Wormwood Absinthe: Some facts about real Absinthe

Real Absinthe (sometimes also called Absinth or Absynthe) contains the herb artemisia absinthium, also known as wormwood. The essential oils of the wormwood plant contain the ingredient "thujone / thujon". The amount of thujone in an Absinthe is limited by law. In the US 10 mg per liter are legal, in the European Union up to 35 mg are legal. If you directly want to buy a bottle of real Absinthe with wormwood just click on one of the products below. We ship to the US.

Buy real Absinthe with wormwood

Absinthe Set with wormwood

Absinthe with wormwood for sale

At our online store we offer a large selection of different styles of real European Absinthe for sale. In this regard these wormwood Absinthes can be considered as "strong", but have in mind Absinthe is NOT a hallucinogenic drug. You will not see pink elephants. Absinthe should primarily be consumed because of its rich culture, fascinating taste and of course its unique drinking ritual. Absinthe made with a higher amount of wormwood has a stronger Absinthe taste profile. Distilled wormwood is slightly bitter, but has as well a very delicious flowerish, perfumed taste. Therefore, you can say, that strong wormwood Absinthe differs as well tastewise from Absinthe made with less wormwood.

What is Absinthe and which one contains wormwood?

Real wormwood AbsintheAuthentic Absinthe is a strong liquor distilled out of the three herbs (amongst others): These three herbs are the holy trinity of Absinthe: Grande wormwood, lat. artemisia absinthium, fennel and green anise. Various other herbs can be added, depending on the specific recipe. The distilled spirit has an alcohol percentage of approx. 68% / 138 proof and is naturally green. You drink Absinthe with ice cold water and a sugar cube. You don't drink it as a shot! The taste of real Absinthe is licorice, due to fennel and anise. The wormwood plant makes Absinthe slightly bitter from its taste. That is also the reason why it is served with one or two sugar cubes, depending on your preferences. Wormwood-flavored alcoholics, particularly Absinthe, were the “drink of the age” in France a hundred years ago.

Wormwood leaves are silvery green and the plant is growing up to 1.5 meters. The plant contains an essential oil with the ingredient "thujone". Thujone was blamed to cause mental illness, that was the official explanation why Absinthe should and finally was prohibited at the "Fin de Siecle". Thujone does not only appear in the wormwood plant. It is a monoterpenoid ketone also appearing in sage, thuja and, according to some sources, in a close relative of mugwort, southern wood. But real Absinthe got legalized once again (1988 in the EU and 2008 in the USA). Why? Because wormwood Absinthe was stigmatized at the turn of the century. It was blamed for social problems in society. It was the scapegoat for an anti-alcohol movement which was big during this time (Prohibition in the USA). But the scientific facts are different, and therefore Absinthe got legalized once again. It was proven that only very high doses of thujone are a threat for your health.

Does Absinthe nowadays still contain wormwood?

Yes! Nowadays, you can buy Absinthe with wormwood online. Some rumors exist, that Absinthe was stronger back in the days. But this is a myth. Vintage Absinthes were analysed and it was proven that they did not contain higher amounts of wormwood. If you find Absinthes in the net advertising with 100mg thujon or more (King of Spirits Gold for example or Century Absinthe) then this is nothing more than a rip off. These bottles are sold for a very high price, but sometimes don't contain any wormwood at all! Read more about the Absinthe Effect here, if you are interested.

Other drinks with wormwood:

Besides its usage in Absinthe you can also brew a tea out of wormwood. Soak one teaspoon of the herbs in a cup of hot (non-boiling) water. The tea has a bitter taste, which hardly can be avoided. You can mix it with peppermint leaves or anise or add sugar, but it still will keep its significant taste. Wormwood is used medically as a tonic, stoma chic, febrifuge and anthelmintic. Wormwood is also used to give some other alcoholic beverages its taste. For example the commonly known "Vermouth" (Martini), where dried wormwood used to give the wine is specific taste. Anyway, Martini contains no thujone.

For those of you who do not like the typical licorice Absinthe flavor there is also an alternative for sale on the market. The so called "anise-free, non-licorice Absinthes" skip anise and fennel from the recipe and replaces it with other botanicals. One non-licorice Absinthe is Gold68. This brand has a strong wormwood flavor but not the typical licorice taste. Citrus and orange peel is part of the recipe to add a pleasant fresh taste to the wormwood taste profile. Nevertehless we have to mention, that real Absinthe uses (green) anise and fennel in its recipe. But if you can not stand this taste, a non-licorice Absinthe like Gold68 might be an option for you.  

Where can I buy real Absinthe with wormwood?

You can easily buy a bottle of real Absinthe with wormwood online at ALANDIA. We ship worldwide including the USA. Shipping is done via Courier Express or DHL Airmail. Express takes just 2-3 business days, Airmail 5-10 business days. The delivery is guaranteed, therefore there is absolutely nothing you have to worry about. If your order does not arrive, whatever the reason might be, we will refund you your money. And it doesn't matter if you are looking for bottles of strong Absinthe or accessories like an Absinthe spoon, Absinthe fountain, or Absinthe glass. We offer it all for sale. ALANDIA is the World of Absinthe, here you can buy your bottle of real Absinthe :-) Green Greetings!