Hello Everyone / Absinthe Question

[Miscreant]

Hello everyone,

I've been a bit of a peeping Tom on this site for a few months as I've been learning the craft. This forum has been immeasurably helpful — thank you!!

I've just made my first absinthe, and I'm quite pleased with the result tastewise. My first question is, how do I proof it down (currently at about 78% ABV and would like to get it to 55%) without making it louche? The second question (which will make my first question seem a bit stupid for being a current non-issue) is, though the product tastes fantastic, it doesn't really louche when I add water. I see some reaction, just not the dramatic clouding connoisseurs seem to judge a superior quality. My anise seeds were ordered online and of the normal spice jar variety, though they look and smell good. I didn't use star anise because I wanted to temper the anise flavor. Could it be that the alcohol content of my first maceration was not high enough? I used a banana brandy as my base, which was at 151 proof. (Before you get judgmental about using banana as a base, consider that the bananas I get, living in the tropics, have a very different flavor to what people in temperate climes can get. "Store" bananas are bred for shelf longevity, not flavor. The alcohol I get from a basic banana mash has a nuanced and complex flavor profile and goes quite well with absinthe). Or could it be that I need better/fresher anise seeds? Also, I cut the tails pretty early (as soon as the tailsy flavor chimed in), and I know the oils tend to come out more at the end—could that be the culprit?

Or, is the louche of absinthe more of a parlor curiosity and not a true measure of its quality? As I've said, I like the product. However, I would be happy to make it better. Any wisdom from the sages would be appreciated!

About me: I live smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (on land, of course). I'm quite new to the art of distilling, using a 6 quart pot still. I got into it because I have more fruit than I have brain cells and needed to do something with it besides banana bread and mango pie. And I enjoy a good cocktail. Or two. And sometimes three. So far I've made a bunch of banana brandy. I've also made a surprisingly wonderful drink from Java plum (jambolan). And something horrid out of breadfruit.

[NZChris]

There is a lot of relevant info you haven't given us, so I'm flying blind here.

There shouldn't be a tailsey flavor, so that may have come from your base spirit.

The oils that create the louche come late in the distillation.

Instead of choosing an ABV you want to dilute to, dilute to an ABV that doesn't louche.

[skow69]

What Chris said. We need to know more about your recipe and process for good answers. But here are some general thoughts.

I wouldn't worry about proofing down to 55%. I think it's usually around 40% where the oils come out, but don't quote me on that. Anyway, Kubler is sold at 55%. It comes out of the bottle clear (blanche) and has a wonderful louche.

I personally think a thick, opaque, pearlescent louche is a requirement for good absinthe. You won't find any of the top COs that don't louche well.

If your base was 76% and your collection was 78% you probably could have gone deeper into the tails, but I doubt it would fix your louche. And a lot depends on how much water and tails you added before distilling. Did you collect tails for your next run?

You will probably have to use more anise (and maybe better quality or fresher) and fennel to get a good louche. Grinding them finely helps also. Good idea to avoid the star anise. It is never listed in the historic recipes.

[Miscreant]

Thanks skow69 and NZChris! I'll try grinding the anise and fennel next time. I'll also see if anyone is growing them here. Sorry for not giving enough info. Here's a little more: I didn't think my base spirit had much tails in it, which is why I was surprised when the tailsy (absinthe + wet dog) flavor showed up. But then again, the spirit was far from neutral, so I guess there had to have been some extras in there. I should probably try to get a more neutral spirit to start. My recipe:

800 ml base liquor
30 grams wormwood (artimisia absinthium)
8.5 grams dried hyssop
1.8 grams calamus root
30 grams anise seed
25 grams fennel seed
1.5 grams angelica root

macerated for a week, added 600 ml water, decanted, ran through the pot still at a medium slow drip. I threw out the foreshots. Also, there was about 25-50ml of headsy stuff which came out, which I saved with the tails. I stopped collecting as soon as the tails went from sweet/palatable to hint of wet dog. I colored with a small bit of hyssop for two days, and some fresh mint for about four hours. This also seemed to harmonize the flavor.

[Bushman]

Please post questions in proper thread area and save this for welcomes. Thanks!

[Miscreant]

Sorry, Bushman. I'm a newbie, and still trying to figure out how these darned interwebs work.

[skow69]

I should warn you up front that I am passionate about absinthe. I just love the stuff. I have been described at times as fanatical and overzealous. That is fine with me. And I admit to having high standards. There are many COs that I won't touch with a 10 foot pole. Now you know and you can weigh my comments accordingly.

I'm not surprised you got a wimpy louche. I would double the anise and fennel for starters. Also, you are missing some lovely flavors from the coloring stage. The standard coloring herbs are Roman wormwood (A. pontica), hyssop, and Melissa (lemon balm). They are often called finishing herbs because they round out the flavor as well as making it green.

I don't make traditional cuts with absinthe. I triple distill the base spirit so I don't have to be concerned with heads and cardboardy tails. For your 800ml batch I would add an equal amount of water plus an equal amount of tails from the last batch. I put herbs and all in the still, then I would collect 800ml to drink and another 800ml as tails. That leaves just damp herbs left in the boiler, so you have to be careful not to burn them. I use the first quarter of the product to color. Put the herbs in it, slowly heat to 135f, cool, filter, and add back to the other 600ml. Works for me.

Best of luck to you. Good absinthe is a joy.

[Miscreant]

Great advice. Thanks, skow 69. Is mint a no-no from the fanatic's POV? How do you feel about calamus and angelica?

[skow69]

I use all three of them myself. Calamus is said to cause headaches in high dosage, but I haven't had any problems with it. Angelica seeds are often used as well as the root.