AbsintheKit.com provides more Absinthe info and info about buying essences, replica spoons and Absinthe glasses.

 

 

 

Where Absinthe is Sold?

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

Absinthe is experiencing a bit of a revival at the moment after being legalized in many countries around the world. Where is Absinthe sold?In many countries, though each country seems to have a different law concerning Absinthe and thujone regulation.

Absinthe was made illegal in many countries in the early 1900s after accusation and claims about its safety and association between Absinthe and the drug cannabis. Absinthe contains wormwood which in turn contains the chemical thujone which was believed that it causes psychedelic effects. It became illegal to buy or sell Absinthe, which is also known as The Green Fairy, even though distillers in some countries were still permitted to produce Absinthe for export.

According to some tests and research it has been observed that Absinthe is not dangerous although the depressant or sedative effect of alcohol, mixed with the stimulants in the herbs, cam make for a very interesting drunkenness! Absinthe is not a drug, it is simply a strong alcoholic drink with an anise taste and is being served after diluting it with water so that the vital oils make the drink to louche.

During the ban, countries like Switzerland became known for their bootleg clear Absinthe and people in countries like the US had to get Absinthe shipped from other countries like the Czech Republic or break the law and distill their own.

Which place Absinthe sold And what are the directives?

Absinthe is allowed in the following countries:-

Australia – Australian legislation limits the quantity of thujone up to 10mg/kg and that “bitters” can contain up to 35mg/kg.

The EU – Like Australia, the permits Absinthe to be trade as long as it abide by legislation. According to EU legislation it is allowed that alcoholic beverages with over 25% alcohol by volume should contain up to 10mg/kg of thujone and for bitters it has been limited up to 35mg/kg.

France – Besides being the member of EU, France has its own rules. It will not allow drinks labeled Absinthe to be bought or sold, unless beverages are not labeled “spiritueux à base de plantes d'absinthe". France also preside over fenchone, a chemical found in fennel, a key constituent of Absinthe. Only low quantity (up to 5mg/liter) “spiritueux à base de plantes d'absinthe”that you can buy or sell within France.

The United States – It was always rumored that Absinthe was not according to the law in the USA because legislation prohibits those beverages which are not thujone free. Once lawyers and Absinthe makers looked into the law and the testing used, they found that drinks containing 10mg/kg of thujone or less passed testing and could be called “thujone free”. In 2007, the Absinthe brand “Lucid” went on sale in the Us and other brands have to face law court.

Canada – Each Canadian province has its own liquor board with its own legislation regarding Absinthe and thujone. In some provinces, beverages which contains thujone are still illegal but, in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec, Absinthe is legal as long as it doesn't contain more than 10mg/kg of thujone. While permitting Absinthe British Columbia does not make any limits on thujone levels. Other provinces are making changes to their legislation concerning Absinthe.

Absinthe is also legal in South Africa, Hungary, Israel, most EU countries as long as it fulfill EU legislation requirement, New Zealand and Russia. Russia even sanctions Absinthe with up to 75mg/kg of thujone to be sold.

At present in some countries like Ireland and serbia it is prohibited to buy Absinthe, but in ireland you can purchase it from abroad for your won personal consumption.

In the Czech Republic, the UK, Spain and Portugal Absinthe is always legal.

Way of answering the questionWhich place Absinthe sold{To find answer to the question} Which place Absinthe sold{To give answer to the question }Where is Absinthe sold{The conclusion to the question}Where you can find Absinthe?”, Absinthe can be purchased in liquor stores in countries where it is legal, online from Absinthe suppliers and you can also buy Absinthe kits to make your own Absinthe.

Due to the fact that home distillation is not allowed in many countries, Absinthe kits generally only make an Absinthe flavored drink and are just made by steeping a recipe of herbs in alcohol. Though Absintheliquor.com sell Absinthe essenceswhich are made using the finest herbs and are already distilled. By simply mixing an essence with vodka or Everclear you can prepare your very own real Absinthe!

Effects Of Absinthe

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

Absinthe effects are ill-famed among the people. People know the colorful history and the secret myths of Absinthe.

Absinthe was made in Switzerland in the 18th century as an elixir or tonic. It's main ingredient has been used in medicine from ancient times in the following ways:-
-It can be used as a tonic
- Methods to prevent poisoning caused by hemlock and toadstools
- To improve digestion
- To deal with parasitic intestinal worms.

After being distilled and sold by Pernod Absinthe became famous in La Belle Epoque period and linked with the Bohemian culture of the Montmartre area of Paris which is home to many artists and writers. Lots of famous artists and writers believed that Absinthe freed their minds and inspired them. Van Gogh cut off his ear due to influence of the Green Fairy, Absinthe.

According to the belief of most of the people Absinthe has psychedelic and intoxicating effects and it can be responsible for violence and insanity. According to a description a French man had murdered his whole family after drinking Absinthe. After drinking the Absinthe an individual must had consumed sufficient quantity of other alcoholic beverages.

The Absinthe effects were blamed on the wormwood extract in the drink which contained a chemical called thujone. Similarities are there between thujone and TCH which is found in the drug cannabis. During 1915 Absinthe was banned and made illegal in France and many other countries. It was never restricted in Spain, Portugal, the UK or the Czech Republic.

Many people researched thujone and Absinthe and it was found that drinking Absinthe was just as safe as drinking any strong spirits, and liquor with a high alcohol by volume, and that Absinthe contained only very minute quantities of thujone. Absinthe was, therefore, made legal again in many countries in the 1990s. The bottled Absinthe which contains 10mg/kg or less of thujone can be sold as per EU legislation.

New Absinthe-like products had been created to replace Absinthe for satisfying people's appetite for an anise flavored alcoholic beverage. A person can easily buy these beverages along with artificial Absinthes which have been made for the US market. A real Absinthe is that which contains the vital ingredient, wormwood for giving Absinthe it's characteristic bitter flavor. Absinthes which contain real wormwood or Absinthe essences which contain wormwood and can be mixed with vodka or Everclear is appropriate to produce own bottled Absinthe. These essences are used by the Absinthe industry and can be bought online through sites like AbsintheKit.com. They come with instructions of using them and should be used with Absinthe spoon and glass.

Before drinking a significant amount of Absinthe one must worry about it's effects. One should not forget that Absinthe is twice as strong as whisky and should drink it in moderation!