Introduction: How to Make Herbal Liqueur
In this instructable I will teach you how to make something that tastes a lot like Absinthe.
Step 1: Gather Herbs & Vodka
What you will need:
Wormwood - 2 tsp
Star Anise - 2 tsp
Anise - 2 tsp
Cardamom - 1 tsp
Mint - Two Sprigs (1/2 tsp)
Dittany - One Sprig (1/4 tsp)
Sage - One Leaf
Marjoram - One Sprig (1/4 tsp)
100+ Proof Vodka - 750ml (150 Proof is ideal)
Tea bags - 2
Tea ball
1/2 gallon airtight container
Step 2: Grind the Herbs
Add all the herbs to a Mortar and pestle or be lazy like I was and use a coffee grinder. But if you have used your grinder for coffee before be sure to CLEAN IT you don't want coffee flavored Absinthe.. Or maybe you do.. But I don't.
Drying your herbs:
Let them hang out side in a dry climate, or use a microwave.
I used a microwave for 45 seconds, it did a great job without burning them.
Once you have them all ground up, put them in a coffee filter or tea bag.
Step 3: [Optional] Add Wormwood
I put 2 tsp of Wormwood in a teabag and let it sit in the vodka in an airtight container for 18 hours, this should be enough time for it to be a nice light green color. Leave it too long and you run the risk of poisoning yourself.
Read up about the effects of Wormwood here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinth_Wormwood
Step 4: Add Other Herbs
Tie off the tea bag or filter with some string, and place it in a tea ball. Add this the 750 ml of vodka.
Let this sit in a warm place for a week.
Step 5: Bottle the Goodness
At this point you should have a dark yellow liquor that smells a lot like black licorice, or Jagermeister. You can't beat the real stuff, but it should taste pretty close to real Absinthe.
And remember: While its not recommended, some people drink this stuff. I'm sure you'll know what to do with it.
Absinthe ritual link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2069057363613917929&hl=en
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55 Comments
12 years ago on Introduction
I have three plants of absinthe in my garden, can i do something with that (an absinthe liqueur ?)
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
You mind sharing how you grew absinthe? Sounds like a great trick. /sarcasm
I think you mean wormwood.
14 years ago on Introduction
Soaking herbs in high % alcohol or vodka is not going to result in anything close to the real thing, It has to be distilled.
In Canada and now the U.S.A. Absinthe is legal along with a lot of other European countries, u can even order shipments into the u.s. from places overseas no problem, but for whatever reason such shipments will be seized if being shipped to an Canadian address.
Never the less if u are interested in getting your hands on some Absinthe or for more info on it check out some of these sites.
Lots of good info on the history of Absinthe and Absinthe in general can be found at
http://www.oxygenee.com
http://www.feeverte.net
http://www.wormwoodsociety.org
Online places to order Absinthe in Canada
http://www.absintheclassics.com/canada/index.html
http://www.okanaganspirits.com
http://www.premierwineandspirits.ca
And u can find some at the LCBO from time to time (check there site www.lcbo.com)
Some Online Places to order Absinthe in the U.S.A.
http://www.absintheclassics.com
http://www.absinthiana.com (also sell Absinthe accessories)
http://www.drinklucid.com (the 1`st absinthe to be made legal again in the u.s.)
im sure there are a lot more sites out there for the u.s. market just Google it but i recommend reading up on the subject some 1`st for there are ALOT of bull crap brands and sellers out there too!.
BTW Don’t set your Absinthe on Fire!!... It may look cool but why would u want it to taste like burnt sugar and Burn off the Alcohol??
And Absinthe won’t make u trip ball`s... (see things Ect ect) the High alcohol content(any ware from 60% to 80%)of real Absinthe will however mess you up! LoL
And nice work on putting in the time to put together this Instructable! =o]
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
I think he just wanted to make something which tastes similar like absinthe...
...but if you want real absinthe you have to buy "Habsburger"-Absinthe
here is a pic of it I don't know if you get it in the U.S.
pic: http://www.lecellier.nl/absinthe/absinthe-habsburg-green.jpg
And nice instructable =)
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
I have to add this to my comment:
Habsburgerabsinthe
is from the E.U.
