What is absinthe proof truly

Absinthe is currently once again a well known alcoholic drink, due to its legalisation in the USA and other countries after many decades of being illegal. Many young adults are attempting it the very first time and knocking it back with virtually no consideration of its alcohol content. So, what is Absinthe proof?

Absinthe happens to be an anise flavored liquor which is created from distilling alcohol which has a mixture of herbs including wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed and fennel. It’s often called the Green Fairy, La Fee Verte, because of the characteristic emerald green coloring of classic verte types of Absinthe.

Absinthe is usually consumed diluted with iced water according to the Ritual. You need to drip the water on the sugar lump on a slotted spoon and into the Absinthe which then causes the Absinthe to louche – a pleasant effect.

Absinthe was prohibited in early 1900s not due to its high alcohol content but because of the wormwood within it. Dr Valentin Magnan analyzed worwmood on guinea pigs in 1845 and discovered that a guinea pig given wormwood oil had convulsions, whereas, a guinea pig given alcohol just got drunk. By 1872 Magnan had isolated the substance thujone from wormwood and, soon after tests on dogs, recognized that thujone was a lot more harmful than ethanol (alcohol) and so Absinthe was far more harmful than other kinds of spirits. He as well as others in the medical career were persuaded that thujone was psychoactive and triggered psychedelic effects. Absinthe was for that reason prohibited.

Even just in 1975, a nature magazine claimed that a thujone particle was similar in composition to THC from the drug cannabis and they therefore acted in a similar manner.

We now know that all these claims are inaccurate and false. Thujone is not like THC, although it does act on the GABA receptors of the brain, when consumed in considerable amounts. We also learn from testing Absinthes, which includes vintage Absinthe, that Absinthe only contains really small amounts of thujone, nowhere near enough to be harmful. You should drink quantities of Absinthe and die of alcohol poisoning prior to suffering any outcomes from thujone!

Although Absinthe will not cause us to hallucinate or convulse, it’s a tremendously alcoholic drink which needs to be consumed carefully as it will get you drunk quite swiftly.

What is Absinthe proof?

Let’s examine what the proof of well-known manufacturers 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 assess that to other alcohol-based drinks we can see that Absinthe is extremely strong:-

Absolut Blue Vodka 40% abv (80 proof)
Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila 38% abv (76 proof)
Everclear 95% abv (190 proof)

If you make homemade Absinthe making use of 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 answer!