Absinthe is a tincture of a mixture of herbs and alcohol. There are a lot of legends and misconceptions around him, because of which this drink was banned in many countries for almost 100 years.
Absinthe can contain 55 to 85% alcohol and has a very characteristic bitter taste. The main component of this drink is bitter wormwood extract, which gives the drink a specific, recognizable bitter taste and pungent odor.
The origin of absinthe
Absinthe owes its well-known hallucinogenic effect to thujone, a substance that is found in large quantities in the essential oils of wormwood. In addition to this plant, lemon balm, calamus, mint, fennel, mint may be included in the drink; moreover, anise must be contained in real absinthe.
Most likely, the name of the drink comes from the ancient Greek word apsinthion, which means "undrinkable." In ancient Greece, a tincture similar in its properties to absinthe was used to stimulate childbirth. Hippocrates used this drink to treat menstrual pain, rheumatism, anemia and jaundice. In ancient Greece, during the Olympic Games, a chariot racing champion had to drink a cup of absinthe to remember that glory and victory have bitterness.
In the modern, more conventional sense, absinthe was invented around 1790 in the small village of Couvé, which is located in the west of Switzerland. A certain Madame Ernier was preparing a remarkable wormwood tincture, which a local doctor prescribed to his patients as a universal remedy. The tincture improved appetite, stimulated digestion and had a tonic effect.
Popularity and bans
Absinthe gained particular popularity in the middle of the 19th century, while France was actively waging colonial wars in Africa. Absinthe was given to soldiers to prevent malaria and dysentery, and as a means to purify water from bacteria. Absinthe proved to be very worthy and became an integral part of the soldier's life. From that moment on, the fashion for this drink began to spread rapidly among the inhabitants of the French colonies.
In the middle of the 19th century, it was noticed that the systematic use of absinthe leads to addiction, increased nervous excitability and other unpleasant consequences. A real struggle with this drink flared up already at the beginning of the 20th century, at this time absinthe was banned in Italy and Belgium, a little later the ban was introduced in France, and after it in other European countries.
Today in the United States, the effect of wormwood on human brain functions is equated to the effect of marijuana, as a result, all products containing wormwood must be cleaned of thujone without fail.
The Swiss parliament and the Dutch court legalized absinthe only in 2004, but at the moment the production of this drink is strictly limited by the norms introduced by the European Union. According to these standards, the amount of toxic thujone cannot exceed 10 mg / kg.
