Absinthe is currently once again a favorite alcoholic drink, because of its legalization in the USA and other countries after many decades of being illegal. Many young people are trying it the first time and knocking it back with virtually no contemplation on its alcohol content. So, what is Absinthe proof?
Absinthe is an anise flavored liquor that is made from distilling alcohol using a mixture of herbs together with wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed and fennel. It’s popularly known as the Green Fairy, La Fee Verte, due to the typical emerald green colouring of classic verte styles of Absinthe.
Absinthe is generally ingested diluted with iced water according to the Ritual. You must drip the water over a sugar lump on a slotted spoon and to the Absinthe which in turn causes the Absinthe to louche – an attractive effect.
Absinthe was banned in the early 1900s not because of its high alcohol content but with the wormwood in it. Dr Valentin Magnan examined 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, established that thujone was a lot more hazardous than ethanol (alcohol) and so Absinthe was a lot more harmful than other kinds of spirits. He as well as others in the medical career were persuaded that thujone was psychoactive and caused psychedelic effects. Absinthe was therefore prohibited.
Even just in 1975, a nature magazine claimed that a thujone particle was similar in framework 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 just isn’t like THC, although it does act on the GABA receptors of the brain, when ingested in considerable amounts. We also recognize from testing Absinthes, including vintage Absinthe, that Absinthe only is made up of really small amounts of thujone, nowhere near adequate to be damaging. You would have to drink huge amounts of Absinthe and die of alcohol poisoning just before suffering any effects from thujone!
Even though Absinthe is not going to cause us to hallucinate or convulse, it is a remarkably alcoholic drink which needs to be taken carefully as it will get you drunk quite quickly.
What is Absinthe proof?
Let’s examine what the proof of well-known brand names 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 along with other alcohol-based drinks we can see 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 someone makes homemade Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com then your homemade Absinthe’s proof is determined by what neutral alcohol you make use of.
What is Absinthe proof? Very high is the answer!