Absinthe

First off, here's a couple great resources on all things absinthe.  Interesting reading on the history of this drink and the myths,  with some historical recipes too http://www.feeverte.net/    http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/

First challenge was making some neutral.  Since Im a potstiller who makes whiskies and brandies this wasnt easy without a reflux type still.   Basically I re-distilled some fruit based spirits I have 3 times total which I then cut very heavy, discarding 1.5 quarts fores/heads and more tails, and ended up with 6 quarts of hearts. There was still a touch of fruit, but it was subtle and certainly didnt overtake the strong herb character of this drink. The herbs were ordered offline from starwest botanicals, except the mint for coloring was fresh from the fresh produce/herb section at the grocers. I tasted all herbs raw, to get an idea of the flavor and character. The wormwood is REALLY bitter. But the bitterness doesnt come through in the hearts of the distillation run.

Recipe:

• 6 Quarts Neutral 70% (140 proof)
• 75 gr Wormwood
• 58 gr Green Anise
• 28 gr Star Anise
• 28 gr Fennel Seed
• 5 gr Coriander Seed
• 6 Whole Cloves
• 6 Black Peppercorns.

Coloring:14 gr fresh mint from the grocery.

Process:I put all the herbs and seeds through the coffee grinder to chop em into smaller bits and open up the flavors, and mashed them together in a large bowl with a quart of water into a paste. The paste was then added to the carboy with the neutral to macerate for 55 hours. The distillation run was at a slow trickle, leaving the head off at first and stirring with a long stick for the first several minutes to avoid the herbs settling and scorching. The first half pint brought over a lot of bitterness from the wormwood. Then it mellowed out quick and was really nice. Surprisingly there were tails, even tho I started with very clean neutral the last couple partial quarts at 56% and 42% were funky so I left them out.  Coloring was done with 1/2 oz fresh green mint soaked overnight in a pint of this. Gave it a bright green color.

Yield was 3.75 quarts at 76%. I watered it down very little to bottle at 136 proof. The louche comes out beautiful. The flavor is just as I would have hoped for, strong on the anise, a very subtle bitterness, and lots of other flavors swirling around.  Fun recipe, and damn delicious! 

Very Important:

If you're new to distilling,  please read and study the fundamentals until you understand well whats going on at http://homedistiller.org/forum/

This blog is intended for personal interest and hobby only,  In NO WAY is this blog intended to provide recipe's for people to brew and sell without proper licensing.   Please visit the link just above for a friendly group of hobbyists who promote safe hobby level legislation, as has been done for homebrewing of beer. 

Cheers! 

Its crazy how green 1/2 an ounce of fresh mint made it.   

Cheers!!   Really nice louche with an ice cube and some water added.   Need to
get me an absinthe spoon and do this up proper with a sugar cube :)

Absinthe:  le fee verte - the green fairy
A muse, a metaphorical symbol of artistic enlightenment.
She's the real deal, made to historical recipes.
Let the ritual of 'la louche' fuel your bohemian dreams