Absinth Drinks
Absinth Drinks!
have a number of old recipes that include Absinth as one of the ingredients. However, it's not something I've noticed in bars before.
After doing a bit of research I discovered that it's making a comeback and is available in some bars, (although not in the U.S. apparently), and available in some liquor stores in Canada including the B.C. Liquor Board stores.
I couldn't tell you if it's widely available in liquor stores in other provinces and countries or not.
As it turns out Absinth has a long history and has been available in one form or another for centuries. It was often sold as a medicine and some said it enhanced creativity and clarity of mind despite it's high alcohol content.
However, despite having many fans, Absinth fell into disfavor by 1905 when a strong anti-Absinth movement emerged. By the 1920's, it had been banned in the U.S. and a number of European countries. An interesting thing to note though is that I have some recipes dating from 1936 and 1941 that contain Absinthe as one of the ingredients.
Today, Absinth is seeing a comeback in popularity among some people again. It is completely legal in Canada as well as many countries in Europe; Switzerland being a notable exception. In the U.S. it's apparently legal; however it's banned from being sold in bars and liquor stores.
How to Mix & Drink Absinth
Probably the most popular way to mix and drink Absinth is a practice called...
Louching:
Pour a shot of Absinthe into a glass, place an Absinth spoon over the rim of the glass and place a sugar cube on the spoon.
Slowly pour ice cold water over the sugar cube, when the water mixes with the Absinth, it releases the essential oils that turn the drink a milky white. The dissolved sugar decreases the bitterness of the drink. And drink up.
Wormwood (Thujone):
Medical - Although it was originally believed to be similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), that has since been disproven. Most likely thujone antagonizes inhibition in the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor system. Drugs that act as agonists of GABA receptors (known as GABA analogues or GABAergics) or increase the available amount of GABA typically have relaxing, anti-anxiety and anti-convulsive effects.
In mice the median lethal dose, or LD50, is around 45 mg/kg, 0% mortality rate at 30 mg/kg and 100% at 60 mg/kg. Those exposed to the higher dose had convulsions that led to death in 1 minute. From 30 to 45 mg/kg the mice would experience muscle spasms in the legs which progressed to general convulsions until death or recovery. Pretreatment of diazepam, phenobarbital or 1 g/kg of ethanol protected against a lethal 100 mg/kg dose.
There are few studies on humans and the LD50 isn't known. One study in the Journal of Studies of Alcohol administered 0.28 mg/kg thujone in alcohol, 0.028 mg/kg in alcohol and just alcohol to subjects. The high dose had a negative effect on attention performance. The lower dose showed no noticeable effect. There is no evidence that any dose will cause hallucinations.
Legal - In the EU, alcoholic beverages above 50 proof are limited to 10 mg/kg thujone. In the United States, the sale of beverages containing thujone is prohibitted (but conumption and possession of thujone-containing beverages is not punishable by law.)
Hyssop:
Medical - Hyssop has medicinal properties which are listed as including expectorant, carminative, relaxes peripheral blood vessels, promotes sweating, anti-inflammatory, anti-catarrhal, antispasmodic. Its active constituents are volatile oil, flavonoids, tannins and bitter substance (marrubin). A strong tea made from the leaves and flowering tops is used in lung, nose and throat congestion and catarrhal complaints, and externally it can be applied to bruises to reduce the swelling and discolouration. An old English country remedy for cuts and wounds suffered working in the fields was to apply a poultice of bruised hyssop leaves and sugar in order to reduce the risk of tetanus infection. An essential oil made from hyssop increases alertness and is a gently relaxing nerve tonic suitable for treating nervous exhaustion, overwork, anxiety and depression. The Herb Society's "Complete Medicinal Herbal" cautions however that "the essential oil contains the ketone pino-camphone which in high doses can cause convulsions. Do not take more than the recommended dose.".
Calamus:
Medical - Calamus has been an item of trade in many cultures for thousands of years. Calamus has been used medicinally for a wide variety of ailments. In antiquity in the Orient and Egypt, the rhizome was thought to be a powerful aphrodisiac. Dried calamus rhizome (root) can be used to treat stomach cramps, gas, gastric ulcers, and lack of appetite. In Europe Acorus calamus was often added to wine, and the root is also one of the possible ingredients of absinthe. Among the northern Native Americans, it is used both medicinally and as a stimulant; in addition, the root is thought to have been used as an entheogen among the northern Native Americans. In high doses, it is hallucinogenic.
Legal - Calamus and products derived from calamus (such as its oil) were banned in 1968 as food additives and medicines by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Fennel:
Flavor - Fennel is widely cultivated both in its native range and elsewhere of for its edible, strongly flavoured leaves and seeds. The flavour is similar to that of anise and star anise, though usually not so strong.
Medical - Essential oil of Fennel is included in some pharmacopoeias. It is traditionally used in drugs to treat chills and stomach problems. In medieval times fennel was used in conjunction with St John's wort to keep away witchcraft and other evil things. This might have originated because fennel can be used as an insect repellent.
Cloves:
Flavor - Cloves can be used in cooking either whole or in a ground form, but as they are extremely strong they are used sparingly.
Medical - The compound responsible for the cloves' aroma is eugenol. It is the main component in the essential oil extracted from cloves, comprising 72-90%. Eugenol has pronounced antiseptic and anaesthetic properties.
Coriander:
Flavor - The dry fruit are known as coriander seeds or simply as coriander. They have a lemony citrus flavour when crushed, due to the presence of the terpenes linalool and pinene. It is also described as warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavoured.
Medical - Researchers have found that coriander can assist with clearing the body of lead, aluminium and mercury. Cilantro has been used as a folk medicine for the relief of anxiety and insomnia in Iranian folk medicine. Experiments in mice support its use as an anxiolytic. Cilantro essential oil has been demonstrated to exhibit antibacterial action against E. Coli.
Anise:
Flavor - The fruit consists of two united carpels, called a cremocarp, and has a strong licorice-like taste and a powerful odor. However, the anise plant is not related to the European plant whose roots are the source of true licorice.
Medical - By distillation the fruit yields the volatile oil of anise, which is useful in the treatment of flatulence and colic in children. It may be given as Aqua Anisi, in doses of one or more ounces, or as the Spiritus Anisi, in doses of 5–20 minims. It has also been used to treat canker sores.
Star Anise:
Flavor - Star anise, or Chinese star anise, is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a small native evergreen tree of southwest China. Star anise contains anethole, the same ingredient which gives the unrelated anise its flavor.
Medical - Star anise has been used in a tea as a remedy for colic and rheumatism, and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion. Although it is produced in most autotrophic organisms, star anise is the industrial source of shikimic acid, a primary ingredient used to create the anti-flu drug Tamiflu. Tamiflu is regarded as the most promising drug to mitigate the severity of bird flu (H5N1); however, reports indicate that some forms of the virus have already adapted to Tamiflu.
Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), a similar tree, is not edible because it is highly toxic.