At home in the closet from time immemorial there was a moonshine still lying around (scientifically, a distiller). I got it from my grandmother. A good thing!
Ten kilograms of food grade stainless steel. I have long wanted to find a use for it, but there was no desire to simply make moonshine. I wanted something more refined. I wanted to experiment.
I knew that absinthe was very popular in France at one time. A very specific drink based on wormwood. I wanted to taste the very absinthe that the French bohemia drank and experience the original sensations from its tasting.
This recipe was sent by my subscriber Nikolay.
Why I decided to make absinthe myself
It is difficult to find real absinthe made from wormwood in our markets. What I’ve seen on store shelves is absinthe in name only. According to the content – a standard alcoholic drink, flavored and painted in green.
The thing is that wormwood, on the basis of which real absinthe is made, contains thujone, a substance that is treated with caution in some countries.
I thought that absinthe without thujone is like decaffeinated coffee or beer without alcohol. Maybe harmless, but not fun. Therefore, I decided to make it myself.
What did I need
The basis of the drink is alcohol. You can buy it, or you can make it. I kicked myself out.
Further down the list:
- wormwood – 50 g;
- fennel – 100 g;
- star anise or anise – 100 g;
- mint – 20 g.
The proportions indicate two liters of alcohol.
All these ingredients are sold in a pharmacy in dried form. Fresh wormwood and mint can be plucked even in the yard. If the pharmacy does not have fennel and star anise, look for them either in the market or in the store in the Spices section.
In terms of money: no more than 500 rubles were spent on everything, not counting alcohol. Alcohol costs – 50 g of fresh yeast and 3 kg of sugar (about 200 rubles). Yes, and yet, you need a moonshine still and an alcohol meter.
Manufacturing process
To get alcohol, I again distilled 3 liters of moonshine distillate. The output turned out to be about 2 liters of liquid, with a strength of eighty degrees. I will not describe the production of moonshine.
Add fennel, wormwood, star anise to alcohol and leave to infuse for a week. We get a nasty liquid of the color of marsh slurry. I do not recommend trying. I tried – then spat and rinsed my mouth. Very bitter!
Now we turn to alchemy, i.e., to the distillation of tincture. We pour it into the apparatus and put it on fire.
Important! Before distillation, alcohol tincture must be diluted with water, lowering its degree to twenty to twenty-five. If this is not done, you can immediately call the fire department. Alcohol is a highly flammable substance.
As a result of distillation, I obtained a highly alcoholic transparent liquid with a magical aroma, which I then diluted with water to sixty degrees. Also important! When diluting, pour alcohol into water, and not vice versa. Otherwise, the liquid will become cloudy, the taste and appearance will not be the same.
I put the drink in the cupboard on the far shelf and let it stand.
I add mint to a clear drink and let it brew. My homemade absinthe takes on a beautiful emerald color after a few days.
This happens if the dyes are natural. It doesn’t affect the taste. In any case, the product is ready to use
Two weeks later, I had an opportunity to taste it. The color of absinthe darkened a little and became not so bright.
Result
And here is the drink on the table. By the way, we owe the expression “green snake” to absinthe. So the French allegorically called it because of the color and some other properties.
Absinthe turned out to be quite strong (sixty degrees) and very fragrant. The aroma is due to essential oils from the primary tincture. To make the absinthe taste less harsh, I diluted it with apple juice. I do not recommend drinking it undiluted. You won’t feel the taste. Just get burned.
And the taste, I must say, is very specific. Mint, light bitterness and many other shades are felt. It is difficult to describe them in words. This was worth the effort.
Have you tried real absinthe? What was it diluted with? Share your impressions.