Absinthe project underway

[Uncle Jesse]

From the old message boards:


master_distiller
(stranger)
12/14/03 05:03 AM
subject: Absinthe project underway

Just for fun, I am going to document my absinthe project in real time.
When i mean my project is underway, i mean that i planted the seeds today Now is the time that i can do my follow-up research and maybe communicate with others who have embarked on such an endeavour.
I will list the herbs that i plan to grow & blend below, but i will not list quantities. I am not offering a DIY absinthe recipe for legal and moral reasons.
Wormwood (Artemesia absinthium)
Anise (Pimpinella Anisum)
Fennel ( Foeniculum Vulgare)
Hyssop (Hyssopus Officinalis)
Coriander ( Coriandrum Sativum)
Liqourice ( Glycyrrhiza Glabra)
Lemon Balm ( Melissa Officinalis)
Mugwort (Artemesia Vulgaris)
Maceration and Distillation will follow.
I am going to use the tradtional 'spirit distilled from wine', grain alcohol, alcohol derived from fruit & Neutral spirit.
Not all at once of course, but i will try each and document the results and the taste accordingly.
One of the reasons i have decided to include such a variety of herbs, is to hopefully drown out the bitter absinthin taste somewhat and the sometimes overpowering flavour of anise.
For the record absinthin is the 2nd most bitter substance known to man and anise...well, put simply, i dont really like the taste!
This process will take many months and it is purely an experiment, hence witheld quantities. Experiments dont always work so to publish details before a trial run would be foolish on my part.
Watch this space as i will post observations and events as they unfold. In the meantime, anyone inquisitive about absinthe should feel free to make a post and ask a question. I will be happy to answer any questions...so long as the question isnt "Will absinthe make me hallucinate" lol
Regrds,
Mitchy McGee







Tinman
(stranger)
03/17/04 03:41 PM
Re: Absinthe project underway [re: master_distiller]

McGee.
Happy St. Patty's Day.
How about an update on the "Absinthe" project.
How are the plants coming along?
late,
tinman

[bluemidknight]

mmmm.. green fairy.. I got some wormwood soaking in vodka right now.. and I use juniper berries and Jimsoon weed..
I wonder.. maybe its about time to get that double boiler converted so i can try that stuff out..

[The Chemist]

Be careful with that Jimson weed. It's nasty stuff (I mean not only hallucinagenic, but deadly).

[Guest]

Yep...a few college students in my town died from it

[KatoFong]

Juniper absinthe? Bleh!

[The Chemist]

Juniper absinthe? Bleh!

I feel the same way about gin.

[Brenda]

hey new member here

good luck master chemist

according to the 'TRAITE DE LA FABRICATION DES LIQUEURS ET DE LA DISTILLATION DES ALCOOLS 1899'
for the swiss absinthe of pontalier see oxygenee.com for documents

To make the mash you mix all your herbs in 95L of alcohol at 85degrees, what percentage does the alcohol have to be to keep the oils suspended?

And did they use a thumper to refine the distillate, since they used pot stills heated over fire?

[decoy]

maybe somone can elaborate what absinthe is ?...

[jbrew9999]

Google can.

[gonzo]

Hello Uncle Jesse,

Can we get an update on how things are going?


Cheers
Gonzo.

[Tater]

Jessie brought this post over from old fourms he didnt post it

[possum]

My (ex) brother in law and his twin were both rushed to the hospital during thier high school careers when they took some (Jimpson weed)before school, and while it didn't kill them, it messed with thier eyes and heart rate, as well as inciting some violent behavior.

I avoid this particular substance and urge others to let it in its natural habitat, and not use it recreationally.

[TRANSPLANTED HILLBILLY]

Possum, I guess yor referring to the Jimson Weed? Don't know a damn thing about it, but if chemist and you say leave it alone, good enough for me.

When a trip to the hospital follows, Hey ya'll watch this, no good can be derived.

Never had absinth myself, I figure it was outlawed for a reason. But then again, so was Moonshine. What to do now?

[Swag]

Possum, I guess yor referring to the Jimson Weed? Don't know a damn thing about it, but if chemist and you say leave it alone, good enough for me.

When a trip to the hospital follows, Hey ya'll watch this, no good can be derived.

Never had absinth myself, I figure it was outlawed for a reason. But then again, so was Moonshine. What to do now?

Absinthe has no real psychoactive properties beyond what the alcohol does. The active ingredient in Wormwood (thujone) only comes over in minute quantities through the distillation. Thujone is actually a neurotoxin and can make you pretty sick if you ingest it. That’s why the mixture has to be distilled in order to render it drinkable.
Vermouth contains Wormwood (the name Vermouth is derived from the German name for Wormwood) and you don’t see anybody getting all excited about it.
Absinthe is way over rated as far as it’s reputation goes. I like it well enough, but it’s really not much more than a high proof, licorice flavored liquor.

[junkyard dawg]

Did he mean Datura? aka Jimsonweed. That is a beautiful weed and the flowers smell awesome, but I (You) would never want to use it in a drink. bad bad poison...

[Thorin]

if ABSOLUTELY HAVE to have some effect, use some other herbal drug!
i dont recomend this, but it has been heard of using marihuana in Absinthe for effects... i seriously think it should be avoided, but i think it sounds safer than that jimsonweed...

(i have done a little bit of studying on the subject because some friends of mine were taking it, and i needed som argument for them to stop... didnt find anything really disturbing actually)

Thorin....

[golden pond]

Be careful with that Jimson weed. It's nasty stuff (I mean not only hallucinagenic, but deadly).

There's usally a few kids that die from using Jimson weed in my area every summer.

[possum]

Ok, so the thread is supposed to be about absinthe, but this jimpsonweed thing touches tangentially on it, and is a bit of a warning on "unsafe" herbs in spirits. I observed that the jimpsonweed liked to grow in our sheep pasture. Sheep are not renouned as being really smart. Being told that you are a sheep is not an endorsement of one's leadership or good judgement. Our sheep ate every plant in the pasture, including thistles, with the exception of two kinds of plants. Catnip...they didn't eat, and jimpsonweed. These are usually pretty stupid animals (with rare exceptions) but ours wouldn't eat jimpsonweed. Humans should be so smart. I did know another farmer who also had sheep, and some died mysteriously...eventually, he discovered that his sheep had eaten deadly nightshade or belladonna . These two are varieties of solarium, sometimes considered the same speciese, and sometimes different strains in the same family (related to potatos and tomatos). The generic name of the plant, Atropa, is derived from the Greek Atropos, one of the Fates who held the shears to cut the thread of human life - a reference to its deadly, poisonous nature. They were once used to diallate the eyes of ladies to make them look in love (bella donna=pretty lady), and for early medieval witches to use as potions or ointments to simulate flying in the user. All of which are dangerous practices as evidenced by my neighbor's dead sheep.
The active chemicals are alkaloids used in eye surgery and other controlled medical aplications. Some of these alkaloids can be absorbed through skin and mucus membranes. The whole bunch of them should be avoided.

None of these substances should go in your booze, as they will make you die.
Besides, none are traditional to absinthe.

I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but thought it might be worth mentioning to avoid a "Bright Idea" that could get someone killed.

peace,love,health
possum