and so there are just max. 33mg thujon in one liter
and by so less thujon you will not see a green fairy
what the guy who wrote the instruction did is that he let the alcohol extract the thujon and other toxicstuff out of the sage, majoram and the wormwood
so i think his drink will make a great green fairy but magic weed is better i think than this thujon stuff
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
"but for whatever reason such shipments will be seized if being shipped to an Canadian address." Wrong, I live in Canada and have been buying high thujone content Absinthe regularly (2-3 bottles a month or so) for myself and my fiancee, from Europe for the last 4-5 years. Not a single one of my shipments has ever been seized... I even ordered a case (12 bottles) for my new year's party last December and even that went through without a hitch when it was clearly marked as being absinthe. "BTW Don’t set your Absinthe on Fire!!... It may look cool but why would u want it to taste like burnt sugar and Burn off the Alcohol??" If you know what you're doing, it won't taste "burnt", you don't light the sugar on fire until it becomes black, you only need the flame to caramelize (liquify) the sugar so it mixes with the absinthe better. Also, it'll take much more than 5-10 seconds to burn off the alcohol, especially when you're dealing with 150+ proof absinthe. The absinthe you buy in either Canada or the US are mostly watered down (~40% alcohol vol) compared to European versions (60 - 88% alcohol vol), not to mention their thujone content is very low (2-5mg per 750ml bottle) compared to what you get in Europe (10-100mg per 750ml bottle). Most absinthe made in Canada and the US aren't even made with real herbs, they're made with concentrated extracts or oils which can be very harmful to your liver. Lastly, is the taste and aroma of the absinthe, most absinthe that is sold in Canada or the US smells and tastes like alcohol, while traditional absinthe has a very different taste and aroma depending on which type, French absinthe has more of a licorice taste to it, Swiss absinthe is more of an herbal taste etc... But neither tastes like pure alcohol like the Canadian or US distilled absinthe does. If you're really serious about trying REAL absinthe, there are plenty of places to buy authentic (as in, made with the right blend of herbs, not extracts or oils), non watered down absinthe with high thujone content overseas... Although, they come at a price (~$100-$200 per 750ml bottle), but its well worth it in the end.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
At least someone knows what they're talking about in the comments when it comes to absinthe; honestly people do your homework. Excellent points, m1ndtr1p.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Totally agree with ya T4. Here are a few more
www.absintheonthenet.com (Good prices on accessories)
www.absintheonline.com (Ultra fast shipping on premium absinthe)
www.drinkupny.com (has a full line of legal absinthe)
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Another I forgot to mention is www.maison-alandia.de/absinthe/index.php?ref=4
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
www.eabsinthe.com www.absinth24.net these two have my vote, eabsinthe has quicker shipping, but absinth24 has a larger selection. also check aout www.alandia.de
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
make a instructable, how to get real absinthe. cuz you just hijack'd this thread.
14 years ago on Introduction
Just in case it's not clear: Absinthe IS legal in the US. That Thujone is "poisonous" has been debunked - in order for it to be poisonous like it was once believed, you'd have to drink about 40 bottles of Absinthe in one sitting. You have more to fear from alcohol poisoning. This isn't anything like Absinthe - this is Bitters.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
wrong, just bought a bottle of Authentic Absinthe in the liquor store by my house and got completely sideways.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
How was that wrong? I didn't say anything about getting sideways, and you just proved me right that it's legal here.
14 years ago on Introduction
Sorry, but that doesn't cover it-- this is neither absinthe nor "absinthe"-- this is how to make BITTERS.
The title should be "Making bitters with wormwood and other herbs"
To make real absinthe, follow the guides from the 19th Century:
http://feeverte.net/recipes.html
Calling this absinthe is like calling cake batter "cake."
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
I'm sorry to hear you're displeased with the way this Instructable was presented.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
As am I sorry that you have not taken the opportunity to edit your misleading title and incorrect statements. Wait... you're not even putting wormwood in it?! Oh my....
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
I apologize for the trouble you're having reading my instructable. If you could please refer to step 3 https://www.instructables.com/id/SJVVCY2FHL878TH/ where I added the wormwood.
As for the title, I feel I will leave it. I call this "Absinthe" due to the original recipe I followed here: http://www.hbd.org/brewery/library/absfaq.html which calls this "absinthe". You could take this Instructable, replace the vodka with wine, then distill that, and have Absinthe, but not only is that more difficult, it is illegal which is a violation of Instructables TOS. I make no claim this is authentic Absinthe, but I stand by the title.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
A 14-year old summary of alt.drugs posts is not a source, in spite of Mr. Baggot titling it a "FAQ." Most of the information on that "FAQ" has been debunked as real absinthe has returned due to the dedication of historians and chemists and spirits connoisseurs.
Real information is not hard to find in the two current, accurate absinthe FAQ's:
http://www.feeverte.net/faq.html
http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=184&Itemid=13
I apologize for being persistent, but I have problems with willful ignorance. I'd be happy with a small adjustment to the Instructable, if you're open to a tiny suggestion-- the title would be correct it you'd just make it:
"How NOT to Make Absinthe
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Terribly sorry for any mental anguish this simple how-to has caused you. I have had both real Absinthe and fake Absinthe, and this tastes more similar to the real thing than even the fakes you can buy, hence its "How to make "Absinthe"" not "How to Make Certified Authentic, Quadruple Distilled REAL Absinthe." Make some, try it, and if its not good, take this open source how-to and make a better one with your own words, original images, thoughts and results. Thats what's great about Instructables. Have fun!