How to drink absinthe at home?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Absinthe is a mysterious and mysterious drink, which is credited with extraordinary effects on humans. Discussions about its benefits and harms have been going on for a long time, but the disputing parties agree that absinthe has an exquisite and unique taste.

What is absinthe?

Absinthe in ancient Greek means "wormwood". Nowadays, this is the name of an alcoholic drink that is widely used, which contains 70, 75 or 86% alcohol. The basis of absinthe is an extract of the wormwood plant, which has a substance called thujone in its essential oils in a high concentration.

Thujone is a substance containing a hallucinogen, which, together with alcohol in absinthe, often leads to aggressive human behavior. The effect of exposure to this substance does not characterize absinthe in the best way in comparison with other drinks, however, its lovers argue that it all depends on the person himself and the amount of alcohol consumed. They also insist that you need to figure out how to drink absinthe correctly.

Composition

In addition to wormwood, absinthe contains many different herbs and flowers, such as anise, angelica, coriander, lemon balm, mint, parsley, two types of wormwood, fennel, chamomile and others.

Usually absinthe is green, emerald, but there are drinks that have blue, yellow, red, brown and even black. The green hue of absinthe is due to the fact that the composition contains chlorophyll, but it breaks down in the light.

Because of the emerald color, absinthe in the common people was called the "green witch", as well as the "green fairy". In order for the drink to retain its taste, effect and color longer, it is bottled in opaque bottles.

Varieties

Absinthe is classified according to various criteria, and there is no consensus on what exactly is the standard, and there is no complete agreement on how to drink absinthe correctly. If we classify natural absinthe by color, then we can talk about green and yellow colors that have different shades.

Green absinthe. This is a classic absinthe, with a natural color that has a number of shades: from light green to rich emerald tone. Almost all absinthe producers produce a green-colored drink, but nowadays many of them prefer to use food coloring. This is due to the fact that the natural color obtained with chlorophyll fades over time due to exposure to light.

Yellow absinthe. Thisthe drink has a bright amber color. Most often this is achieved with the help of food coloring, but it can also be a sign of the naturalness of absinthe. The fact is that the natural dye chlorophyll can also change its color to yellow after a while - this phenomenon is called "absinthe aging".

Unusual views

As mentioned earlier, there are several varieties of absinthe - both classic and completely unusual and extravagant. The latter include red absinthe.

This drink has such an unusual color for absinthe due to the fact that pomegranate is used in its manufacture, which gives it a refined ruby hue and a piquant aftertaste, especially bright and rich if you understand how to drink absinthe correctly. However, nowadays most manufacturers use food coloring, which, in turn, affects the taste of the drink.

Black absinthe is probably the most unusual of all. Its main feature is that it is made not from wormwood inflorescences or leaves, but from its roots. This absinthe gets its color from the infusion of black acacia, which is called "catechu". She also adds sweet berry tones to the bouquet of the drink. Nowadays, many absinthe makers are replacing "catechu" with cheap food colorings that change the taste for the worse.

Varieties of absinthe strength

At the moment, the color of absinthe, regardless of whether it is a classic green or a unique black tone, cannotbe a guarantee of the quality of the drink and its naturalness. Therefore, some connoisseurs of the drink argue that it is more correct to classify it by strength. It is also necessary to pay attention to how to drink absinthe of various strengths correctly in order to get the maximum positive effect and not harm the body.

Czech, French and Spanish producers of absinthe varieties with an extract of wormwood, but a low content of thujone (sometimes without it) most often produce a drink that has a strength of 55 to 65% alcohol.

Some manufacturers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic and Switzerland make extremely strong absinthe - from 70 to 85% alcohol. The drink, created according to the classical technology, belongs to an extremely strong type.

Varieties of concentration of absinthe

Absinthe is often classified by its thujone content, which is known to be hallucinogenic in nature. There are Czech and Swiss absinthes with a high content of thujone, in which its proportion varies between 25 and 100 mg per liter of drink.

Many Italian and Spanish absinthe producers produce a drink in which the content of thujone is low and ranges from 1.5 to 10 mg per liter.

France and Switzerland produce a drink that lacks thujone. Most often, these are tinctures that, in fact, mimic the taste of absinthe, however, some classify them as absinthe. These tinctures are mainly used for making cocktails and are not recommended to be drunk pure.

