🥃 Absinthe
Spirit drink with wormwood and anise; the EU limits thujone to 35 mg/kg, the "Absinthe de Pontarlier" GI requires 45% vol. minimum and 20 mg/l thujone.
Absinthe is a spirit drink flavoured with wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and usually anise. The EU has no separate category for it; the content of thujone, a substance from wormwood, is limited by Regulation (EC) 1334/2008 to 35 mg/kg in alcoholic drinks made with plants of the genus Artemisia. The only EU geographical indication is "Absinthe de Pontarlier" (France, 2019).
The "Absinthe de Pontarlier" specification, approved in France in 2013, requires wormwood and green anise to be distilled in copper stills of up to 3000 l; star anise is banned. The colour comes from an infusion of Pontic wormwood (Artemisia pontica) and hyssop, and the strength is at least 45% vol. Wormwood is grown and dried in 20 communes of the Doubs department near Pontarlier, without fertilisers or herbicides.
Primary data do not support the hallucination myth. An analysis of 13 authentic bottles produced before the ban in France found thujone from 0.5 to 48.3 mg/l, averaging 25.4 mg/l, far less than was once believed. The study's authors (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008) found nothing in old absinthe except ethanol that could explain so-called "absinthism", and modern absinthes do not differ from historical ones in thujone.
After absinthe was banned in France at the start of the First World War, anise drinks kept the tradition going; according to the specification, wormwood-based drinks were allowed again in 1988. For "Absinthe de Pontarlier" there is even a minimum thujone, 20 mg/l, to preserve the wormwood aroma.
Why it matters to you. The main risk of absinthe is its high strength (45 to over 65% vol. in Pontarlier), not thujone. Promises of a "hallucinogenic effect" are marketing, not a property of the drink. WHO: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| EU category | no separate one; Pontarlier GI is "other spirit drinks" |
|---|---|
| Alcohol (% vol.) | from 45% vol. ("Absinthe de Pontarlier"), on sale up to over 65% |
| Raw material | wormwood, green anise; for colour, Pontic wormwood and hyssop |
| Distillation method | copper stills up to 3000 l; star anise banned (Pontarlier) |
| Legal basis | Reg. (EC) 1334/2008, Annex III (thujone ≤ 35 mg/kg); GI specification (2013) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Absinthe → kind of → 🌿 Anise spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation
- Packed in
- 🍷 Wine label, 🍷 Oak barrel
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 French
- Part of
- 🌿 Anise spirits
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Anis, 🌿 Pastis, 🥃 Ouzo, 🥃 Ouzo
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that absinthe causes hallucinations?
No. Absinthes produced before the 1915 ban contained on average 25.4 mg/l of thujone; researchers found nothing but ethanol that could explain "absinthism" (J. Agric. Food Chem., 2008).
How much thujone is allowed in absinthe?
In the EU, no more than 35 mg/kg for alcoholic drinks made with plants of the genus Artemisia and 10 mg/kg for other alcoholic drinks (Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, Annex III).
Is it true that absinthe is still banned?
No. In France wormwood drinks were allowed again in 1988, and since 2019 "Absinthe de Pontarlier" has been a registered EU geographical indication. In the US wormwood is allowed if the finished product is thujone-free (21 CFR § 172.510).
Why does absinthe turn cloudy when water is added?
Aromatic oils, notably anethole from anise, dissolve less well in water; the Pontarlier specification describes an opal, ivory-coloured tint after dilution.
What is the strength of absinthe?
Like any spirit drink in the EU, at least 15% vol.; "Absinthe de Pontarlier" is from 45% vol., and on sale up to over 65%.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation — Yeast eats the sugar in the must and releases alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🧑🤝🧑 French — The main population of France; their cheese culture is camembert, brie, Comté and roquefort, and the country has 51 dairy AOP names.
- 🥃 Ouzo — A Greek and Cypriot aniseed spirit, EU category 29 «distilled anis»: agricultural alcohol flavoured with anise, from 37.5% vol.
Similar
🥃 Mastika · 🌿 Pastis de Marseille · 🌿 Pastis · 🥃 Anis · 🥃 Rhum agricole · 🥃 Hors d'âge cognac
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings, Annex III, Part B (maximum levels of thujone and hydrocyanic acid)
- Cahier des charges de l'indication géographique «Absinthe de Pontarlier», homologated by arrêté of 12.07.2013 (JORF 19.07.2013), Bulletin officiel du Ministère de l'agriculture
- eAmbrosia — EU register of geographical indications (spirit drinks): Absinthe de Pontarlier (PGI-FR-01870), category 45, registered 19.08.2019
- Lachenmeier D.W. et al. Chemical composition of vintage preban absinthe with special reference to thujone, fenchone, pinocamphone, methanol, copper, and antimony concentrations. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2008
- Padosch S.A., Lachenmeier D.W. et al. Absinthe, absinthism and thujone — new insight into the spirit's impact on public health. The Open Addiction Journal 2010, 3, 32–38
- 21 CFR § 172.510 Natural flavoring substances (USA): Artemisia — finished food thujone free, text via Cornell LII
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Art. 2 (minimum 15 % vol.)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)