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What Percentage is Absinthe?

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Absinthe is a strong anise flavor liquor which is made by distilling alcohol with herbs such as wormwood, aniseed and fennel. We know it is strong and can get you drunk easily, but what percentage is Absinthe and what is the proof?

Here are the alcohol by volume levels of popular brands of Absinthe:-

La Fee XS Absinthe Francaise 68% alcohol by volume or 136 proof
Doubs Mystique Carte D'Or 65% alcohol by volume (130 proof)
La Clandestine Absinthe 53% abv (106 proof)
Jade Edouard 72% abv (144 proof)
Sebor is 55% alcohol by volume or 110 proof
Jade Nouvelle Orleans 68% alcohol by volume (136 proof)
Mari Mayans Collectors 70 is 70% abv is 140 proof
La Fee Parisian which is 68% alcohol by volume is 136 proof
Lucid Absinthe 62% abv is 124 proof
Jade Verte Suisse 65% abv (130 proof)
Pernod Absinthe 68% abv (136 proof)
Kubler 53 53% abv (106 proof)
Pere Kermanns 60% alcohol by volume or 120 proof
Jade PF 1901 which is 68% alcohol by volume is 136 proof
La Fee XS Absinthe Suisse is approximately 53% alcohol by volume or 106 proof
Roquette 1797 75% abv (150 proof)
La Fee Bohemian 70% alcohol by volume (140 proof)

Let's now compare Absinthe to several other beverages:-

Whisky such as Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch 40% aby (80 proof)
Absinthe can be 75% alcohol by volume and up to 150 proof
Table Wine 9-12% abv (18-24 proof)
Beer is about 4 or 5% alcohol by volume (8-10 proof)

Now, the alcohol-information.com website has worked out that if you have one shot of 190 proof Everclear is equivalent to drinking 2.85 cans of beer and about 3 brandies. With this information we establish that 1 shot of Absinthe is equivalent to 2.25 bottles of beer. So, 22 shots Absinthe is equivalent to 49.five beers!

As you can see, Absinthe is much stronger than types of fermented drinks such as wine and beer and even stronger than whisky. We therefore need to be careful when consuming Absinthe, not because it will make us have hallucinations, but because it is so strong and will intoxicate quickly. We need to take particular care when mixing Absinthe with other alcoholic drinks in cocktails.

Care should also be taken when making your own homemade Absinthe drink. If you buy an Absinthe kit from someone like Green Devil then you are steeping herbs in a neutral alcohol such as Everclear. Now, Everclear has an abv of 95% and a proof of 190 so it is much stronger than commercial Absinthe. Absinthe essences from AbsintheKit.some also have to be mixed with a neutral alcohol such as Everclear or vodka. The finished Absinthe will be the proof or abv of the neutral alcohol you have used.

In Absinthe what is the percentage? For commercial Absinthe just look on the bottle label or, if you are ordering online, look at the product details for abv or proof. If you are making your own Absinthe from a kit, you need to look at the bottle of Everclear or vodka that you are using.

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What are the well known Effects of Absinthe?

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Now that Absinthe is again legal in many countries, people are asking “What are the effects of Absinthe?”, “Will it make me trip or hallucinate?”, “Will I see the Green Fairy?”.

Absinthe is a mythical drink with many legends surrounding it. Orginally created in Switzerland as an elixir or tonic by Dr Pierre Ordinaire, it quickly became a best selling alcoholic beverage when Henri-Louis Pernod started distilling it in France. In fact, it overtook beer, cider and even wine as the most popular drink in France in the period known as La Belle Epoque, the golden age leading up to the First World War.

Famous drinkers of Absinthe include Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Oscar

Wilde who said “After the first glass of Absinthe you see things as you wish they were. After a second you see them as they are not. In the end, you see things as they really are, and that is one of the most horrible thing in the world.”

