Absinthe

[Teotzlcoatl]

***Definition of Absinthe***

Absinthe must contain Artemisia absinthium, also known as "Wormwood" (in appreciable amounts)

Absinthe must contain Illicium verum and/or Pimpinella anisum, also known as "Anise".

Absinthe may or may not contain additional botanicals, herbs or plants.

Absinthe may either be green (verte) or clear (blanche), but it must be colored naturally.

Absinthe may NOT be artificially colored, flavored or sweetened.

Absinthe may or may not have botanicals and/or herbs steeped in the distillate for color.

Absinthe must be made from ONLY distilled spirits and botanicals, plants, herbs, etc., no other ingredients what-so-ever are allowed. All ingredients should be organic.

Absinthe must change color and become milky white when water is added. It must louche.

Botanicals and/or herbs must be macerated and soaked in alcohol and then they MUST be distilled.

The finished product must exceed 100 proof or 50% (ABV) alcohol.

~~~Absinthe Accessories~~~

Absinthe Fountain

Absinthe Glass (Pontarlier)

Absinthe Spoon

Bistro Tray

Carafe/Decanter filled with Ice Water

Coaster/Saucer

Dripper (Brouilleur)

Spoon Holder

Sugar Bowl/Dish

Sugar Cubes

Topette

The Absinthe Ritual-

1)Pour a dose of Absinthe into the glass (about one shot or 1oz).

2)Place a sugar cube in the Dripper or on top of a Spoon.

3)Put the Dripper or Spoon on top of the Glass.

4)Slowly drip cold water over the sugar cube, through the Dripper/Spoon and into the glass.

5)Watch as the Absinthe in the glass mixes with the water and turns to an opalescent milky white with traces of iridescent green This effect is known as the “Louche“.

6)Stir with the spoon.

7)Smell, then taste… enjoy!

***Notes*** Never use fire during the Absinthe ritual, it is NOT traditional, it ruins the flavor of the Absinthe and is dangerous!

Absinthe should be stored at room temperature, if Absinthe gets too cold some of the oils may solidify or the spirit may turn cloudy.

~~~Absinthe Botanical Ingredients~~~

***Traditional Ingredients ***

Acorus calamus ~ "Sweet Flag"

Angelica archangelica ~ "Angelica"

Artemisia absinthium ~ "Wormwood"

Artemisia pontica ~ "Roman Wormwood" or "Petite Wormwood"

Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum ~ "Florence Fennel"

Hyssopus officinalis ~ "Hyssop"

Illicium verum ~ "Star Anise"

Melissa officinalis ~ "Lemon Balm"

Pimpinella anisum ~ "Green Anise"

***Other Ingredients***

Anthemis nobilis ~ "Roman Chamomile"

Artemisia ??? ~ “Alpine Wormwood”

Artemisia glacialis ~ “?" or "Genepi"

Artemisia mutellina ~ “?" or "Genepi"

Artemisia spicata ~ “?" or "Genepi"

Artemisia umbelliformis ~ “?" or "Genepi"

Artemisia vulgaris ~ "Mugwort"

Caraway

Cardamom

Coriandrum sativum ~ "Coriander"

Cymbopogon citrates ~ "Lemon Grass"

Dictamnus albus ~ "White Dittany"

Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce ~ "Sweet Fennel"

Galangal

Gaultheria procumbens ~ "Wintergreen"

Glycyrrhiza glabra ~ "Liquorice"

Hibiscus

Inula helenium ~ "Elecampane" or "Horse-heal"

Juniperus species ~ "Juniper"

Marjoram

Marrubium vulgare ~ "Horehound" (Herb)

Matricaria recutita ~ "German Chamomile” or “Blue Chamomile”

Mentha ? ~ "Apple Mint" Mentha species ~ "Mint"

Myristica fragrans ~ "Nutmeg" or “Mace”

Nepeta cataria ~ "Catnip"

Origanum dictamnus ~ "Dittany of Crete” or “Cretan Dittany”

