Absinthe is now once again a popular alcoholic drink, thanks to its legalization in the USA and other countries after many decades of being illegal. Several young people are tasting it for the first time and knocking it back without caring for it’s alcohol content. Detail study of Absinthe proof?
Absinthe is produced by distilling alcohol with a blend of herbs together with wormwood, aniseed and fennel. The Green Fairy, La Fee Verte is another name for Absinthe due to emerald green coloring of classic verte styles of Absinthe.
According to the Ritual one has to dilute Absinthe with iced water before consuming it. The Absinthe louches when water is poured over a sugar lump on a slotted spoon and into the Absinthe.
Absinthe was unauthorized not because of it’s high alcohol content but because of the wormwood in it. Dr Valentin Magnan tested worwmood on guinea pigs in 1845 and found that a guinea pig given wormwood oilhad convulsions, whereas, a guinea pig given alcohol just got drunk. According to Magnan Absinthe was much more harmful than other types of spirits because of thujone content in it. He and others in the medical profession believed thujone to be a psychoactive element. This was the cause for which Absinthe was banned.
According to the nature magazine there are similarities in the structure of a thujone molecule and THC so they acted in a similar manner.
All these claims have been proved to be unreal. Thujone is not similar to THC though it acts on the GABA receptors of the brain, when taken in large amounts. According to the experiments done on Absinthe the thujone content in it is so small that it cannot harm anybody. You would have to drink vast amounts of Absinthe and die of alcohol poisoning before suffering any effects from thujone!
Absinthe is a highly alcoholic drink and will get a person drunk quite quickly.
Introduction of Absinthe proof?
Let’s see what the proof of well-known brands of Absinthe is:-
Jade Nouvelle Orleans 68% abv (136 proof)
Jade Verte Suisse 65% abv (130 proof)
There is 72% abv (144 proof) in Jade Edouard
Jade PF 1901 is available with 68% abv (136 proof)
Roquette 1797 contains 75% abv (150 proof)
Doubs Mystique Carte D’Or is available with 65% abv (130 proof)
Kubler 53 53% abv (106 proof)
One can find 68% abv (136 proof) in La Fee Parisian
One can get 70% abv (140 proof) in La Fee Bohemian
The abv in La Fee XS Absinthe Francaise is 136 proof or 68%
La Fee XS Absinthe Suisse 53% abv (106 proof)
The abv is 70% in Mari Mayans Collectors 70
Pernod Absinthe contains 68% abv (136 proof)
One can get 60% abv (120 proof) in Pere Kermanns
Sebor has 55% abv (110 proof)
La Clandestine Absinthe is available with 53% abv (106 proof)
Lucid Absinthe 62% abv (124 proof)
If we compare that to other alcoholic beverages we can see that Absinthe is very strong:-
Everclear 95% abv (190 proof)
Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky contains 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof)
There is 9-12% alcohol by volume (18-24 proof) in Table Wine
One can find 4 or 5% alcohol by volume (8-10 proof) in Beer
Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila is available with 38% abv (76 proof)
Absolut Blue Vodka 40% abv (80 proof)
If you make homemade Absintheusing essences from AbsintheKit.A person’s homemade Absinthe’s proof is dependent on the category of neutral alcohol that he use.
Details of Absinthe proof? It is hard to be answered!