Pernod made his recipe for Absinthe from a wine base flavored with natural herbal ingredients such as wormwood, fennel, aniseed, star anise, veronica, dittany, lemon balm, hyssop, nutmeg, angelica and dittany. Many manufacturers used additional herbs such as coriander, calamus root and mint.

So, what are the effects of Absinthe?

Absinthe was popular in the time known as “The Great Binge”, a time when beverages containing cocaine were popular and the time when heroin was thought safe to use in medicine. It was linked to other types of drugs and was thought to be psychoactive and to cause:-

- Hallucinations
- Extreme excitability
- Convulsions and other spasms
- Destroying the intellect
- Insanity
- Addiction
- Causes of brain damage
- Violence
- Death

Artists and writers drank Absinthe saying it helped them gain inspiration and was responsible for their genius. Famous Absinthe poetry.

The prohibition led people to believe that Absinthe was going to drive the French people insane, make them immoral and cause the collapse of the nation. Doctors tested wormwood and thujone, the chemical from wormwood, on animals and claimed that it was like cannabis and that it caused epileptic fits. The prohibition movement blamed Absinthe for causing a man to murder his whole family, despite the fact that he had only consumed two glasses of the drink. The consumption of Absinthe was also blamed for Van Gogh cutting off his own ear and for his suicide.

Absinthe was thought to contain large amounts of thujone, up to 350mg per liter but high tech tests on original vintage bottles have proved that claims about thujone levels and the safety of

Absinthe were completely false. Absinthe contained a small amounts, up to 6mg, not enough to cause anyone to hallucinate a little. Absinthe has been shown in studies to be as safe as any other alcoholic drink.

Absinthe will not help you see green fairies but it is very strong drink, up to 75% alcohol -- so will get your drunk rather quckly and easily. The mysterious blend of alcohol and herbs will give you a strange drunken experience, a “lucid” or “clear headed” drunkenness – a completely new experience!

What are the effects of Absinthe? Well, there are no bad effects except if you overdo it and perhaps get a hangover. Absinthe is a drink to be enjoyed and to make you feel good. Buy good quality Absinthe which contains wormwood which is real or make your own with essences from AbsintheKit.come and enjoy the great taste of the Green Fairy. Absinthe kits are available from http://absinthekit.com/.

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You Should Know This About Absinthe

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Absinthe Drink

Absinthe is a liquor which is between 45 and 75% ABV (alcohol by volume),which is about twice as strong as other types of alcoholic beverages such as whisky and vodka.

Otherwise known as “The Green Fairy” or “La Fee Verte”, Absinthe was the drink associated with Bohemian Paris. It was orginally given to French soldiers in the 1840s to treat malaria and they brought the drink home with them. Special Abinthe bars opened over Paris and Absinthe hours or "L'heure verte" took place daily. During the middle of the 19th century, Pernod, the distillers of Absinthe, were making over 30,000 liters of abinthe every day for the French people to buy!

About the Drink Absinthe About the Absinthe History

History says that Dr Pierre Ordinaire created Absinthe in the Swiss town of Couvet in the 18th century as an elixir for his patients. The recipte for Absinthe got into the hands of Henri-Luris Pernod who first distilled Absenthe in Couvet and late in Pontartlier, France un the name of Pernod Fils.

Distillers Pernod began with a wine base together with various herbs including common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica, dittany, star anise, nutmeg and juniper.

Famous or semi famous drinkers of the Green Fairy were Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Degas, Gauguin, Verlaine and Baudelaire.

When in France, Absinthe became more popular than wine, the prohibition movement campaigned to get Absinthe banned because:-

- Thujone, in wormwood, was thought to be very similar to THC in cannabis and thought to be psychoactive.
- Absinthe was linked with artists and courtesans of Montmartre and their loose morals.
- Absinthe was thought to cause hallucinations, convulsions and to drive people insane.

It was even claimed that an Absinthe drinker murdered his whole family – which was just the excuse that the prohibition movement were looking for to persuade the government to ban Absinthe. The selling, buying and consumption of Absinthe in France was made illegal in France in 1915 and in other countries around this time.

