first run: a success! Absinthe verte

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kiwi Bruce
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Re: first run: a success! Absinthe verte

Post by kiwi Bruce »

skow69 wrote:Thanks. I learn something new every day.
OK Skow, I've got a request. Could you share with us your favorite Abs recipe? Please!
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kiwi Bruce
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Re: first run: a success! Absinthe verte

Post by kiwi Bruce »

I copied this one from Abs, Abs, Abs....so this is from Skow69

So I hope we can put all that behind us, and I would like to humbly offer my current favorite recipe. It won't revolutionize absinthe production but I think it is worthwhile in that there is certainly more variety in absinthe herb bills than sugarhead recipes or whiskey grain bills.

Quantities are in grams per 1 liter.
A. a. [unstripped] --- 25
Anise ---------------- 140
Fennel --------------- 100
Coriander ------------- 10
Calimus ---------------- 3
Angelica --------------- 7
Chamomile ------------ 4
Genepi ----------------- 2
Mint ------------------- 10
Cardamom ------------- 3
Carraway ---------------3
Costmary -------------- 3

Colorators
A. pontica ------------- 3
Hyssup ----------------- 2
Lemon Balm ----------- 3
Veronica ---------------- 1
mint -------------------- 1

I gave up stripping the grand wormwood cuz it tears the hell out of my hands, and I found an old picture of somebody in Pontarlier loading a boiler with a bundle of four foot long stocks. They say most of the flavor is in the leaves and flowers so i bumped up the quantity to compensate.

There are more notes but real life calls. I'll elaborate if there is interest.

So yes, please elaborate! !
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HDNB
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Re: first run: a success! Absinthe verte

Post by HDNB »

skow69 wrote: Lucky for us, o just happens to be identical to % ABV.
sweeps wrote:In the classic French texts on distillation, the ° symbol is used to stand for "degrees Gay-Lussac". For most practical purposes, it is equal to % ABV. Actually, it IS the percentage of alcohol by volume, but it's based on a solution at 15 Celsius, where our modern standard is based on solution at 20 Celsius.
so my tip for 2proof =1 %abv is in error when it comes to absinthe/french spirits?

here i though i was being helpful for someone else down the line, but i have muddied the waters.

apologies, if i was out of line suggesting so (otherwise). Thanks for the education on this, i'll be careful when i pour my first 72o of this....

that is 72%ABV, or 144proof on a proof&tralles? right? :econfused:
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Re: first run: a success! Absinthe verte

Post by sweeps »

HDNB wrote:
so my tip for 2proof =1 %abv is in error when it comes to absinthe/french spirits?
It's close enough for our purposes. Unless you're in Britain, of course. :)
here i though i was being helpful for someone else down the line, but i have muddied the waters.
Nah, the waters were plenty muddy before any of us jumped in. We haven't even mentioned degrees Cartier yet!
apologies, if i was out of line suggesting so (otherwise). Thanks for the education on this, i'll be careful when i pour my first 72o of this....

that is 72%ABV, or 144proof on a proof&tralles? right? :econfused:
Yup.
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Re: first run: a success! Absinthe verte

Post by HDNB »

yet proof again why a fella should do some research before opening mouth and inserting foot.

of course, my not studying absinthe (yet), i was confused by the interchagability of "degrees proof" and ABV.
since google still works for the most part...my bad.

i have since learned that
degrees proof by mssr. Gay-Lussac and ABV are basically interchangable. (T/Y gents)

proof in the USA not "degrees proof" is two for one. 100proof is 50% (and in Canada)

in UK (until 1980 when %ABV was adopted) the "proof" was in the powder...gunpowder. proof being 7/4 of percent...57.15% being when gunpowder would still burn...or 100 proof. 40% ABV =70 proof and (theoretical)100% would be 175 proof. (I believe this to be called the "Sikes scale", but no direct reference)

degrees Cartier and degrees Baume are wayyyymore obtuse, converting centesimal degrees :wtf: into ridiculous fractions and decimals. outta my league.
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skow69
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Re: first run: a success! Absinthe verte

