Products
Absinthe is available, for example, in liquor stores. The production and distribution were prohibited in many countries between 1910 and 2005. However, during this time, it is known that it was distilled illegally. Today absinthe can be sold legally again. The drink originated in the late 18th century in Val-de-Travers in the canton of Neuchâtel. It was originally developed as a medicine. Absinthe advanced to become the most popular spirit in 19th century France and was closely associated with the bohemian world. Famous artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Charles Baudelaire consumed absinthe. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was banned in most European countries.
Ingredients
Absinthe is high-proof alcoholic beverage with emerald green color and bitter taste, made with wormwood herb by maceration and distillation. Other ingredients include herbs such as anise, fennel, hyssop, lemon balm and Roman mugwort. Wormwood herb contains the monoterpenes α- and β-thujone. It is primarily α-thujone that has been blamed for the toxic effects of absinthe (see below). Absinthe gets its green color from the chlorophyll contained in the herbs.
Effects
On the one hand, the effects of absinthe are mediated by the alcohol, which produces psychoactive, stimulant to depressant, anti-anxiety, euphoric and disinhibitory effects. On the other hand, the added herbs are digestive and counteract gastrointestinal complaints. Today it is known that absinthe is not a hallucinogen, as was previously believed.
Dosage
Traditionally, a special perforated spoon with a piece of sugar is placed on the glass containing the absinthe. Ice-cold water is poured over the sugar into the glass. This creates a milky cloudiness because the essential oils and other ingredients no longer dissolve in the diluted alcohol. The lighting sometimes practiced today is not part of the traditional ritual.
Fields of application
As an aperitif and digestif.
Adverse effects
The adverse effects of absinthe described in the past (“absinthism”) were attributed to thujone. Today, however, its role is disputed. For sure, alcohol has a significant part in the side effects (see under ethanol). In the past, undesirable additives and colorants such as copper salts also played a role. Today, the law stipulates that the thujone content must not exceed a defined and safe limit (EU: 35 mg/kg). According to Höld et al, α-thujone is a non-competitive antagonist at the GABAA receptor.