Studies have shown that Absinthe, including vintage Absinthe, only contains very small amounts of thujone and is safe to drink. Legalized in most all countries since the 1990s, there has been an Absinthe revival in many countries, including the USA who have only recently allowed a few brands to go on sale.

Absinthe Drink About Essences in Absinthe

To enjoy Absinthe, you can either order bottles of Absinthe online or you can make your own Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com. These essences are used by the Absinthe industry and are made using traditional herbal ingredients such as aniseed, wormwood, and fennel. To make your own Absinthe, mix with either Everclear or vodka. Essence is available in different types.

The preparing of Absinthe

The proper way to prepare Absinthe is to follow this interesting ritural:-

- Pour 25 - 50 ml of Absinthe into an Absinthe glass.
- Absinthe's slotted spoon may be rested on top of the glass.
- A sugar cube is put on the slotted spoon.
- Drip iced water over the sugar using an Absinthe fountain or pour slowly from a carafe.
- Watch for the louche from the Absinthe.
- Drink your Absinthe drink.

I hope you have now learned all about Absinthe, the mysterious drink with a very interesting past and a great taste.

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Different Sites For Purchasing Absinthe

Friday, April 24th, 2009

If the Absinthe revival has arouse your interest in trying Absinthe, then you may be asking “from what site can you purchase Absinthe?”. Well, bottled Absinthe can be quite costly, over $100 sometimes, and it may not be delivered to your country. Also, you may find it very hard to find real wormwood Absinthes because according to some countries legislation restricts wormwood as it contains the chemical thujone. Absinthe just isn't Absinthe without wormwood.
So, what's the answer?

AbsintheKit.com is a great site with an online store and shopping cart. AbsintheKit.com sell Absinthe essences, that contains real common wormwood , both to the Absinthe industry and to general customers. You can have a 20ml bottle of essence for between $3.95 and $4.95 to make one bottle of Absinthe or you can purchase a kit that makes 14 bottles for between $29 and $39 – an outstanding price for you!

Absinthe Essence Kits

The Absinthe kit from AbsintheKit.com include everything you need to make real Absinthe:-

280ml bottles of Absinthe essence can make 14 bottles of Absinthe.
- A measure made up of high grade plastic to measure out the essence.
- Artistic labels to decorate and label your finished bottle of Absinthe.

All you need to do to make your very own bottle of the Green Fairy, is to mix 20ml of essence with 730ml of neutral alcohol such as vodka or Everclear and add some sugar (about 75g) if you want a smoother Absinthe. Shake the bottle until the sugar has dissolved and there you have it, your very own Absinthe.

Essences Available

AbsintheKit.com sell 4 different Absinthe essences which all contain real wormwood and the other traditional Absinthe herbs such as aniseed and fennel. high tech carbon dioxide distillation process is used in the making of essences which ensure that you get a top quality essence.

The Four essences are as follows:-

- Absinthe Classics Essence – For green Absinthe with a thujone content of 35mg.

- Absinthe White Essence – People who like the clear Blanche. It louches beautifully. Thujone is 35mg per bottle of Absinthe.

- Absinthe Orange Essence – This essence contains the extra ingredient of orange oil to give a lovely orange flavor and a yellow-orange colored Absinthe. The Absinthe will louche more easily because it has an extra essential oil in it. With 35mg of thujone, Absinthe can be made.

- Absinthe 55 Strong – This essence brings a darker green Absinthe with a stronger wormwood flavor. Made for those who prefer that wonderful wormwood bitter taste. A bottle of Absinthe made with this essence will contain 55mg of thujone.

AbsintheKit.com ship products world wide, as long as you are over 18, and have customer support to give answers to any questions you may have about your order or about using the essences. You can further find information with respect to their products and instructions on the website itself. AbsintheKit.com also sell the most beautiful replica Absinthe glasses and spoons such as a Pontarlier style glass and Eiffel Tower spoon – great to use with your homemade Absinthe.

