Absinthe is currently once again a favorite alcoholic drink, because of its legalisation in the USA and also other countries after many decades for being illegal. Many young adults are attempting it the very first time and knocking it back with virtually no thought on its alcohol content. So, what is Absinthe proof?
Absinthe is usually an anise flavored liquor which happens to be produced from distilling alcohol which has a combination of herbs together with wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed and fennel. It is commonly known as the Green Fairy, La Fee Verte, because of the feature emerald green colouring of classic verte styles of Absinthe.
Absinthe is usually taken diluted with iced water according to the Ritual. You have to drip the water on the sugar lump on a slotted spoon and to the Absinthe which in turn causes the Absinthe to louche – an attractive effect.
Absinthe was banned during the early 1900s not because of its high alcohol content but with the wormwood within it. Dr Valentin Magnan analyzed worwmood on guinea pigs in 1845 and found that a guinea pig given wormwood oil had convulsions, whilst, a guinea pig given alcohol just became drunk. By 1872 Magnan had isolated the substance thujone from wormwood and, soon after tests on dogs, established that thujone was far more dangerous than ethanol (alcohol) and so Absinthe was far 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 for that reason prohibited.
Even in 1975, a nature magazine claimed that a thujone particle was identical 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 is not like THC, although it does act on the GABA receptors of the brain, when consumed in large amounts. We also learn from testing Absinthes, which includes vintage Absinthe, that Absinthe only contains very small levels of thujone, nowhere near enough to be dangerous. You would have to drink vast amounts of Absinthe and die of alcohol poisoning prior to suffering any results from thujone!
Despite the fact that Absinthe is not going to cause us to hallucinate or convulse, it is a remarkably alcoholic drink which has to be consumed with care because it will get you intoxicated quite swiftly.
What is Absinthe proof?
Let’s see 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 with other alcoholic drinks we can observe 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 you make homemade Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com in that case your homemade Absinthe’s proof is determined by what neutral alcohol you use.
What is Absinthe proof? Very high is the response!