|
Page 3 of 15
What Is Absinthe?
Although wormwood-infused drinks have been used in medicine for
thousands of years, when we speak of “absinthe” nowadays, we are
evoking a very specific spirituous liquor that rose to popularity in
France and Switzerland beginning in the 18th century.
There are many
traditional drinks from around the world that contain Artemisia absinthium wormwood—vermouth, Scandinavian besk, Polish pioĊunowka, some aquavits, etc.—and yet
they are not absinthe. It takes more than simply including wormwood as
an ingredient to be able to be justifiably categorize a spirit as
“absinthe.”
To put it concisely: Absinthe is an anise and wormwood flavored spirit,
distilled from anise, fennel and absinthium wormwood. Absinthe takes its name from the main adjunct flavoring aside from anise, Artemisia absinthium, the common French name for which is “grande absinthe”.
Although it is
often referred to as a “liqueur”, this isn't really accurate today, since according to
the modern definition of liqueurs they are pre-sweetened and absinthe is not. Technically, absinthe is an
aperitif spirit. Pre-sweetened absinthe was a liqueur known as crème d'absinthe and was of lower proof.
Other traditional absinthe ingredients include petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica), melissa (Melissa officinalis) and hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis).
Absinthe is very high in alcohol content, usually in the 55% to 72%
range (110 to 144 proof); for comparison, whisky is generally around
40%, or 80 proof. Absinthe, a high-proof concentrate, is intended to be
served diluted with iced water at a ratio of approximately three to
five parts water to one part absinthe. Alternatively it is used in
small proportions as a cocktail ingredient, much like bitters.
|
