Understanding and Respecting Absinthe

Absinthe is an anise flavored herbal spirit containing Artemisia absinthium, a species of wormwood native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa. Within this wormwood is a chemical known as Thujone which was once said to be much like the THC in Marijuana, giving you psychedelic reactions. Historically, Absinthe was banned from many countries including the United States and most of Europe (not including the United Kingdom and a few others) because of its supposed effect on people.

The banning of absinthe was completed around 1915, mostly due to the lack of understanding and science behind Thujone and its effects on humans. Of course, prohibition was around the corner and tolerance for such spirits was already at an all-time low. People were said to hallucinate on the chemical but many subjects were already raging alcoholics and the use of any high proofed alcohols could cause such a reaction. Anti-alcohol movements grasped onto these stories of death and delusion to push their own agendas.

Today, we understand Absinthe and the wormwood component. Thujone, the primary oil in wormwood, is present in only trace amounts within Absinthe because it resists the distillation processes. The early studies of Thujone were largely incorrect; the chemical has no relation to THC and has no scientific proof behind the mythical hallucinations. New detailed scientific studies show that authentic absinthe had very little wormwood and any chemical reaction from Thujone would require the body to survive massive alcohol poisoning from the distilled alcohol. The wormwood wasn't the problem, it was the societies desire for banishment that was to blame.

These new studies have helped bring Absinthe back to the United States under established laws and guidelines along with other European countries. Starting with Lucid Absinthe in 2007, new brands are entering the market each year. We've got Vieux Carré, La Fée and many others here in the US, each with their own unique distinction. Just remember, Absinthe isn't an illegal product anymore and we're free to explore its possibilities. It's also not a cheap spirit, the rare species of herbs within the absinthe recipe drive up the cost of the product. Expect to spend USD $60 for a typical bottle of absinthe.

Checkout: http://www.wormwoodsociety.org for more information on this green liquid.

Latest Announcements

We had four winners in our POM Wonderful contest: Dan, Rich, Ali and Anne. I accidentally picked one extra winner but POM was nice enough to send out an additional prize to the 4th winner. Nice folks!

Also, if you get a few moments, can you give us a rating on iTunes, we're moving up their featured list and I'd love to beat some of the shows that haven't updated their episodes in months. We're often found on page-one featured list results, but fade to page two every few days. I'd love top-dog position!

Contests & Deals

Partida let us know about their latest contest in which you can win all kinds of neat prizes if you're in the state of New York, Florida or Texas. Each week, until Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 16th), they'll be drawing a winner with prizes including: Agave Nectar, T-Shirt, 2 Old-Fashioned Glasses, Cocktail Shaker/Strainer, Buttons, Recipe Book, Lime Squeeze and the cool Tote bag. Head over to everydaydrinkers.tv/partida to submit your entries.

Recipe

We'll soon be launching the Dubonnet Royal cocktail, a recipe from 1937 which contains:

2 oz. Gin
1 oz. Dubonnet Rouge (red wine aperitif)
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Dash of Orange Curacao (1/4 teaspoon)
Dash of Absenthe (1/4 teaspoon)
Lemon Twist as Garnish

Stir and strain into a cocktail glass; garnish and serve.

Latest Spirit Reviews

If you're looking for new spirits, checkout some of our reviews:

We hope you're finding the newsletter useful or at least a worth-while read. I know we've got some viewers that only try a small selection of the recipes but enjoy the content regardless to their taste preferences. We enjoy hearing from each of you and it inspires us to keep on creating content worth watching. Jennifer, my wife, works hard editing all the video's each week while I get the "easy" job of sitting in front of the camera. She's doing a great job in my opinion and love to know people enjoy the show.

Thanks!

Derrick

PS: I do indeed wear Hawaiian shirts in "real life." I owned almost all of them before the show was even conceived.