Absinthe Minded

What is a Liqueur?
Absinthe is a distilled, highly alcoholic, anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs including the flowers and leaves of the medicinal plant Artemisia absinthium which is also called wormwood. Liqueurs are sweet alcoholic drinks which are flavoured with a variety of different ingredients and come in a variety of different colors and included in other drinks such as the Absinthe Minded. The Alcoholic content of liqueurs is not generally a distinctive feature of these speciality drinks. Most liqueurs have a lower alcohol content than spirits between 15% - 30% although some have a much higher alcohol content up to 55%. The name 'liqueur' derives from the Latin word 'liquifacere' which means to melt or dissolve - the flavorings used to make liqueurs, such as contained in the Absinthe Minded, are dissolved. A Liqueur drink might be flavored from a variety of flavors from fruits, herbs, spices, flowers, seeds, nuts, roots, plants, barks, eggs and cream. For interesting facts &  information and additional drink recipes containing this famous liqueur please click the following link:

Absinthe

Is Absinthe illegal? Facts and Information about the Absinthe Liqueur
In the United States, the sale of beverages containing thujone is still prohibited  - but consumption and the possession of thujone-containing beverages is not punishable by law. Absinthe has never been banned in the UK, nor in much of Southern and Eastern Europe and is completely legal in Canada. The old Parisian Absinthe liquor had a thujone ratio of 260 parts per million. Most absinthe today ranges from approx 2 to 30 parts of thujone per million.

How to serve the Absinthe Minded
Liqueurs are made in nearly every country of the world and come in a variety of different flavors and colors. This makes every liqueur drink, such as the Absinthe Minded, an extremely versatile drink. The Absinthe Minded can be served:

• Straight up - Perfect as after dinner drinks and usually served at room temperature
• On the rocks - If a cold drink is preferred liqueurs can be chilled and served over ice cubes or mixed with crushed ice
• Served with coffee
• Liqueurs, such as the Absinthe Minded, can be mixed with cream or other mixers to create some really good and extremely colorful liqueur cocktails

Interesting Facts and Information about Absinthe Liqueur - Wormwood and Thujone
The main herbal ingredients of absinthe are wormwood. The bitter taste of absinth is due to the inclusion of the wormwood which is one of the bitterest organic substances known. Thujone is a component of natural oil of wormwood. The Thujone in wormwood was originally believed to be similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the active ingredient in marijuana, but this theory has since been disproved. This belief, now discredited, led to the misconception that absinthe had a similar effect on the brain as marijuana. Thujone is, however, still believed by some to be a neurotoxin that cause upsets to the normal firing and signalling of brain neurons and that thujone produces the euphoric feelings and effects following the consumption of absinthe

How to create the best special effects making Absinthe Minded
The following hints and tips will give you some ideas how to make the best special cocktail effects with the Absinthe Minded :

• Serve your classic Absinthe Minded in unusually shaped glasses. Give your glasses a frosted edge by dipping the rim into Lemon juice and then dipping it into sugar. Simple but effective!
• The presentation of your classic Absinthe Minded is all important! Add colorful decorations - drink umbrellas, swizzle sticks , paper flowers, straws and even sparklers! These decorations are all cheap and easy to obtain from your local grocery store
• Add some straws - colored straws are great - just cut them up for small glasses!
• Use cocktail sticks or toothpicks to twist or skewer fruits
• Use slices of fruit to decorate and add a twist to your classic Absinthe Minded
• Add crushed ice - To make crushed ice just place your ice cubes in a plastic bag and crush the ice with a heavy object

Quantities and Proportions
Quantities of ingredients tend to cause confusion - no problem, just use the correct proportions of each ingredient to create the best authentic & original Absinthe Minded ! You can use a thimble, cup or even a pitcher ( if you are making this recipe for a group or a crowd ) when you make a cocktail! The following simple guidelines will also help with the different quantities referred to in other cocktail recipes:

• 1 oz (ounce) equals 2 tbsp (tablespoons) or 3cl (centilitres)
• 30ml equals 1 oz
• 1 shot equals 3 tbsp (tablespoons) or 1½ oz (ounces) or 45 ml (millilitres)
• 1 cup equals 8 oz (ounces) or 24 cl (centilitres) or 240 ml (millilitres)

Exercise your bartending skills, become the bartender of your own personal bar which serves
a great Absinthe Minded!