Orris Root

Picea species ~ "Spruce"

Pimenta dioica ~ "Allspice"

Rosmarinus officinalis ~ "Rosemary"

Salvia officinalis, Salvia fruticosa & Salvia species ~ "Sage"

Syzygium aromaticum ~ "Cloves"

Tanacetum vulgare ~ "Tansy"

Tansy -- Tanacetum vulgare

Tarragon

Thyme -- Thymus

Vanilla planifolia ~ "Vanilla"

Veronica officinalis ~ "Gypsyweed", "Bird's Eye" or "Speedwell"

Viola species ~ “Violet”

~~~Suggested Absinthes~~~

Delaware Phoenix Absinthe- "Walton Waters", etc.*

Doubs Mystique*

Duplais Absinthe- “Balance“, “Verte“, etc.

Jade Absinthe- “Edouard“, “PF 1901“, etc.*

L'Italienne

La Coquette

Leopold Bros.

Marteau

Obsello*

Pacifique*

Roquette 1797*

Vieux Carré

[Teotzlcoatl]

***Definition of Absinthe***

Absinthe must contain Artemisia absinthium, also known as "Wormwood" (in appreciable amounts)

Absinthe must contain Illicium verum and/or Pimpinella anisum, also known as "Anise".

Absinthe may or may not contain additional botanicals, herbs or plants.

Absinthe may either be green (verte) or clear (blanche), but it must be colored naturally.

Absinthe may NOT be artificially colored, flavored or sweetened.

Absinthe may or may not have botanicals and/or herbs steeped in the distillate for color.

Absinthe must be made from ONLY distilled spirits and botanicals, plants, herbs, etc., no other ingredients what-so-ever are allowed. All ingredients should be organic.

Absinthe must change color and become milky white when water is added. It must louche.

Botanicals and/or herbs must be macerated and soaked in alcohol and then they MUST be distilled.

The finished product must exceed 100 proof or 50% (ABV) alcohol.

~~~Absinthe Accessories~~~

Absinthe Fountain

Absinthe Glass (Pontarlier)

Absinthe Spoon

Bistro Tray

Carafe/Decanter filled with Ice Water

Coaster/Saucer

Dripper (Brouilleur)

Spoon Holder

Sugar Bowl/Dish

Sugar Cubes

Topette

The Absinthe Ritual-

1)Pour a dose of Absinthe into the glass (about one shot or 1oz).

2)Place a sugar cube in the Dripper or on top of a Spoon.

3)Put the Dripper or Spoon on top of the Glass.

4)Slowly drip cold water over the sugar cube, through the Dripper/Spoon and into the glass.

5)Watch as the Absinthe in the glass mixes with the water and turns to an opalescent milky white with traces of iridescent green This effect is known as the “Louche“.

6)Stir with the spoon.

7)Smell, then taste… enjoy!

***Notes*** Never use fire during the Absinthe ritual, it is NOT traditional, it ruins the flavor of the Absinthe and is dangerous!

