What is absinthe proof really
Absinthe has become once again a favorite alcoholic drink, due to its legalisation in the USA as well as other countries after many ages of being illegal. Many young adults are trying it for the first time and knocking it back without any consideration of its alcohol content. So, what is Absinthe proof?
Absinthe happens to be an anise flavored liquor which happens to be made from distilling alcohol which has a blend of herbs including wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed and fennel. It is actually commonly known as the Green Fairy, La Fee Verte, because of the typical emerald green coloring of classic verte styles of Absinthe.
Absinthe is usually ingested diluted with iced water based on the Ritual. You need to drip the water over a sugar lump on a slotted spoon and in the Absinthe which then causes the Absinthe to louche – a pleasant effect.
Absinthe was banned during the early 1900s not because of its high alcohol content but due to the wormwood within it. Dr Valentin Magnan tested worwmood on guinea pigs in 1845 and discovered that a guinea pig given wormwood oil had convulsions, whilst, a guinea pig given alcohol just got drunk. By 1872 Magnan had isolated the compound thujone from wormwood and, soon after tests on dogs, recognized that thujone was far more dangerous than ethanol (alcohol) and so Absinthe was a lot more harmful than other kinds of spirits. He and others in the medical career were convinced that thujone was psychoactive and triggered psychedelic effects. Absinthe was consequently forbidden.
Even just in 1975, a nature magazine reported that a thujone molecule was very similar in structure to THC from the drug cannabis and they therefore acted in a similar way.
We now know that all these claims are incorrect and untrue. Thujone just isn’t like THC, though it does act on the GABA receptors of the brain, when ingested in large amounts. We also learn from testing Absinthes, like vintage Absinthe, that Absinthe only contains very tiny amounts of thujone, nowhere near adequate to be dangerous. You should drink vast amounts of Absinthe and die of alcohol poisoning just before suffering any effects from thujone!
Despite the fact that Absinthe is not going to cause us to hallucinate or convulse, it’s actually a remarkably alcoholic drink which must be taken carefully because it will get you drunk quite quickly.
What is Absinthe proof?
Let’s examine what the proof of well-known brands of Absinthe is:-
Lucid Absinthe 62% abv (124 proof)
La Clandestine Absinthe 53% abv (106 proof)
Sebor 55% abv (110 proof)
Pere Kermanns 60% abv (120 proof)
Pernod Absinthe 68% abv (136 proof0
Mari Mayans Collectors 70 70% abv (140 proof)
La Fee XS Absinthe Suisse 53% abv (106 proof)
La Fee XS Absinthe Francaise 68% abv (136 proof)
La Fee Bohemian 70% abv (140 proof)
La Fee Parisian 68% abv (136 proof)
Kubler 53 53% abv (106 proof)
Doubs Mystique Carte D’Or 65% abv (130 proof)
Roquette 1797 75% abv (150 proof)
Jade PF 1901 68% abv (136 proof)
Jade Edouard 72% abv (144 proof)
Jade Verte Suisse 65% abv (130 proof)
Jade Nouvelle Orleans 68% abv (136 proof)
If we examine that to other alcoholic beverages we can see that Absinthe is quite strong:-
Absolut Blue Vodka 40% abv (80 proof)
Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila 38% abv (76 proof)
Beer happens to be 4 or 5% alcohol by volume (8-10 proof).
Table Wine 9-12% alcohol by volume (18-24 proof).
Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof).
Everclear 95% abv (190 proof)
If someone makes homemade Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com then your homemade Absinthe’s proof is determined by what neutral alcohol you make use of.
What is Absinthe proof? Very high is the answer!