The customs

You will need to know how to prepare an Absinthe to drink once you have made your Absinthe. Method of consuming Absinthe is diluting it with water as it is not directly consumed. Here are the ways of preparing the perfect Absinthe

- Pour down 25-50ml of Absinthe into your Absinthe glass.
- put your slotted spoon or cuillere over the glass and place a sugar cube onto it.
-Slowly drip iced water over the sugar to make an Absinthe with a ratio of 3:1 to 5:1 water to Absinthe.
- Look at the Absinthe while it louches as the water mixes in to the Absinthe. there are some essential oils in the beverage which are not soluble in water, causes this type of louching. They cause the Absinthe liquor to go milky or cloudy – a beautiful thing to watch.
- Enjoy at leisure the real wormwood Absinthe drink.

So, from what site can you purchase Absinthe? You have to decide whether you want to buy a $100 bottle from a liquor site or make 14 bottles from $29!

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What Percentage is Absinthe?

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

Absinthe is a strong anise flavor liquor which is made by distilling alcohol with herbs such as wormwood, aniseed and fennel. We know it is strong and can get you drunk easily, but what percentage is Absinthe and what is its proof?

Let's look at the avl of popular brands of Absinthe:-

La Fee XS Absinthe Francaise 68% abv (136 proof)
Doubs Mystique Carte D'Or 65% abv or 130 proof
La Clandestine Absinthe 53% abv (106 proof)
Jade Edouard 72% alcohol by volume or 144 proof
Sebor 55% abv (110 proof)
Jade Nouvelle Orleans 68% abv is 136 proof
Mari Mayans Collectors 70 is 70% alcohol by volume or 140 proof
La Fee Parisian which 68% alcohol by volume (136 proof)
Lucid Absinthe 62% abv (124 proof)
Jade Verte Suisse 65% alcohol by volume which is 130 proof
Pernod Absinthe is 68% abv or 136 proof
Kuber 53 is 53% abv or 106 proof
Pere Kermanns 60% abv (120 proof)
Jade PF 1901 68% abv (136 proof)
La Fee XS Absinthe Suisse 53% abv (106 proof)
Roquette 1797 is 75% abv or 150 proof
La Fee Bohemian 70% alcohol by volumne which is 140 proof

Let's compare Absinthe to several other beverages:-

Whisky – Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch 40% alcohol by volume is 80 proof
Absinthe can be up to 75% alcohol by volume or 150 proof
Table Wine which is 9-12% abv is 18-24 proof
Beer is only 4 or 5% alcohol by volume (8-10 proof)

The alcohol-information.com website worked out if you have 1 shot of Everclear which is 190 proof is equivalent to drinking two.8five cans of beer and about 3 brandies. With this information it can be established that one shot of Absinthe is equivalent to 2.2five bottles of beer. So, 22 shots Absinthe is equivalent to 49.5 bottles of beer!

As you can see, Absinthe is much stronger than types of fermented drinks such as wine and beer. Care needs to be used when consuming Absinthe because it is so strong and will intoxicate quickly. We need to take particular care when mixing Absinthe with other alcoholic drinks in cocktails.

Care needs to always be taken when your are making your own Absinthe for drinking. If you buy an Absinthe kit from someone like Green Devil then you are simply steeping herbs in a neutral alcohol such as Everclear or vodka. Everclear has an abv of 95% which is 190 proof so it is much stronger than commercial Absinthe. Absinthe essences for Absinthekit.com also have to be mixed with a neutral alcohol such as Everclear or vodka. Your finished Absinthe will be whatever the proof or abv of the neutral alcohol you used.

What is the percentage in Absinthe? For commercial Absinthe just look on the bottle label or if ordering online, look at the product details for abv or proof. If you are making your own Absinthe from a kit, you need to look at the bottle of Everclear or vodka that you are using.

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