There are many websites selling Absinthe and Absinthekits that its hard to know where to buy Absinthe online, especially if you’re new to Absinthe. Absintheliquor.com is probably the best as they also supply the same absinthe essence to the liquor industry from their industrial site distillery-yeast.com.
Absinthe, otherwise known as the Green Fairy or La Fee Verte, is a strong alcoholic beverage with an anise taste. Henri-Louise Pernod’s original Absinthe was made with a wine alcohol base and flavored with herbs such as grande wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium), aniseed and fennel. Absinthe which is distilled at high proof and is very strong, it is served with iced water to dilute it. It is approximately twice as strong as other spirits such as vodka and whisky.
Absinthe contains the wormwood which gives the drink its bitter taste. The chemical thujone is in wormwood which caused it to be banned in the early 1900s. It was believed that thujone was psychoactive and harmful to health. Tests have now shown that Absinthe, even pre ban Absinthe from distilleries like Pernod, only contains trace amounts of thujone and is not harmful.
Absinthe is enjoyed after using a prepartion method called The Ritual. A shot of Absinthe is slowly diluted with water dripped over a cube of sugar on an Absinthe spoon. The water gradually mixes into the alcohol causing the drink to louche becoming cloudy. Only Absinthe containing real herbs and oils will louche properly.
Where to buy real Absinthe online
To enjoy Absinthe properly you need to order a quality Absinthe which is made by a reputable distillery. Absinthe that has wormwood. Most websites will give details about abv (or proof) and thujone content. For example, Absinth24.net says that Absinthe La Clandestine from Claude-Alain Bugnon has an abv of 53% but less than 30mg of thujone. Thedrinkshop.com, which is a UK based company gives very good product descriptions of the Absinthe available to order on their web shop and also has product reviews.
If you make your own you can ensure that you are using quality Absinthe. Home distillation is illegal in many countries unless you have a license and Absinthe just is not real without the distillation process. However, AbsintheKit. sells real wormwood Absinthe essences which is distilled by CO2 distillation. They have natural, traditional herbs which are the same essences that AbsintheKit sell to the Absinthe industry. They are distilled so you only need to mix 20 ml of essence with 730 ml of vodka or Everclear. That’s it, very easy.
Essences comes in 4 different varieties:-
Absinthe Classic Essence – This essence produces a classic green Absinthe with thujone of 35 mg.
Absinthe White Essence – Use this essence to make a clear Absinthe reminiscent of Swiss La Bleue style Absinthes. This essence makes an Absinthe with a 35 mg thujone content.
Absinthe Orange Essence – Flavored with natural orange oil, this essence makes a yellowy orange Absinthe with a thujone content of 35mg.
Absinthe 55 Strong Essence – This essence should be used if you want a dark green Absinthe with a stronger wormwood flavor. The content of thujone will be 55mg.
Essences are available in two sizes depending on the number of bottles of Absinthe you which to make. An AbsintheKits contain a 280 ml bottle of essence, a handy plastic measure and artistic bottle labels.
It is important to buy Absinthe online at sites where you will find quality Absinthe that tastes right and that louches. Find companies selling award winning brands or made your own from essences.