What Is Absinth?
Absinth is a wormwood based liquor. Often it does not contain anise making it different from the anise based liquor absinthe.
Most countries do not have a legal definition for absinthe or absinth which can cause some confusion. Traditionally absinthe is an anise based drink, however some companies have created wormwood based liquors that contain no anise under the misconception that wormwood was the only important part of absinthe. Often they are marketed as anise-free absinthe or "bohemian" style. Most of these wormwood based drinks are called absinth (without the final e) although they can sometimes contain an e.
To add to the confusion some central european countries such as Germany commonly spell absinthe without an e, referring to both types of drinks as absinth. Knowing the ingredients is the only way to tell for sure between traditional absinthe and the modern wormwood based liquor.
Even with the confusion the majority of anise free wormwood based drinks lack the e and without legal definitions absinthe enthusiasts have taken it on themselves to try and make a distinction between the two different products with similar names.
Absinth Controversy
Absinth is often marketed as traditional absinthe even though the only similarities are wormwood and high alcohol content.
The Czech Republic is the worlds largest producer of absinth. It is claimed that absinth has been produced in the Czech Republic since the 1920s. The Hills company even claims they use the same recipe that they used eighty years ago. There is no evidence to support either claim. [1] Absinth got it's start in the 1990's when Randomill Hills discovered absinthe had never been banned in many countries including the Czech Republic. Unfortunately his absinth product didn't resemble the absinthe of a hundred years ago. It was marketed as the absinthe of old, with what appears to be a fabricated story to provide credibility. Since then the absinthe market has entered a rebirth.
Absinth Ritual
Absinth lacks many of the oils in absinthe thus it often wont louche (turn cloudy) when water is added. A modern ritual was created to take this into account. Absinth is added to a glass and a sugar cube on a spoon is placed over it. The sugar cube is soaked in absinth then lit on fire. The cube is then dropped into the absinth setting it on fire and water is added till the fire goes out, normally a 1:1 ratio. The crumbling sugar can provide a minor simulation of the louche seen in absinthe and the lower water ratio enhances effects of the high strength alcohol.
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