Just another absinthe question....

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Midol
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Just another absinthe question....

Post by Midol »

Hey, I was browsing for kits since I lost my recipie and I found this one:
* Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) (1 ounce)
* Anise Star Pod (Illicium verum)
* Anise Seed (Pimpinella anisum)
* Fennel Seed (Foeniculum vulgare)
* Coriander Seed (Coriandrum sativum)
* Calamus root (Acorus calamus)
* Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
* Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
* Angelica Root (Angelica archangelica)
* Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

It is overseas so I must buy the ingredients myself but are all of these needed and how much roughly of each would I add? It seems I can get most of it in 100gram bags but after adding half of it to my cart I am at $30, will I need 1000grams of each or only about 50grams?

Right now it doesn't seem worth it.
dye99
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Post by dye99 »

if you want a cheap version of absinth get marajuana and boil it. this will extract the cannibus and mix this with you spirit.
KatoFong
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Post by KatoFong »

Suffice to say, Dye99 is wrong. So much so that I can't decide if he's being serious or just goofing around.
dye99
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Post by dye99 »

i got that idea from a freind so if you know more then i do i think he should be talking to you more then me. i dont really know that much about absinth, so i will listen and learn so i dont go babbling about somthing that might kill sombody.
Watershed
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Post by Watershed »

for one thing absinthe has never contained cannabis.
KatoFong
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Post by KatoFong »

For another, soaking any herb in vodka for any period of time has never been the way to make absinthe.

For a third...oh nevermind...just read the previous threads on absinthe on this and other forums. There's a wealth of information out there if you're willing to read it. If you aren't, you shouldn't be messing around with making absinthe. Or a still, for that matter.
Grim

Re: Just another absinthe question....

Post by Grim »

Midol wrote:Hey, I was browsing for kits since I lost my recipie and I found this one:
* Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) (1 ounce)
* Anise Star Pod (Illicium verum)
* Anise Seed (Pimpinella anisum)
* Fennel Seed (Foeniculum vulgare)
* Coriander Seed (Coriandrum sativum)
* Calamus root (Acorus calamus)
* Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
* Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
* Angelica Root (Angelica archangelica)
* Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

It is overseas so I must buy the ingredients myself but are all of these needed and how much roughly of each would I add? It seems I can get most of it in 100gram bags but after adding half of it to my cart I am at $30, will I need 1000grams of each or only about 50grams?

Right now it doesn't seem worth it.
Screw the kit. But goin' off the herb choice you've got their, substituted with quality herbs, good base alcohol (@ 85), for a 1 liter batch, I'd say:
20 grams of aromatic A.a., or less if it's sorry.
6 grams Star Anise
60 grams Green Anise
40 grams Florence Fennel
3 grams Coriander
2 grams Calamus
5 grams Hyssop
0.5 grams Licorice Root
1.5 grams Angelica Root
5 grams Melissa

Grind most of the herbs, finely divide the A.a. and macerate for 12-24 hours. Combine with 500ml (or more) of distilled water immediately prior to distillation. Provide a uniform and gradual heating. Set aside 950-1000ml of the distillate. It will most likely have some entrained tails. Set it aside and let it age for a few months. Don't bother coloring.
KatoFong
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Post by KatoFong »

Hey Grim, how much water would you add for an 800 ml batch?
Grim

Post by Grim »

400ml or more.

As a rule of thumb, around ½ the volume of alcohol, in water, is used. The old texts would require a little less than half, but that can be owed to the fact that some of the alcohol will be bound up in the herbs after macerating. You don't need to be all that picky, we're small-scalin' it here.

You could also use an equal volume of water (800ml) where tails from past batches aren't available. That'll increase the fluid level in the pot and help to reduce scorching, especially if you're using a hefty herb charge, but the scented spirit that results will be weak.
Guest

Post by Guest »

this doenst answer ur question but i heard that the is more adictive then most drugs. if u havnt looked up the dangers i would
Guest

Post by Guest »

the absinthe*
KatoFong
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Post by KatoFong »

You heard wrong, guest. Most of the myths about absinthe are based on bad science and 19th century politics. If you haven't done your research on the origins of these myths, I suggest you do.
possum
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Post by possum »

devil in a bottel:history of absinthe -------was a good read,background on culture and politics near turn of century from the library
Hey guys!!! Watch this.... OUCH!
Grim

Post by Grim »

You'll find a better source of information in Couleru's Au Pays de l'Absinthe. A good deal of the information present in recent sources is of an arresting value; mythology intended for eliciting interest more than a concrete understanding of the subject.

Also, many bits and pieces of good information are available at Oxygénée.com.
Cackalack
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Re: Just another absinthe question....

Post by Cackalack »

you gotta put some mint in there

spearmint I've found is better than regular mint, it's sweeter, something more to combat the bitter wormwood
Sbeghan
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Re: Just another absinthe question....

Post by Sbeghan »

the wormwood is part of the distillation and it won't be bitter.

I make my absinthe stronger than the quantities you gave. For 1 L

33g A.a.
66g fennel
66g anise
5g coriander
7g angelica fruit / szechuan pepper
macerate

5g liquorice
3g A.p.
5g melissa
7g hyssop
5g spearmint
3g liquorice root
color
Cackalack
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Re: Just another absinthe question....

Post by Cackalack »

I hear ya on the non-bitter distilled end, but I use what could be considered a "fuck ton" of wormwood...5.60 a lbs. for some certified organic awww yeah! But yeah, even still it's not real bitter, but still feel the spearmint is nicer
Cackalack
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Re: Just another absinthe question....

Post by Cackalack »

just to clarify-1 lb. (448g) per gallon (3.5 L) of wormwood, has that late 19th century kick to it, that's around 4 times as much as you use
King Of Hearts
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Re: Just another absinthe question....

Post by King Of Hearts »

I just ordered the extract from here and I mix with grain alcohol and dilute to 55% abv. It tastes pretty good. Some day I'll make my own. http://absinthekit.com/en/absinthe-kits ... e03258c01c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
luther-blissett
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Re: Just another absinthe question....

Post by luther-blissett »

I know this is an old thread, but does anyone know would grim have been talking about dried or fresh herbs for some or all of the ingredients for his suggested recipe? Im only really interested in the Artemesia Absinthium, fennel and green anise.
astronomical
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Re: Just another absinthe question....

Post by astronomical »

Not exactly an answer to your question, but, fresh is generally less bitter. If you want really want to make an absinthe that you truly enjoy, the best way is to mascerate all the herbs seperately and formulate a blend afterwards. I use barely any fennel or anise because I dislike that licorice flavor. Also, even if you're using neutral, you still gotta make cuts. The extracts will get bitter at some point in the distillation. This is another reason its good to distill each herb seperately. Some herbs go bitter faster than others so I find it impossible to make my absinthe without mascerating seperately. To each his own I guess.

My wormwood plants are rather big and produce nice "silverleaf". You can get quite a bit of foliage if you cut them back a few times during the summer. Also, wormwood flowers every couple years and the taste of the flowers is great. Plant some if you're serious about absinthe.
luther-blissett
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Re: Just another absinthe question....

Post by luther-blissett »

thank you for the information though that will be very helpful. Im planning to use my own homegrown fennel but (dry) aniseed and wormwood. I will give it some thought definitely to try to grow my own wormwood, if I can get hold of some seeds, as I like the idea of using fresh/homegrown herbs as opposed to dry possibly old and less flavourful commercial herbs. I dont mind that taste of licorice but I dont want it to overshadow the rest of the herbs. I might just use those three herbs and keep it basic for the first try.
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