Absinthe should be stored at room temperature, if Absinthe gets too cold some of the oils may solidify or the spirit may turn cloudy.

~~~Absinthe Botanical Ingredients~~~

***Traditional Ingredients ***

Acorus calamus ~ "Sweet Flag"

Angelica archangelica ~ "Angelica"

Artemisia absinthium ~ "Wormwood"

Artemisia pontica ~ "Roman Wormwood" or "Petite Wormwood"

Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum ~ "Florence Fennel"

Hyssopus officinalis ~ "Hyssop"

Illicium verum ~ "Star Anise"

Melissa officinalis ~ "Lemon Balm"

Pimpinella anisum ~ "Green Anise"

***Other Ingredients***

Anthemis nobilis ~ "Roman Chamomile"

Artemisia ??? ~ “Alpine Wormwood”

Artemisia glacialis ~ “?" or "Genepi"

Artemisia mutellina ~ “?" or "Genepi"

Artemisia spicata ~ “?" or "Genepi"

Artemisia umbelliformis ~ “?" or "Genepi"

Artemisia vulgaris ~ "Mugwort"

Caraway

Cardamom

Coriandrum sativum ~ "Coriander"

Cymbopogon citrates ~ "Lemon Grass"

Dictamnus albus ~ "White Dittany"

Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce ~ "Sweet Fennel"

Galangal

Gaultheria procumbens ~ "Wintergreen"

Glycyrrhiza glabra ~ "Liquorice"

Hibiscus

Inula helenium ~ "Elecampane" or "Horse-heal"

Juniperus species ~ "Juniper"

Marjoram

Marrubium vulgare ~ "Horehound" (Herb)

Matricaria recutita ~ "German Chamomile” or “Blue Chamomile”

Mentha ? ~ "Apple Mint" Mentha species ~ "Mint"

Myristica fragrans ~ "Nutmeg" or “Mace”

Nepeta cataria ~ "Catnip"

Origanum dictamnus ~ "Dittany of Crete” or “Cretan Dittany”

Orris Root

Picea species ~ "Spruce"

Pimenta dioica ~ "Allspice"

Rosmarinus officinalis ~ "Rosemary"

Salvia officinalis, Salvia fruticosa & Salvia species ~ "Sage"

Syzygium aromaticum ~ "Cloves"

Tanacetum vulgare ~ "Tansy"

Tansy -- Tanacetum vulgare

Tarragon

Thyme -- Thymus

Vanilla planifolia ~ "Vanilla"

Veronica officinalis ~ "Gypsyweed", "Bird's Eye" or "Speedwell"

Viola species ~ “Violet”

~~~Suggested Absinthes~~~

Delaware Phoenix Absinthe- "Walton Waters", etc.*

Doubs Mystique*

Duplais Absinthe- “Balance“, “Verte“, etc.

Jade Absinthe- “Edouard“, “PF 1901“, etc.*

L'Italienne

La Coquette

Leopold Bros.

Marteau

Obsello*

Pacifique*

Roquette 1797*

Vieux Carré

[Roopey]

You said everything must be organic, then you are using refined sugar cubes to sweeten....I've had some good results by sweetening with Stevia. Check it out.

[Jonstn]

Doubs for sure that shit is the bomb!

I wanna try this one:

http://www.alandia.de/absinthe/product_info.php/language/en/info/p1_Absinthe-ALANDIA-Strong68.html

" Absinthe Strong68 uses maximum wormwood for the strongest thujon concentration."

It'd be bitter as hell but still have wanted to try it for years, strongest thujon concentration, yes please!

[Gunter]

i feel the need to comment on this, i recall reading about some some early absinthe recipies do not contain wormwood or alcohol and were reported to be very psychoactive.

i believe the true active was something in the apiaceae and that wormwood is not very interesting at all

salvia type sage for the kitchen contains a lot of thujone, more than wormwood does

anyway a few distilled products of apiaceae plants are reported to produce psychedelic effects

the anise and fennel seem to be the source of the true active ingredients

fennel is reported to be capable of causing intoxication

anise can contain decent amounts of safrole

there is so much more to reports of hallucination from absinthe than wormwood... it does not even seem that thujone is very active at all

linalool, anethole etc way more intertesting...

http://www.emmert-analytik.de/DLR_100_9_S352-356.pdf

note the part about 5 absinthe samples not containing any thujone...

[Marcel]

I just finished reading the entry on absinthe in Dale Pendell's Pharmako/Poeia. He makes a wormwood infusion (a herbal tea or tisane) from straight wormwood and experiences distinct (albeit subtle) psychoactive results. He also has a few recipes of his own that internet-lore seems to hold in high regard. One of the recipes involves adding a homemade wormwood oil to Pernod 51 (which has all the original Pernod absinthe ingredients with the exception of the wormwood).

Anyone tried SAB's 10ml bottle of absinthe concentrate? I wonder if T and his team make it themselves or get it from another source?

[Teotzlcoatl]

It'd be bitter as hell but still have wanted to try it for years, strongest thujon concentration, yes please!