Post by skow69 »

kiwi Bruce wrote:I copied this one from Abs, Abs, Abs....so this is from Skow69
...
So yes, please elaborate! !
Sure. If that looks like a lot of ingredients, that's because it is. And I am a little embarrassed about it. It looks like I threw in everything but the kitchen sink. They actually accumulated gradually. I started with the basic recipes and process from Duplais and Fritsch and built up from there. Every batch is an experiment. I drop one out sometimes or reduce it.

I'm currently using much less anise and fennel. Like 90 and 65. They have to be ground finely to get a good louche. They say the fennel corrects the anise. I always change them as a pair. Star anise should be avoided. Its only purpose is to improve the louche, but the taste is unpleasant. Use more green anise and fennel. I love the louche. Watching one right now, in fact.

Coriander is down to 6 grams. Chamomile and genepi are 3 each. Mint 9, Cardomom 7. For the coloring hyssup is up to 3, Veronica and mint cut to 0.5, and I added calamus and Angelica root at 1 each. I think it is important to measure accurately with small batches because a small error can make a huge difference in the flavor.

Full disclosure: I am not an herb guy. Everything I know about herbs I learned for absinthe, and I have a long way to go. Angelica seeds are usually specified for the main maceration. When I bought my first Angelica it was foliage. I didn't know any better and used it quite happily. I can't describe the difference in flavor between foliage, seeds, and root but sometimes one or the other is specifically called for. Maybe sweeps will weigh in here. He knows everything about herbs.

The value of quality herbs can't be overstated. If you have been buying wormwood "cut and sifted" save your mad money and get a bag of unprocessed A. a. to compare. The only place I know to buy it currently is Absintheherbs.com and then it has to be in season. Put the bag over your face and take a deep breath. My eyes rolled back and I wanted to crawl inside the bag. Absinthe won't make you trip balz, but there is something special about that species. Anyway, the thing is that processing harms herbs. We want them just like they were harvested.

I give the herbs a little warm water to start. They say it opens them up for the alcohol. Let them soak up enough water to get damp and then add the spirit. I macerate for as long as takes to get all the ingredients in the still. The herbs should be chopped and the seeds well ground. I have let them soak, I can't tell any difference. I think it is the heat that extracts the oils.

Use plenty of water when you distill. For 1 liter I use a liter of 85o neutral, a liter of tails, and a liter of water. I collect a liter of product at 70 -74 and a liter of tails. There is just a pile of soggy herbs left in the pot, so be careful not to scorch them. Use more water if necessary. The oils we are after are hydrophobic. I imagine the water chasing them out of the boiler. A bain marie saves a lot of trouble if you can arrange it.

Your main ingredient is ethanol, so use the best you can get. I would never make a heads cut. The stuff that comes over first is unique, and I don't want to miss it. But that means you need a headless neutral. I triple distill mine. If you are using everclear you will either have heads in your absinthe or lose the early distillate. Consider distilling the everclear first to cut the heads.

For coloring I use a quarter of the collection. Chop, grind, and heat in a water bath to 135f. That seems to be enough to extract the good stuff. I won't let it go over 150f. Cool slowly and add back. Takes about 1/2 hour. It is hard to find good Roman wormwood (A. pontica) but it's worth it.

I just started growing herbs this year. It's easier than I thought and the results look great so far. I'll know next summer.

That's my 2 cents. Hope it helps.
Skow, hopeless absinthe geek
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I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
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kiwi Bruce
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Re: first run: a success! Absinthe verte

Post by kiwi Bruce »

Hi Skow, A lot more than just two cents worth! Thank you for posting this!

NEW TREATISE ON THE FABRICATION OF LIQUORS by J. Fritsch

if you don't have a copy here it is.

http://www.museeabsinthe.com/Fritsch-English.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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