La Fee absinthe oil blend

[paradox]

hey folks just got a bottle of this from T, was wondering what peoples experiences with it are?

would it be unwise to use the entire bottle in one 750ml bottle of OP vodka? the bottle says it makes 1500mls...

anyone tried it with a good quality OP Gin?

how pronounced are the effects of the wormwood if at all? how does it compare to genuine european absinthe?

any experiences are welcome

thanks

[MOT]

hey folks just got a bottle of this from T, was wondering what peoples experiences with it are?

would it be unwise to use the entire bottle in one 750ml bottle of OP vodka? the bottle says it makes 1500mls...

anyone tried it with a good quality OP Gin?

how pronounced are the effects of the wormwood if at all? how does it compare to genuine european absinthe?

any experiences are welcome

thanks

Hey paradox

i sell this in my shop and it goes real well, as i not a big drinker and never tried the real stuff i found the best way to have it is round 5-10 drops in each drink over night or day really heightens all ya senses. but the taste is very strong.

[paradox]

thanks MOT.

has no one else tried this? i thought it would have been a fairly popular product...unless it's not that good.

i guess it's up to me to post my own results then.... i'm on the lookout for a decent 70-80% white spirit. was told about a world class distillery in south australia, can't remember the name right now, but according to my local bottlo owner who is a real connoisseur, they are among the finest spirit makers in the world & its imported to all over europe.... so i'll look into it.

i'd like to find a good 70% spirit. 80% seems a little too full on for me. 70% is full on too but 80 is just extreme. a worry i have is that the spirit will be so strong that you will be royally wasted before you can drink enough to feel any effects from the absinthe oil.

so i'm thinking i'll try - 750mls of a 60-70% spirit : full bottle of extract

see how we go...

[Torsten]

Try to get the strongest spirit possible. 70% is borderline especially in cool climates. Wormwood oil drops out of solution between about 65 and 70%. But you NEVER drink absinthe at that strength. The idea with absinthe is to dilute it. My favourite sipping strength is about 12% and I like it quite cool [ie use ice water or put a bit of ice in the glass. One of those vials will make between 375 to 750ml of really really strong absinthe. If that is at 80% you can dilute it almost 1:3 to get to ~10%. Do the dilution in small lots and drink it before diluting the next lot because if they sit for too long the oils will eventually separate. When done right your initial 80% product should be totally clear with a hint of green. As soon as you add the water in the glass it will turn milky white.

You can also dilute to 20-25% and use it as shots. It's quite warm in the throat so be careful. I once got my numbers wrong cos I was a little too drunk and downed a shot of 45%. In combination with the oils this choked me for several minutes.

For folks who can't get strong spirits, it is possible to shake the oil with a lower strength spirit in a larger bottle for a minute or so to get a suspension. It won't stay milky for long though. Use 100ml of vodka and maximum 1ml of oil. Shake hard in a 1L plastic bottle. Pour and dilute with ice water.

Absinthe is cumulative. The thujone acts by blocking the GABA receptors long term. This can induce delusional states. There are probably also other actives in wormwood and certainly some of the other herbs are active too.

[paradox]

ah thanks T, & thanks again BTW

some good advice. my local bottlo has a decent quality russian 80% spirit, i might just use that...

yes dilution would be a must. so after dilution you have a period of time before the separation takes place? i'd assume it wouldn't be long perhaps a few minutes?

i'm going out on a limb here but a thought that came to mind was that a popular method of use was to use sugar & set the spirit on fire. is it possible that this would reduce the alcohol content to a reasonable level but leave the essential plant oils intact rendering the botanical aspect more prominent?

anyway thanks again

[Torsten]

so after dilution you have a period of time before the separation takes place? i'd assume it wouldn't be long perhaps a few minutes?

If icy cold then it can take quite a long time.

i'm going out on a limb here but a thought that came to mind was that a popular method of use was to use sugar & set the spirit on fire. is it possible that this would reduce the alcohol content to a reasonable level but leave the essential plant oils intact rendering the botanical aspect more prominent?

The oils are flammable too, so probably not a method to change the profile. Lighting alcohol is a popular european bar gimmick.

