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Grand Wormwood, Anise Seed, Fennel, Hyssop, Lemon Balm, and Small Wormwood

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Absolutely amazing aromas filled the kitchen at this point.

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Just wait until you distill, there's an "absolutely amazing aroma" in my house from the still job of a few days back and when I on the stilling day went to the supermarket for a quick buy, I discovered that the "absolutely amazing aroma" had followed me there
Not mocking here, absinthe herb mixes smell absolutely wonderful, especially in this time of artificial aromas.

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14g Grand Wormwood, 28g Anise Seed, 28g Fennel

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If you distill it well that baby's gonna louche like you're pouring milk in instead of water


I'm impatiently awaiting your further installments ^_^

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Wiccan_Seeker said:

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Absolutely amazing aromas filled the kitchen at this point.

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Just wait until you distill, there's an "absolutely amazing aroma" in my house from the still job of a few days back and when I on the stilling day went to the supermarket for a quick buy, I discovered that the "absolutely amazing aroma" had followed me there

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I'm all about alliterations

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Wiccan_Seeker said:
Small Wormwood = Roman Wormwood (Artemisia pontica)

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You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find the pontica!  Far more hours than I like to spend at the computer.  But it was all worth it

As for the still, I will be using a wok still for my first run.  Perhaps once I start doing this more often, I will pick up a 3-4 liter copper alembic still. 

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makaveli8x8 said:
throw a little valerian in there?

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Before I try any other ingredients I want to find the right balance with these basics. 

I want to give another go at this recipe, I don't feel I did it as well as I could have.  I think I distilled it too fast and lost a lot of vapor.  Next time I am going to put the still in an electric skillet filled with water.  Hopefully I can better control the temperature this way.  For those interested, here is an abbreviated version of my recipe:

Batch No. 1
14g Wormwood
28g Anise seed
28g Fennel
5.6g Roman Wormwood
5.6g Hyssop
2.8g Lemon balm

1. Grind first 3 herbs in blender
2. Soak for 24 hours in 500ml of 85% alcohol
3. Add 250ml water
4. Place solution in still
5. Distill and collect 500ml
6. Crush up colouring herbs with fingers
7. Heat half of distillate to temperature no warmer than my finger can bear and macerate roman wormwood, hyssop, and lemon balm
8. Remove from heat and let cool
9. Filter and recombine with other half
10. Filter one more time with coffee filter
11. Bottle and age at least 2 months before imbibing

500ml x 85% = 425,  425/95% = 447.4ml
500ml of 85% = 447.4ml of 95% + 52.6ml water

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Jive turkey said:
maybe I got some poorly made shit?

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makaveli8x8 said:
if you bought it from a store or online then yah you wasted your money.  Sopposedly the only way to experience it is to make it yourself with proper ingrediancts

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Not entirely true.  There are a few places to order high quality absinthe from such as LdF.  With that being said, there are many more sites that sell crap. 

But mostly I do agree.  To me, the real experience is making it, then marvelling at the creation in the form of a nice buzz.  Now keep in mind, that very often the psychedelic effects are overplayed by unscrupulous vendors reporting "High Thujone" and crap like that.  Thujone is toxic, plain and simple.  In small doses (like those present in well made absinthe) is adds a nice mild alertness to an otherwise normal drunkenness.  The amount of thujone required to make you hallucinate would have you convulsing on the ground, long before you saw any green fairies. 

To me, the added effects seem to come from the synergy of the herbs themselves (along with the high % of alcohol) rather than any one particular chemical component.  It is a very mild difference, not a pot-like buzz that I have heard so much about.  Lookat how being drunk on Tequila is different than being drunk on beer, which is different than being drunk on whisky etc...  The same difference applies to that of an absinthe intoxication.  Still drunk from the alcohol, but there is a mild difference that sets it apart. 

Peace

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There are a few places to order high quality absinthe from such as LdF. With that being said, there are many more sites that sell crap.

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With Absinthe there is the strange reality that most brands sold are utter crap or not even remotely close to what Absinthe is like. Its basically buying a bar that says CHOCOLATE and once home you discover theres chewing gum in it, that big a difference.

Because this thread is so great and I want to add good content to it I'll repost my advice on absinthe below:


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The market is saturated with all sorts of crap at sometimes outrageous prices. It is important to realize that a lot of "Absinthes" you can buy quite often have nothing to do with real Absinthe. Here's advice on which kinds to buy, at what price, and how to prepare it. The preparation is detailed in the attached video.

