Absinthe is an anise flavor liquor which is made by distilling alcohol with herbs one of which is wormwood and aniseed. It is known it is strong and can get you very drunk, but what percentage of alcohol is Absinthe and what is its proof?
Let’s look at the alcohol by volume levels of popular brands of Absinthe:-
La Fee XS Absinthe Francaise 68% abv (136 proof)
Doubs Mystique Carte D’Or 65% alcohol by volume is 130 proof
La Clandestine Absinthe 53% abv (106 proof)
Jade Edouard 72% abv (144 proof)
Sebor is 55% alcohol by volume (110 proof)
Jade Nouvelle Orleans 68% alcohol by volume (136 proof)
Mari Mayans Collectors 70 is around 70% alcohol by volume or 140 proof
La Fee Parisian 68% abv is 136 proof
Lucid Absinthe is 62% abv or 124 proof
Jade Verte Suisse 65% abv which is 130 proof
Pernod Absinthe 68% abv (136 proof)
Kuber 53 is 53% alcohol or 106 proof
Pere Kermanns 60% alcohol by volume or 120 proof
Jade PF 1901 68% alcohol by volume is 136 proof
La Fee XS Absinthe Suisse is approximately 53% alcohol by volume or 106 proof
Roquette 1797 75% abv or 150 proof
La Fee Bohemian 70% alcohol by volume (140 proof)
Let’s compare Absinthe to several other beverages:-
Whisky such as Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch 40% aby (80 proof)
Absinthe can be 75% alcohol by volume and up to 150 proof
Table Wine which is 9-12% abv is 18-24 proof
Beer tends to be 4 or 5% alcohol by volume which is 8-10 proof
Now, the information on the alcohol.com website has shown that if you have 1 shot of 190 proof Everclear it is equivalent to drinking 2.85 cans of beer and about 3 brandies. With this information we can establish that one shot of Absinthe is equivalent to 2.2five cans of beer. So, the twenty-two shots of Absinthe is equivalent to 49.five beers!
As you can see, Absinthe is stronger than types of fermented drinks such as wine and beer and even stronger than whisky. We therefore need to be careful when consuming Absinthe, not because it will make us have hallucinations, but because it is so strong and will intoxicate quickly. We need to take particular care when mixing Absinthe with other alcoholic drinks in cocktails.
Care needs to always be taken when your are making your own Absinthe drink. If you buy an Absinthe kit from someone like Green Devil then you are simply steeping herbs in a neutral alcohol such as Everclear or vodka. Everclear has an abv of 95% and a proof of 190 so it is much stronger than commercial Absinthe. The absinthekit has absinthe essences.some have been mixed with a neutral alcohol such as Everclear or vodka. The finished Absinthe will be the proof or abv of the neutral alcohol you have used.
What % is in Absinthe? For commercial Absinthe just look on the bottle label or, if you are ordering online, look at the product details for abv or proof. If you are making your own Absinthe from a kit, you need to look at the bottle of Everclear or vodka that you are using.