Wines and SpiritsWhats Up With Absinthe
Along with all of the other things that the internet has brought to the shopping world, comes the new arrival absinthe. Absinthe is not actually a new arrival its just that it is illegal for stores to sell it in the U.S. And Canada, so it has been difficult to find in the past. It is however perfectly legal to import, posses and drink and if the law sounds irrational to you, don"t worry, because there are other laws on the books that are worse then that.
Absinthe is made with wormwood and don"t worry it doesn"t have any worms in the wood or the absinthe, because the name is derived from a common use for wormwood in the distant past. It was used to rid people of intestinal parasites before the age of modern medicine. Its the thujone that is contained io the wormwood that is the reason for its use in the making of it. Thujone has psychoactive properties that contribute to the unusual effect from drinking absinthe.
Absinthe was formulated and produced in the late 1700s in Switzerland and was promoted as tonic to be used to make people feel better go figure. With 80% alcohol and being laced with thujone it worked quite well at making people feel better and became a popular drink through out Europe. Its a green liquor with a licorice flavor that many people describe as being somewhat bitter due to the wormwood.
Prices vary when you are shopping for absinthe online but as a general rule of thumb you are going to have to pay a little more for the high quality absinthe with a high level of thujone in it. There is fake stuff on the market that doesn"t contain any thujone at all but fortunately there are also reputable dealers online that you can trust your money with as well. As a general rule if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is, so take your time shopping.