Then just soak wormwood in any kind of Absinthe.

I'm not sure high thujone is point....

[Zen Peddler]

Absinthe must also taste like shit and get you totally spastic.

[Gunter]

old studies find seizures and hallucinations from absinthe

both of these are known from the use of star anise and fennel!!!

two very common ingredients to absinthe

i once took wormwood herb in capsules... it made me feel sick

[Zen Peddler]

No absinthe recipes that I am aware of contain anywhere near enough Thujone to do much at all. And its a neurotoxin - it wouldnt really alter your mood rather than potentially making you anxious before you have a seizure from the reduction in Gaba activity.

I think someone suggested the psychoactive principles in Absinthe - if there are any at all and I can tell you from experience that I got nothing out of it bar a very big hangover and a lot of vomiting - came from the Anise or fennel content.

There is probably as much thujone in your grandma's sage and lamb pie and in your shot of vermouth, etc as in most Absinthe's available now days.

On forums dedicated to absinthe the general consensus was that it was not actually psychoactive - the effects related to the quick CNS depression from the sudden intoxication.

[quarterflesh]

lol Zen, so true, i normally spew before it gets me drunk, worst tasting spirit ever

[Torsten]

I tend to agree that wormwood is not the psychoactive principle in absinthe. Many good absinthe [including some of the best pre-ban absinthe] does not have appreciable levels of thujone. However, I am convinced that there is more to absinthe than just alcohol in terms of effect. The best indication of this is probably the effect a day session has one dreams that night.

What bugs me about the whole wormwood thing is that it just so happens that thujone is a GABA blocker and hence the effects of long term use would be all those things that high adrenaline causes, eg psychosis, paranoia, depression, and in combination with alcohol visuals. And that's what history tells us about absinthe abusers. The answer probably lies in one of the minor constituents of one of the herbal oils.

Teotz, your suggestion indicates that you have never tried consuming a wormwood maceration or tincture. It is almost impossible to consume.

Marcel - we make the la fee ourselves. It is a blend not designed by flavour, but by empirical quantities. ie we used an old absinthe recipe and calculated the appropriate amounts of essentials oils in each herb. Then combined these oils. Ideally the bottle should be put into 50-60% alc and distilled to a 70% spirit. This will greatly improve the flavour and more mimic the actual absinthe distillation process.

[Torsten]

Zen - that is perfectly true about the commercial absinthe available in australia which is pretty much all cheap czech absinthe. Try some nice absinthe from france or switzerland, especially from Val de Travers. For anyone living in or visiting sydney I recommend the absinthe salon in surry hills. Joop knows more about absinthe than anyone in oz and will gladly share his knowledge if you ask nicely.

[Teotzlcoatl]

Dude the Absinthe I drink taste like bottled alpine spring time! It's an amazing, exploding bouquet of flavor!

[Teotzlcoatl]

On forums dedicated to absinthe the general consensus was that it was not actually psychoactive - the effects related to the quick CNS depression from the sudden intoxication.

This is bullshit perpetrated to get Absinthe re-legalized.

Teotz, your suggestion indicates that you have never tried consuming a wormwood maceration or tincture. It is almost impossible to consume.

Ha, it's bitter as shit but I can get it down

Impossible? ... you pussy

The answer probably lies in one of the minor constituents of one of the herbal oils.

Only shit absinthe uses oil, real absinthe has herbs in the pot still and collects the essences that way!

[Roopey]

I have made many a Wormwood tincture and I can attest that some of them were extremely active, even without any other herbs in them, leading to mild euphoria, dilated pupils, and extreme inebriation. I love making weird Absinthe blends, my favorite probably being Calamus, Fennel, Wormwood, Sage, Stevia, Damiana, and Calea. Doesn't taste good at all, but it does the job.

[Torsten]

Roopey, ther eis a big differene between distilled wormwood products and tinctures. Tinctures contain the alkaloids and other active principles. A wormwood resin devoid of oils is quite potent - but not the same effect as absinthe.

