Absinthe

Death in the Afternoon, also called the Hemingway or the Hemingway Champagne, is a cocktail made up of absinthe and champagne invented by Ernest Hemingway. The cocktail shares a name with Hemingway's book Death in the Afternoon.

Definition

Absinthe (French for absent mindedness) is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic (45–74% ABV / 90-148 proof) beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium (a.k.a. "grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. 

Although it is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a liqueur, absinthe is not traditionally bottled with added sugar, and is therefore classified as a spirit. Absinthe is traditionally bottled at a high level of alcohol by volume, but is normally diluted with water prior to being consumed.

Production

Absinthe is produced by distillation. Only Switzerland has rules for absinthe production and alcohol content. Only Switzerland possesses a formal legal definition of absinthe.

Distilled absinthe employs a method of production similar to that of high quality gin. Botanicals are initially macerated in distilled base alcohol before being redistilled to exclude bitter principles, and impart the desired complexity and texture to the spirit.

The distillation of absinthe first yields a colourless distillate that leaves the alembic at around 72% ABV. The distillate may be reduced and bottled clear, to produce a Blanche or la Bleue absinthe, or it may be coloured to create a verte using natural or artificial colouring.

Absinthe is traditionally prepared from a distillation of neutral alcohol, various herbs, spices and water. Traditional absinthes were redistilled from a white grape spirit (or eau de vie), while lesser absinthes were more commonly made from alcohol from grain, beets, or potatoes. The principal botanicals are grande wormwood, green anise, and florence fennel, which are often called "the holy trinity." Many other herbs may be used as well, such as petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica or Roman wormwood), hyssop, melissa, star anise, angelica, peppermint, coriander, and veronica.

Green colour
Absinthe traditionally has a natural green colour but may also be colourless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as "la fée verte" (the green fairy).

Traditional absinthes obtain their green colour strictly from the chlorophyll of whole herbs, which is extracted from the plants during the secondary maceration. This step involves steeping plants such as petite wormwood, hyssop, and melissa (among other herbs) in the distillate. Chlorophyll from these herbs is extracted in the process, giving the drink its famous green colour. This step also provides a herbal complexity that is typical of high quality absinthe. The natural colouring process is considered critical for absinthe aging, since the chlorophyll remains chemically active. The chlorophyll serves a similar role in absinthe that tannins do in wine or brown liquors. After the colouring process, the resulting product is diluted with water to the desired percentage of alcohol. The flavour of absinthe is said to improve materially with storage, and many preban distilleries aged their absinthe in settling tanks before bottling.

Adding to absinthe's negative reputation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, unscrupulous makers of the drink omitted the traditional colouring phase of production in favour of adding toxic copper salts to artificially induce a green tint. This practice may be responsible for some of the alleged toxicity historically associated with this beverage. Many modern day producers resort to similar (but non-deadly) shortcuts, including the use of artificial food colouring to create the green colour. Additionally, at least some cheaply made preban absinthes were reported to be adulterated with poisonous antimony trichloride, which was reputedly added to enhance the louching (clouding) effect.

Absinthe may also be naturally coloured red using hibiscus flowers. This was referred to as a rouge or rose absinthe. Only one historical rouge brand is reported to have existed.

Intoxicant
Pros: Absinthe has been frequently and improperly described in modern times as being hallucinogenic. The legacy of absinthe as a mysterious, addictive, and mind-altering drink continues to this day. Absinthe has served as the subject of numerous works of fine art, films, video, music and literature since the mid-19th century.

Cons: Absinthe has been linked to crime. At least one documented case exists in which a person suffered acute renal failure after drinking 10 ml of pure wormwood oil, a dose much higher than that found in absinthe.

Customs and Regulations

Bitters may contain a maximum 35 mg/kg thujone, while other alcoholic beverages can contain a maximum 10 mg/kg. In Australia, the import and sale of absinthe technically requires a special permit, although absinthe is readily available in many bottle shops.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thujone