Absinthe

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What is absinthe?

Absinthe, or affectionately known as the Green Fairy, is a highly alcoholic (usually 50%-70% alcohol volume), licorice flavored herbal liqueur distilled with wormwood and anise. Wormwood contains “Thujone”, a hallucinogenic property, which products the “absinthe effect”.

What is the absinthe effect?

People usually report a sense of drunken clarity when drinking absinthe. The experience after you swallow a glass of the green substance is surreal. It comes in a pretty glass bottle, has a good green color, tastes hardly of aniseed but pleasant and smooth with high alcohol content. It smells good, giving an aphrodisiac turn to your sense of smell. It is a ritual to prepare the beverage with sugar cubes; the sugar cubes are added over a spoon, at the moment the beverage falls down the sugar mix to cut bitterness of absinthe.

However, don’t get too excited because most brands of absinthe on the market only have 10 mg of thujone due to regulations on thujone levels in the EU. The only two brands having the original level of thujone are the "Zele Premium Absinthe" at 111 mg and "King of Spirits Gold" at 100 mg because they both are produced in the Czech Republic where there are no restrictions.

Who drinks absinthe?

Absinthe liquor was also famous between intellectuals due to its inspiring effects. Great names like Vincent Van Gogh, the eccentric Oscar Wilde, the literature’s greater figure Ernest Hemmingway, the remarkable writer Mark Twain, and others such as Baudelaire, Monet, Verlaine, Toulouse-Lautrec and Pablo Picasso were all adepts of the green nectar of life. Style, interesting topics, and exotic classics works are the results of the best drink in the world. Modern-day absintheurs include Johnny Depp, Marilyn Manson and Eminem. Is it me, or does there seem to be a rebellious streak among absinthe drinkers?

Absinthe has also been featured in numerous movies, such as “Moulin Rouge,” “From Hell” and “Alfie,” to just name a few. It has also been written about in popular magazines, such as Maxim.

Where can you buy absinthe?

Absinthe containing thujone is still banned for sale in the USA but owning a bottle for personal enjoyment is not an issue. You won’t find real absinthe in any stores but there are websites that you can purchase from. If you are going to take the plunge, I would highly recommend getting the "Zele Premium Absinthe" with 111 mg or "King of Spirits Gold" with 100 mg or you will not experience absinthe in its full glory. Enjoy the drink with your friends and have a nice time, you will not regret, these highly recommended beverages.