So you want to try absinthe for yourself – but which one? There are over a hundred brands worldwide, and the manufacturers of each claim that theirs is the best.

First we need to figure out what is absinthe? n brief, absinthe is a high proof alcoholic drink which contains extracts of wormwood, a bitter herb used in both medicine and some other drinks. Distilled from a mixture of wormwood, fennel, and anise, it has a sharp green color and a bitter, liqorice-like flavor.

Absinthe has an alcohol level of between 60 and 75% - that’s 120 to 150 proof! - technically making it a spirit. But it is never drunk straight – both because of the high alcoholic content and because of its extremely bitter taste. Instead it is always diluted with water and sugar; so in practice it is more like a liqeur. Uniquely, this dilution is carried out by the drinker rather than by the distiller.

Absinthe is made in a number of countries, but France and the Czech Republic are the two biggest producers. French absinthe has all the rich cultural associations, but devotees of Czech absinthe (or ‘absinth’ as its spelled in Czech) would like you to remember that they had the good sense never to ban the drink in the first place, and have thus been making it longer than anyone else.