OK, here goes.

Absinthe can be bought in bottles of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1 liter.

For liters, you can expect to pay $50-$150. Since a serving of absinthe before dilution measures 20-30ml, this boils down to $1-$5 per glass.
Here are brands that come highly recommended:

DUPLAIS (Balance, Verte, Blanche)
FRANCOIS GUY
HELFRICH (Verte, La Blanche)
JADE (Edouard, Nouvelle Orleans, PF 1901, Verte Suisse)
LA VALOTE (Bovet, Fornoni, Martin)
LASALA (spanish Absenta, can be had for $35/liter)
SEGARRA (spanish Absenta)
UN EMILE 68 (also their La Blanche)
VERSINTHE (Verte and especially La Blanche)
VERTE DE FOUGEROLLES

These 20 Absinthes from 10 houses all are top notch quality, contrary to the extensive list of crappy or even false Absinthes. You can expect to pay $75 a liter on average.

As you can see there are two kinds of Absinthe: Verte (green) and La Blanche (white). Both are traditional. Basically the distilled Absinthes are La Blanche, and when additive herbs are steeped into it it gains flavor and a green color, producing a Verte.

If you have not a clue which to select my personal choice for the beginner would be to buy a 0.5 liter bottle of Duplais Balance (costs about $35, 15-25 glasses) which is a rather good Verte absinthe, and to buy an absinthe spoon with it.

You can use a white wine glass to serve Absinthe:



Make sure the glass can comfortably hold 130ml (30+100) or 90ml (20+60) which your Absinthe requires, and that it is fairly wide so it can fit an absinthe spoon. If you want to improvise entirely, a metal tea-strainer can be put on the glass to hold the sugarcube, and a teaspoon can be used to stir the dilute Absinthe afterwards.

An Absinthe preparation that's good for all kinds is to take a wine glass, pour in 30ml (20ml) of Absinthe, then pour 100ml (60ml) icecold water over one sugar cube on an Absinthe spoon, then stirring until all sugar is dissolved in the dilute Absinthe. Upon diluting, most good absinthe turns cloudy (the "louche") or even becomes so cloudy as to become non-transparent. This is usually a good sign, whereas absence of a louche usually is a bad sign.

You drink Absinthe by taking a sip, and spreading it through your mouth for some time before swallowing. Let the aftertaste linger before you sip some more. It is all about the taste, and a good Absinthe has a lot of taste to it. You should relax and take your time for enjoying Absinthe - if a glass lasts you at least twenty minutes before its empty, you are on the right track. Absinthe is not for chugging, and isn't about getting hammered either.

I cannot stress enough that Absinthe should always be diluted with water, 2-5 parts of water to one part of Absinthe. Drinking it neat is like drinking lemonade syrup neat: you can't expect it to taste good that way. Adding one cube of sugar is most common, some add two and others none. Sugar helps to bring out the flavor.

It's important to realize that Absinthe, real Absinthe, is a drink with often a strong anise flavor to it. If you don't like anise, chances are you won't like Absinthe.

Absinthe is best reserved for before or after dinner, or at the close of day, alone or discussing with friends. I recommend against drinking more than three glasses on a given day: if alcohol becomes a factor it is best to switch to a less refined drink better suited for stiff drinking. Absinthe is too expensive to get drunk on, it has too much flavor for continued drinking, and may give rise to a fiendish hangover if drank in excess. For the frequent drinker, one glass of absinthe a day is the most you should drink of it, and preferably more days without absinthe than with to keep it special.

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wutang said:
but i noticed you didnt add the melted sugar cube?

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Dont ever add melted sugar to absinthe.  That is a guaranteed way to ruin the subtle flavours and give your absinthe a burnt sugar taste.

That whole fire ritual wasnt started until the early 90's to help disguise the taste of the crap they were passing off as absinthe (which was basically a liquorice flavoured, high proof spirit).  Awful stuff.  Real absinthe should be prepared like this:

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Jive turkey said:
Has anyone made or drank Piołunówka before?
I was wondering if it is better than absinthe.
absinthe just got me really drunk and left a shitty taste in my mouth like I just ate vicks vapor rub and licorice.

What's it supposed to feel like?
if this is it then it was not worth the 60 bucks and gross taste.

maybe I got some poorly made shit?

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