SC - SC Absinthe

[J C Ronsen]

At 10:00 PM 5/9/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Morgana comments:
> >>>>Actually, what made absinthe dangerous wasn't the wormwood.  It was the
>fact that they used pure grain alcohol for the base.  I have an absinthe
>recipe which only uses 1/3 oz. of wormwood for 2 liters--not enough to
>cause harm to normal people.
>Spain still makes real absinthe; they use lower alcohol levels now.
>I'd still caustion most people against it.<<<<
>
>Sorry Morgana, I have an extensive article from an old
>Scientific American that disagrees with your statement.
>It gives a comprehensive history of absinthe and the
>exact chemicals in the wormwood that are so dangerous.
>It also gives the breakdowns in the body chemically and the
>effects it has on specifics of the central nervous sysytem.
>If you need it, I'll see if I can locate it in my files.  I
>know it's there as I used it in writing my research
>doucumentation for the A&S entry I had.


I made Absinthe a few years ago. Can't say that I enjoyed the taste.

The toxins in wormwood are dangerous, but not more dangerous than those in 
Tequila, for instance. 1/2 an ounce to an ounce per gallon was the 
acceptable amount in *quality* Absinthe. This amount is generally not 
harmful to an adult, however, the alcohol does increase the rate of 
absorption into the blood stream giving the normally benign dosage a strong 
kick. Too much wormwood, particularly from "moonshine" versions, can cause 
a dangerous system shock to a body. Much the same way that a couple of 
2-2-2's are safe but can put some people into the hospital if washed down 
with a nice beer.

Still, I would like to mention that Absinthe is addictive and not a very 
good thing to put into your body, but it is not a deadly poison that will 
kill you as soon as you drink it.


ska: Lord Caleb Reynolds
mka: Caleb Ronsen
aka: Bubba th' Barbarian
The Scum of AEthelmearc
Known to millions as "Who's that?"
http://www.buffnet.net/~caleb/caleb.htm

Finally, a soda with the great taste of worchestire sauce! Mm, steaky!