[Maturin]

Hi Torsten,

Being a bit of a n00b, with Absinthe I'm wondering if you could answer my questions.

I recently found some Polish rectified spirits in my local Dan Murphys (95% alcohol) and bought it with the intent of using with La Fee. I assumed that this would be better than buying some high alcohol Vodka or the like, so as to get a more "real" Absinthe flavour. Would you recommend using this?

Also, is it okay to mix up the entire bottle (it's 500mls) all at once, or is it better to do just mix what you plan on drinking in one session?

Do you have any recommendations regards the sugar used, or the quality of water (tap versus spring) in trying to replicate a more "authentic" taste?

Thanks in advance.

[Torsten]

I recently found some Polish rectified spirits in my local Dan Murphys (95% alcohol) and bought it with the intent of using with La Fee. I assumed that this would be better than buying some high alcohol Vodka or the like, so as to get a more "real" Absinthe flavour. Would you recommend using this?Also, is it okay to mix up the entire bottle (it's 500mls) all at once, or is it better to do just mix what you plan on drinking in one session?

I'd always use just half a bottle until you get the right mix. eg, if you empty the whole oil bottle into the whole alcohol bottle, but then find this too be too much flavour, you will have to buy another alcohol bottle to dilute it. If however you are only mixing up 250ml, you always have more alcohol to adjust you recipe.

Once you have found your ideal flavour level you can make a whole bottle at once as the oil will definitely stay in solution at such high alc percentage.

Polish spirit is usually pretty flavourless, so should be ideal for this purpose.

Do you have any recommendations regards the sugar used

Traditionally they used white sugar, but I kinda like the earthy taste of brown sugar or at least demarara sugar. Do try it without sugar first though. Sugar can make it quite sweet and sickening. The oils are quite sweet themselves.

or the quality of water (tap versus spring) in trying to replicate a more "authentic" taste?

I doubt they used chlorinated water in those days , so a good spring water or even somethign pure like pureau would probably be best. depends a bit on your dilution too. At very high dilution the water flavour really matters, but at low dilutions the flavour of the oil masks everything. Also watch out for that 'fridge taste' in home made ice cubes. Always make fresh ice cubes or buy some ice.

[hutch]

thanks MOT.

has no one else tried this? i thought it would have been a fairly popular product...unless it's not that good.

i guess it's up to me to post my own results then.... i'm on the lookout for a decent 70-80% white spirit. was told about a world class distillery in south australia, can't remember the name right now, but according to my local bottlo owner who is a real connoisseur, they are among the finest spirit makers in the world & its imported to all over europe.... so i'll look into it.

i'd like to find a good 70% spirit. 80% seems a little too full on for me. 70% is full on too but 80 is just extreme. a worry i have is that the spirit will be so strong that you will be royally wasted before you can drink enough to feel any effects from the absinthe oil.

so i'm thinking i'll try - 750mls of a 60-70% spirit : full bottle of extract

see how we go...

I would be really interested in you posting the results. Sounds like something I would like to try. I still my own spirits as well and my last batch was 77 proof. reckon with a bit if fiddling I could get it up to the 80 odd mark. Let us know how you go?

Thanks mate

Hutch

[Torsten]

77% will be just fine for absinthe and home distilled spirit is perfect for such experiments [albeit illegal]. But please make sure to have removed all methanol as you may kill yourself and others otherwise.

[paradox]

i just organized a trade with another member for some of his 78 proof ethanol. by all accounts it's a decent product so we'll see how we go. i will definately report back asap

re sugar/sweetness. i'd imagine the glycyrrhizic acid in the licorice extract would give it a marked sweetness.

edit: hang on... does it actually contain licorice root extract? it has fennel... which may also contain glycyrrhizic acid?

Edited June 29, 2009 by Paradox

[hutch]

77% will be just fine for absinthe and home distilled spirit is perfect for such experiments [albeit illegal]. But please make sure to have removed all methanol as you may kill yourself and others otherwise.

Yeah I use the methanol as window cleaner. I just wish everything was as illegal. Everything you need to make the stuff is right there on the shelf for sale. The instructions however are for essential oils and so on but it's such an easy process.

Down side is you drink too much LOL...