Since the XIX century absinthe became a drink of Bohemia. His fans were Guy de Maupassant, Vincent van Gogh, Arthur Rimbaud, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, Guillaume Apollinaire, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Pablo Picasso, Erich Maria Remarque, and others. Absent immortalized lines of poetry, paintings and even skulturami (bronze ‘glass of absinthe’ Picasso). In the early XX century, absinthe was subjected to persecution. There is a theory that it leads to absinthism syndrome, characterized by addiction, hyperexcitability, and hallucinations. In the 20 years of absinthe was banned in many European countries as well as because of low quality produced a significant proportion of the XIX century beverage and its high strength, many became motivated abuse of absinthe alcoholics. They were called ‘absentistami’, and the disease ‘absinthism’, which often turns into hallucinatory form, and then in schizophrenia.
The consumption of absinthe considered ‘ticket’ in a lunatic asylum. It should be noted that the consequences of abuse in those days mainly attributed contained in the essential oil of wormwood bitter substance – thujone. However, with time, people began to realize that ‘the conviction’ absinthe, not all arguments are persuasive. It was found in particular that ill-fated thujone though it has negative characteristics, causes serious bodily injury, only in the use of absinthe in very large quantities – a few liters a day. And hurts them most likely was due, firstly, the low quality alcohol, used in the manufacture of absinthe, and secondly, it is very high-strength drinks – up to 72%. These and other investigations led to the fact that in 1981 European Union Directive absinthe was legalized in the countries – members of the organization. However, the EU’s restrictions on the composition of modern absinthe.
Thus, the content of thujone in it should not exceed 10 mg / kg, which is lower than the concentration of the substance in absinthe sample of XIX century in 26 times. Sold today in Europe, absinthe – this is not the drink that was persecuted century ago. Absinthe can be yellow, brown and even red, but most of all – emerald green. It was called ‘La Fe’e verte’ – ‘Green Fairy’, or ‘Green Witch. ” It was believed that green light that produces the drink in the minds of bizarre poetic images. The main component of absinthe, wormwood addition, an anise. It as a valuable medicinal and food plant used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. This absinthe is very bitter and very strong alcoholic beverage made from an extract of wormwood (hence the name of the drink, after a bitter wormwood in Latin, ‘artemisia absinthium’). The composition of absinthe also contains extracts of many medicinal herbs such as fennel, anise, lemon balm. In order to keep essential oils in the drink requires a high concentration of alcohol: that’s why absinthe has a strength of 70-75% and sometimes 80% (Swiss absinthe).