The history of Absinthe is very interesting. A French doctor made Absinthe as a tonic in Switzerland, in the late 18th century. By 1805 the Absinthe recipes had got into the hands of Henri-Louis Pernod who started distilling it in his factory in Pontarlier in France.
Original Absinthe Recipes
Pernod’s Absinthe, Original Pernod Fils, was distilled from wine and contained many natural herbs and essential oils from plants including grande wormwood, aniseed, melissa, fennel, lemon balm, dittany, angelica root, hyssop, star anise, nutmeg and juniper.
Different manufacturers of the Green Fairy (Absinthe’s nickname) used different recipes and ingredients. Calamus root, mint, cloves, nutmeg, roman wormwood, anise seed, coriander, sweet flag and licorice are different herbs used in Absinthe production. The herb wormwood, Artimesia Absinthium was the basic ingredient of pre-ban Absinthe which gave Absinthe it’s characteristic bitter flavor and name.
People believed that the thujone chemical and THC in the drug cannabis have the same effects. A person consuming decent amount of thujone can suffer with psychedelic effects. Anethole is said to be psychoactive which is content of anise seed and fennel seed and Lapland grow Angelica root in the form of drug. As Absinthe is a mysterious mix of sedatives and stimulants so a few artists and writers claimed that it enhanced their genius and inspiration! “A clear headed drunkenness” is the explanation on how being drunk on Absinthe.
In the year 1915 prohibitionists in France claimed that Absinthe was a risk on the country due to which it was banned there. Studies claimed that consuming Absinthe is just as safe as drinking any of the other strong alcoholic drinks. A person cannot be harmed by Absinthe because it is alcoholic drink that contains minute quantities of wormwood and the other herbs.
Homemade Absinthe Recipes
There are many Absinthe recipes on the Internet using different herbs and different methods – steeping, filtering etc. but making Absinthe at home from plants, dried herbs or essential oils is not to be recommended. Why?
– Absinthe should not be used without distillation.
– It is a bit risky that one cannot know the thujone content of his finished Absinthe.
It is far better to buy either a quality Absinthe, making sure that it’s got the vital ingredient wormwood, or to buy an Absinthe kit which consists of Absinthe essences that have already been distilled.
Breaux’s label “Lucid” is legal in the USA.
AbsintheKit.com does great Absinthe kits which consist of:-
– Absinthe essence – choose from classic, white (which makes clear Swiss style Absinthe, Strong 55 (with a 55mg thujone content) and Orange (flavored with orange oil).
– This is a measure.
– Absinthe bottles can be decorated by Artistic Labels.
One can produce 14 bottles of Absinthe from one bottle of essence!
Using these kits one had to mix 20ml of the Absinthe essence with a neutral alcohol to make own bottle of Green Fairy.
These essences are simple and easy to use and a safe, top-quality product.
If you search online you will find lots of cocktail Absinthe recipes such as Ernest Hemingway’s famous “Death in the Afternoon” – Absinthe and champagne. Enjoy finding and mixing your cocktails.