Absinthe was invented in Switzerland – originally as a medicine, based on the curative characteristics of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). All the active ingredients are extracted from wormwood with alcohol. As it happened with many other medicinal substances, Absinthe started being misused for intoxicating purposes, which in its turn was made into a profitable business. Moreover, in order to cut the costs, the original recipe of Absinthe was modified in order to make it cheaper to produce. And so from an efficient natural medicine Absinthe was turned into a cheap, intoxicating, harmful for health substance. As a result, many countries have banned Absinthe altogether, as well as any other wormwood-based spirits.
However, because of the remaining high demand for the Absinthe unique taste among spirit drinkers, many unscrupulous manufacturers started producing low-quality spirits (containing no prohibited wormwood) that resembled Absinthe in appearance and flavour – achieved by artificial flavourings.
Thus, Absinthe acquired a very bad reputation.
Now that the reputation of wormwood, and the active ingredient ‘thujone’ it contains, has been rehabilitated by the science, and the ban on wormwood has been lifted in majority of the countries, including New Zealand, it is time to restore the original glory of Absinthe as a natural remedy.
Puhoi Organic Distillery and Dr Iryna Kirichuk (MD) have commenced a Limited Edition Bohemian Absinthe based on the original Swiss recipe, but improved with the assistance of modern scientific knowledge of Adaptogens.
In the previous post we informed our readers about the organic growing and collection of wormwood and other important supporting herbs. In addition to the herbs, the other important ingredient is high quality pure alcohol. The original Swiss recipe specified alcohol extracted from wine. For our Bohemian Absinthe I have distilled alcohol from Certified Organic New Zealand Shiraz (2015 vintage). This is the alcohol of outstanding quality, impossible to purchase on the market. The only disadvantage of such unique alcohol is the high production cost, because one litre of such alcohol requires at least six litres of wine.
Of course, making such Absinthe requires high skills and plenty of know-how, most of which are our commercial secrets we keep close to our chest. The good news is that soon we will release our Limited Edition Bohemian Absinthe (batch #1, 2016).
So, watch this space for the announcement of dates for Bohemian Absinthe tastings in April and May 2016 at the Puhoi Organic Distillery.
Please contact us for being put on the waiting list for tastings alex_kirichuk@clear.net.nz