Just in time for spooky season we explore a treat of a fine spirit with a tricky past.

Absinthe: what it is, how it behaves in the glass, the deal on wormwood, a brief history, and some thujone theory.

Please absinthe responsibly, and apologies for the historical nugget on dog flatulence.

Resources from this episode:

Books:

Absinthe: History in a Bottle, Conrad, B. (1988)

The Drunken Botanist: The plants that create the world's great drinks. Stewart, A. (2013)

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, McCullough, D. (2012)

Society of Wine Educators: Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS) Study Guide, Nickles, J. (2020)

Academic Journals/Papers:

Chemistry Central Journal (5:44): Determination of the biologically active flavour substances thujone and camphor in foods and medicines containing sage (Salvia officinalis L.), Walch, S. Kuballa T., Stühlinger, W., Lachenmeier, D., (21 July 2011)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3155476/

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (97(8)): α-Thujone (the active component of absinthe): γ-Aminobutyric acid type A receptor modulation and metabolic detoxification, Höld, K., Sirisoma, N., Ikeda, T., Narahashi, T., Casida, J., (11 April 2000), pp. 3826 - 3831, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC18101/

Websites:

Cocktail Safe: Wormwood and thujone safety information for cocktails https://www.cocktailsafe.org/wormwood-and-thujone.html

The Spirits Business: The 10 most famous absinthe drinkers, Hopkins, A. (2014) https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/08/the-10-most-famous-absinthe-drinkers/

The Nachtkabarett: Mansinthe, Kushner, N. http://www.nachtkabarett.com/mansinthe

Wormwood Society: Absinthe Original D- Don't believe the hype, Robinson, B., (24 November 2009) https://wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=665&catid=16&Itemid=233

Podcasts:

Glass in Session® Winecast: S1E2: Aperitif Wines (2019) https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s1e2-aperitif-wines

Wine Two Five: Anise Spirits and a Nice (Wine!) Surprise (2018) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anise-spirits-and-a-nice-wine-surprise/id986650051?i=1000415280141

Wine Two Five: Boos & Booze: Spooky Wine & Spirits Stories (2015) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/boos-booze-spooky-wine-spirits-stories/id986650051?i=1000355843969

Glass in Session® (including Absinthe!) swag: https://www.teepublic.com/user/glass-in-session

Glass in Session® is a registered trademark of Vino With Val, LLC.

Music: "Write Your Story" by Joystock (Jamendo.com cc_Standard License, Jamendo S.A.)