Does today’s absinthe make you hallucinate?Ībsinthe with sugar cubes - Photo courtesy of Getty Images / rez-art One giveaway is often the color, but more on that later. That said, you can also buy absinthe that Edgar Allen Poe probably would have considered sacrilege. You can buy absinthe today that is ingredient-for-ingredient identical to the absinthe they used to make back when Van Gogh sliced his ear off. In Switzerland, however – the exception to the rule – you can only label your product absinthe if it's distilled, uses no natural coloring and is absent of certain additives. made of at least 51% corn aged in a new, charred oak barrel cannot enter the barrel at higher than 125 proof or enter the bottle at less than 80 proof and nothing can be added but water), absinthe is generally unregulated. However, while many countries have legal definitions for various spirits (i.e. Recipes for absinthe can also include any number of other herbs like hyssop, mint and stinging nettles, just to name a few.
Absinthe is essentially just brandy – a base spirit distilled from any fruit – macerated with herbs, the most common of which are wormwood, fennel and star anise (at least those are the main three that give absinthe its signature taste). There is no such thing as 'real’ absinthe. Wormwood plant - Photo courtesy of iStock / Kerrick Yet, every time I offer some to a friend, I always have to explain that "Yes, it’s real absinthe," and "No, real absinthe isn’t illegal," and finally, "Trust me, you’re not going to start tripping."Īnd after having this conversation many dozens of times, I’ve decided to set the record straight in writing. And, above all, it’s notorious for being the liquor that caused people to run around the streets of Paris hallucinating like Alice down the rabbit hole.Ībsinthe is one of my favorite drinks, and not because it gives me otherworldly visions, but because it’s refreshing, herbaceous and light. It’s been villainized as the spirit that drove Van Gogh insane. The Green Fairy – as it’s famously called – has been romanticized as the muse of la belle époque, giving inspiration to everyone from Oscar Wilde to Arthur Rimbaud. And chances are, if you’re reading this, almost everything you’ve heard about absinthe is wrong. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’ve heard a thing or two about absinthe.
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