It is argued, for example, that absinthe was forbidden, meaning that what was forbidden must have been proven to be harmful to health, right?! But that's exactly where the mistake lies. Absinthe was not banned based on medical-scientific tests, but largely due to the economic interests of the wine lobby in France (which feared the increasing competition from the increasingly popular green drink) and a general anti-alcohol movement in society. No question, at the beginning of the 20th century, many people drank a lot of alcohol (and certainly too many glasses of absinthe). But simply saying that absinthe drives you crazy and therefore must be banned is simply wrong. Rather, absinthe had to serve as a scapegoat, onto which societal imbalances were projected.
If you want to learn more about the absinthe ban, you should read our blog article. There you will find more details about the prohibition movement. Furthermore, you will also find an article there about the latest study results on the active ingredient thujone and its myths. Newer studies have refuted the thesis that historical absinthes were much stronger than modern brands.
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What causes the effect of Absinthe?
So, we can conclude that absinthe was not primarily banned due to its effects. This was merely a pretext to politically sell the ban. Nevertheless, genuine absinthe has a different effect than normal alcohol (e.g., beer, wine). This is mainly due to the incomparably high alcohol percentage. Genuine absinthe classically has 68 percent alcohol. No other spirit has that much: vodka, whiskey, gin, rum; all these bar spirits have between 40 and 50 percent alcohol. This means that with 68% alcohol content, absinthe is simply much stronger than what you normally drink at home or in a bar. This causes a different kind of intoxication, the so-called absinthe high.
Absinthe ALANDIA Strong68 500 ml 68%
This Absinthe is our bestseller: Like the name suggests, Strong68 is a quite powerful Absinthe with 68% alcohol by vol. (136 proof). The recipe is based primarily on grand wormwood (artemisia absinthium). Other traditional herbs like anise and fennel are used to give this Absinthe a pleasantly fresh body. Nevertheless, the wormwood in the recipe gives Strong68 a slightly bitter taste. Therefore, we recommend preparing your glass of Absinthe ac...
Does thujone cause the effects of absinthe?
Thujone or thujone in absinthe is attributable to the wormwood plant. Its plant oils contain thujone, which is medically considered a neurotoxin. During the time of its prohibition, it was argued that absinthe caused madness because it contained the active ingredient thujone. This argument persists to this day. It is often also claimed that earlier absinthes contained more thujone than they do today. That is, original absinthe is no longer available for purchase, only today's diluted version. To that we say, in short: Nonsense.
In recent years, old absinthes have been analyzed in recognized scientific studies and, lo and behold, they were not thujone bombs. They contained as much thujone as is legal again today: 9-35 mg of thujone per liter. This also shows that the thujone quantities are quite small. This means that thujone can act as a neurotoxin, but only if consumed in very large quantities. We are not talking about a few more milligrams here, but several grams. This amount cannot be consumed with absinthe.
but conversely, that you should not drink pure wormwood oil. This can certainly be harmful to your health. But who would - to use an analogy - consume 100 grams of caffeine at once...? You might even die from that, because the body can no longer process such quantities.
The following can be stated: Yes, real absinthe contains thujone. Yes, thujone is harmful in large quantities. No, absinthe did not contain more thujone in the past than it does today. No, properly made absinthe is not harmful to health. And also no, you cannot buy absinthe with more thujone in the Czech Republic or Russia either. While it may be advertised as containing 100 mg of thujone, this is only done to swindle customers out of their money. These are simply disreputable providers!
So how does real absinthe work, then?
Drinking absinthe means consuming a very strong spirit with a high alcohol content (absinthe traditionally has an alcohol content of 68%). Therefore, the drink should be consumed responsibly. This includes the fact that drinking absinthe neat is a taboo. It should always be mixed with water. So, if you drink absinthe, you won't see pink elephants (unfortunately, we have to disappoint you, absinthe does not cause hallucinations). However, you can certainly experience a certain absinthe high that differs from other highs.
We have a little story about this: An acquaintance of ours, for example, jumped into a garden hedge after a few glasses of absinthe. Don't worry, nothing happened to him. But he said afterwards that he just felt like it. The hedge looked so soft and wonderfully green. He simply couldn't resist. You see, something like that can happen after a few glasses of absinthe. You perceive your surroundings more intensely and can fall into a certain euphoria. It's best to try it yourself. Buy real absinthe and drink two to three glasses with 20 ml of absinthe each. Then you will experience your very own effect of absinthe.
Absinthe Effects on women
There's a persistent rumor that absinthe is an aphrodisiac, meaning a substance that can be used to increase sex drive and potency. It's compared to a "female Viagra." For example, the online edition of the newspaper WELT writes in one of its articles: "Absinthe: This Drink Makes Women Willing, Men Weak." In some cases, it is also claimed that absinthe is a substitute for "Frauengold," the alcoholic tonic that was sold until the 1970s and targeted women. It is also claimed that the spirit is a home remedy for female frigidity. The question arises whether there is any truth to these sensational claims about absinthe's effect on women. Does the drink really make women instantly willing?
This could be due to either the thujone contained in absinthe or its high alcohol content. Thujone, the former ingredient, is not medically known for aphrodisiac effects. Thujone can also have a stimulating effect, but the thujone content in absinthe is relatively low. Alcohol, on the other hand, when consumed in moderation, can have a stimulating effect. Women tend to react more strongly to alcohol than men. This is due to different physical and physiological constitutions. The often-mentioned effect of absinthe on women is therefore primarily attributable to the high alcohol content in absinthe. Absinthe has a significantly higher alcohol content of 68% than, for example, wine, sparkling wine, or spirits. Therefore, when served in an absinthe cocktail, the drink should be consumed responsibly.
Which absinthe has the best effect at what alcohol content?
We are also always asked which absinthe has the best effect. Which absinthe is the strongest? If you've read the text before, you know that the effect of absinthe is not much different from the effect of very high-proof alcohol. Nevertheless, absinthes differ in their thujone content.
1. Absinthe Strong68 (Our bestseller, approximately 30 mg Thujone, 68% alcohol content / Vol. Percent)
2. Absinthe Hamlet Classic Green (Approximately 25 mg Thujone plus 69% alcohol content / Vol. Percent)
3. Absinthe Gold68 (Anise-free Absinthe, approximately 30 mg Thujone, 68% alcohol content / Vol. Percent)
4. Absinthe Mata Hari (Anise-free Absinthe, approximately 25 mg Thujone, 60% alcohol content / Vol. Percent)
You can find all these absinthes in our "Strong Absinthe" section. At this point, however, we would like to explicitly emphasize once again that absinthe does not cause hallucinations. Nevertheless, drinking absinthe should be consumed responsibly given its high alcohol content. We wish you a lot of fun with it!