Absinthe
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
 |
The English used in this article may not be easy for everybody to understand. You can help Wikipedia by making this page or section simpler. |
Absinthe (also absinth, absynthe, absenta) is a distilled, very alcoholic derived from herbs including the flowers and leaves of the medicinal plant Artemisia absinthium. Absinthe is typically green (sometimes are added colours for have another kind of colour) often called la Fée Verte ('The Green Fairy').
Absinthe came from Val-de-Travers,Switzerland. But, it is better known for its popularity in late 19th and early 20th century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers whose romantic associations with the drink still linger in popular culture. At the end of the 1900 over 2 million litres of absinthe were consumed annually in France alone, and 36 million by 1910.
Often in 1800 was a common things,that bad innkeepers put into the absinth,bad things like sulfur for to change the colour of the absinth;for this reason,absinthe was showed as a dangerous drink with psychicall effects.The Lanfray murders of 1906 moved a petition to the Swiss government for the prohibition in Switzerland, and after other countries.Since 1915, it was prohibited in a number of European countries and the United States.
Contents |
[change] Where the word comes from
The word comes from the Latin absinthium, which is in turn a stylization of the Greek αψίνθιον (apsínthion), wormwood'Absinth' (without the 'e') is a spelling variation of absinthe that is often seen in central Europe.
[change] The preparation
Traditionally, absinth is put into a glass.A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted.During this process, the components that are not soluble in water,come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche.
[change] Production
The main herbs used to produce absinthe are green anise, florence fennel and grande wormwood, often called the 'holy trinity'. Many other herbs may be used as well, such as hyssop, melissa, star anise, petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica or Roman wormwood), angelica root, Sweet Flag, dittany leaves, coriander, veronica, juniper, nutmeg, and various mountain herbs.
After a primary maceration and before the optional secondary or 'coloring' maceration. The distillation of wormwood, anise, and Florence fennel first produces a colorless distillate that leaves the alembic at around 72% alcohol.
The distillate can be bottled clear, to produce a Blanche or la Bleue absinthe, or it can be colored using artificial or natural coloring. Traditionally the natural coloring step is done by steeping petite wormwood, hyssop, and melissa, among other herbs, in the liquid. Chlorophyll from these herbs give it its famous green color and this green absinthe is known as a verte. After this process, the resulting product is reduced with water to the desired percentage of alcohol. Sometimes we can foun absinth colored red, called a rouge or rose, by using a red flower/herb.It is theoretically possible to create a 'naturally colored' absinthe of any color by using the correct plant material.Historically, most absinthes contain between 60% and 75% alcohol.
[change] Grades of absinthe
Historically,there were five grades of absinthe: "ordinaire","demi-fine","fine","supérieure" and "Suisse"(which does not denote origin),in order of increasing alcoholic strength and quality. A "supérieure" and "Suisse" would always be naturally colored and distilled."Ordinaire" and "demi-fine" could be artificially colored and made from oil extracts.
[change] Storage
Absinthe should be stored in a cool, room temperature, dry place away from light and heat.
[change] History
The precise origin of absinthe is unknow.Wormwood was good for medical use since 1500 BC.In 1797,Henry-Louis Pernod, opened the first absinthe distillery,called "Dubied Père et Fils", in Couvet.In 1805Pernod built a second distillery in Pontarlier, France,
Absinthe's popularity grew slowly until the 1840s, when absinthe was given to French soliders as a malaria treatment.When the troops returned home, they started to drink absinth in the water,and it became popular at bars and bistros.Since the 1860s absinthe had become so popular that in most cafés and cabarets,By the 1880s the price had dropped significantly, the market expanded, and absinthe soon became the drink of France. By 1910 the French were consuming 36 million litres of absinthe per year.
[change] Prohibition
By the wine makers associations, absinthe was publicized in connection with violent crimes supposedly committed under its influence. This, combined with hard liquor use,and the low priece of the absinthe,in France it became a social problem.
The prohibition of absinthe in France led to the growing popularity in the branch of not wormwood liquor productors,the proibithion was helped by journalist,that with bad articles about abisnth helped the false voices about the drink.In 1900 absinth started to be illegal,like in Switzerland, the prohibition of absinth was even written into the constitution in 1907, following a popular initiative. The Netherlands banned absinthe in 1909, followed by the United States in 1912 and France in 1915. Around the same time, Australia banned the liquor too.After the absinth prohibition,wine and whisky makers had a big jump of sell of their products.
[change] Modern revival
In the 1990s an importer, George Rowley, realized that there was no UK law prohibiting the sale of absinthe (as it was never banned there) other than the standard regulations governing alcoholic beverages Hill's Liquere, a Czech Republic distillery founded in 1920, began manufacturing Hill's Absinth, a Bohemian-style absinth, which sparked a modern resurgence in absinthe's popularity.
It has never been banned in Spain or Portugal, where it continues to be made.France never changed the law of 1915 ,but in 1988 a law was passed to clarify that only drinks that do not comply with European Union regulations with respect to thujone content, or drinks that call themselves 'absinthe', are under that law.
In the Netherlands, the old law about absinth prohibition,was successfully challenged by the Amsterdam wine seller Menno Boorsma in July 2004, making absinthe legal again.
In Switzerland, the constitutional ban on absinthe was repealed in 2000 during an overhaul of the national constitution, however the prohibition was written into ordinary law instead. Absinthe is now not only sold in Switzerland, but is once again distilled in its Val-de-Travers birthplace.
In the United States absinth "banned status" ,is still very hard to understand,in some state probably is legal have a bottle of absinth,but not to buy or to produce it.Probably export and import of absinth is illegal.
[change] Other websites
- The Virtual Absinthe Museum — An online museum of absinthe history, lore, art and antiques.
- Absinthe.se — A collection of absinthe reviews and information.