[Torsten]

what's your fave Teotz?

[Teotzlcoatl]

Jade is probably my favorite.

I've tried most of the "good" brands on the market.

[Torsten]

Which of the Jades do you like? They are VERY different. however they have one thing in common in that they all use a very rough brandy type alcohol where you get an overpowering brandy flavour right through the experience. I find this very dislikable even though it was probably common in the old absinthe.

Do you know the history of the Jades?

My favourite is Angelique. I also quite like Duplais verte and blanche. But Angelique is by far the best for my taste buds. Must be the angelica.

[Zen Peddler]

The three I tried were Mata Hari Absinthe:

http://www.alandia.de/absinthe/product_info.php/language/en/info/p9_Absinthe-Mata-Hari-Old-Recipe.html

One with old label from France and some red one from spain that tasted just TOO aniseedy for my tastes.

The super strong alcohol taste is just too much for me nad burns my guts out.

Edited October 3, 2011 by Zen Peddler BlueGreenie

[Zen Peddler]

THis is the spanish one we bought:

http://www.spiritscorner.com/scriptsing/buscar.asp?K=Detalle&IdProducto=3239

[Torsten]

The super strong alcohol taste is just too much for me nad burns my guts out.

 

all absinthe ends up being about 15% alcohol by the time they are drunk the traditional way. cheap absinthe is best consumed at high alcohol content, but good absinthe is best diluted to the perfect louche which is usually 10-20%.

[tripsis]

Does absinthe actually have psychoactive effects beyond what is caused by the alcohol? I rarely drink, don't really like alcohol and so have never tried it.

[Francois le Danque]

tripsis i don't like alcohol much either usually. like most i am guessing, i am largely interested in absinthe because of it's mystique, ritual and association with 19th century/european/bohemian lifestyles. not to mention the taboo factor stemming from it's misguided prohibition (i expect this is similar to many psychoactive products...).

actually i think what is appealing to most 'ordinary' people about absinth (sic) is that it is (supposedly) psychoactive beyond the effects of alcohol, yet it's still alcohol, so it's socially acceptable (if 'illegal' or whatever). so many times i have heard people say "man this shit makes you hallucinate" to which i have replied "well it pretty much doesn't...but if you want to hallucinate so much, why not just take acid?" to which they will inevitably say something like "i don't take drugs" or something similarly ignorant. consarnit.

as for my favourite, doubs is actually great for the cost, i like to think of that as the johnny walker of absinthe; cheap but not nasty (as opposed to say, jim beam or 'green fairy'. blerrr ). i have a bottle of jade edouard i got in london for less than my entire savings (like it costs to import). it's pretty good, though to be honest i am yet to really tell the difference between different kinds, though i have never actively compared them in a single sitting. oh except i tried a fougerolles one in the bottle shop in london (soho wine supply for those playing at home), which blew my head off flavour-wise, even when watered down. the only way i could describe it was as being purely..pungent. but not anisey at all. just...strong tasting.

edit: oh as for the actual effects, the general consensus seems to be that absinthe does have a distinct effect, though how much this differs from the different effects of various spirits is a matter of debate. tequila or mescal, for me, is markedly different to most types of liquor. but yeah people say these days that thujone (in absinthe) is a GABA antagonist whereas alcohol is a GABA agonist, so there is some interplay here. though since learning about GABA receptors at uni, this seems to be a rather simplified explanation... also different herbs will inevitably produce different effects. i am sure an absinthe with calamus in it will be different to beer, for example.

absinthe is probably such a broad product that assigning it any given effect (other than those of ethanol which it always contains a lot of) is probably misguided. much like saying "cannabis" which could mean any one of buds, leaf, hash, pure thc or even non psychoactive hemp, except probably even more variable, owing to the plethora of different additive combinations (as seen in teotz's list). the only way to find out for yourself is to try! happy absintheurism.

apologies for the usual essay, esés.

Edited October 3, 2011 by frank