How to drink absinthe at homeconditions

The culture of drinking exists in almost all alcoholic beverages, and absinthe also has it. This drink requires an extremely careful attitude to it and the correct calculation of the dosage in order to get the maximum of pleasant sensations and not harm your he alth.

High alcohol content is not the only reason for caution, you need to be careful with thujone, which is contained in absinthe. No wonder this drink is called in two ways: if you follow all the rules, then it is a "green fairy", and if you exceed the dose, it will turn into a "green witch".

There are several methods for making absinthe, but all of them are aimed at reducing the bitter taste of the drink, as well as its strength. There are ways that focus not only on taste, but also on the spectacular preparation of absinthe.

Classic drinking method

There are several opinions on how to drink green absinthe correctly. It is believed that the French (classical) method of drinking absinthe is most suitable for a classic drink. This is done as follows: a special flat spoon for absinthe is placed on the edges of the glass with a drink, in which there are special holes. One cube of refined sugar is placed in the place where the holes are, then ice water is poured over this sugar, which, being sweetened, falls into the glass.

Water and sugar react with absinthe, and the release of essential oils begins, due to which the drink becomes cloudy. Alsoit is believed that water with sugar increases the effect of the hallucinogenic thujone contained in the drink, but there is no scientific confirmation of this. Absinthe is diluted with water in a ratio of one to five.

Pure and fiery method

Consider another way how to drink absinthe at home. This drink is consumed in a pure, undiluted form, however, a single dose is recommended to be limited to an amount in the region of 30 ml. Absinthe is cooled, almost approaching zero temperature, and it becomes thick in consistency, then poured into narrow glasses and drunk. It is worth noting that it is recommended to limit yourself to a single use of absinthe in its pure form per evening. To avoid negative consequences, it is better to switch to cocktails with its content.

You can often hear the question: "How to drink absinthe and what to eat?" Pure absinthe is an aperitif and is not eaten, but if it is in a cocktail, it can be eaten with chocolate and fruit.

In order to try absinthe prepared by the fiery (Czech) method, you need to do the following: a glass is filled one quarter with pure absinthe. Then one cube of refined sugar is moistened in absinthe. A spoon specially designed for absinthe with holes is placed on the edge of the glass, and a cube of sugar soaked in the drink is placed on it. The sugar is then ignited and allowed to burn for about one minute.

Sugar begins to melt, its hot liquid drops fall to the bottom of the glass and make the drink taste moresoft and pleasant. Then some ice water is added to the glass, and the absinthe is ready to drink.

Pair method

Let's consider how to drink absinthe with steam. This method is also known as "two glasses". To prepare absinthe using this method, you will need a glass and a glass. A small glass (up to 30 ml) is filled with absinthe, then it is placed inside the glass. Cold water is slowly poured into the glass itself. After the water in the glass is mixed with the absinthe in the glass, the drink inside the glass is ready to drink.

One of the most popular methods of preparing absinthe is "bartending", for example, it is used to make the Devil's Breath cocktail.

The bartending way: how to drink absinthe prepared in this way?

To prepare absinthe, you must have a cognac glass, a glass of whiskey and a straw with a napkin. A drink is poured into a cognac glass, no more than 50 ml, and set on fire. The glass itself is tilted at an angle of 45-65 ° and rotated along its own axis. Half a minute later, the absinthe, which continues to burn, is poured into a whiskey glass and covered with a cognac glass.

The absinthe vapors from the whiskey glass rise and concentrate in the cognac glass. After that, the latter, with absinthe vapors, in the same inverted form, is placed on a napkin with a straw. This is done in such a way that one end of the straw is inside an inverted brandyglasses. Ready absinthe, which is in a whiskey glass, is drunk, then the vapors that have been preserved in the cognac glass begin to be inhaled through a straw.

These are the most famous and popular methods of drinking this unique drink. Now you know how to drink absinthe at home, and most importantly, how to cook it correctly. And yet it is recommended to entrust the preparation of absinthe and cocktails with its content (especially with the use of fire) to professionals. They know the right dosage for this tricky drink and will let you enjoy it without putting your he alth at risk.