ABSINTHE
Absinthe is a strong emerald green alcoholic liqueur made with an herbal extract of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), which gives it a bitter taste. Wormwood was associated with spiritual bitterness, and it was named after Queen Artemis of Caria, who suffered terrible grief at the loss of her husband. Due to its bitterness, the ancient Greeks called wormwood "absinthe," which means 'without sweetness' or 'undrinkable.' Only by adding a number of other herbs, can it be made drinkable. The most famous reference to Wormwood is from Revelations: "And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood, and the third part of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter." A legend states that wormwood sprang up in the biblical serpent's tail as it left the Garden of Eden, as a barrier to prevent its return; thus, snakes are believed not to enter a garden where wormwood is growing. This spiritual bitterness is said to represent the loss associated with giving up attachments to various aspects of consensus reality, which is undertaken by those seeking the spiritual power and illumination that results from personal transformation.
A crude form of absinthe ale was made in England in the 1600's, called "wormwood water." Absinthe was invented in 1792 by a French doctor named Pierre Ordinaire, who fled France's revolution to settle in Switzerland. Like most country doctors, he prepared his own remedies and being acquainted with absinthe's use in ancient times, he began experimenting with it. Dr. Ordinaire's recipe probably included the following herbs: wormwood, anise, hyssop, Dittany of Crete, sweet flag, melissa (lemon balm) and varying amounts of coriander, veronica, chamomile and parsley. The 136 proof elixir produced in his sixteen liter still became popular as a cure-all in town, and due to its peculiar effects on consciousness it was nicknamed La Fee Verte (The Green Faery). After his death, Ordinaire's recipe passed through various hands until it came to a Frenchman named Pernod.
Henri-Louis Pernod opened a distillery in Switzerland in 1797, and in 1805, he opened the first French absinthe factory, Pernod Fils, in Pontarlier, France. Pernod's recipe included anise, fennel, hyssop, melissa (lemon balm), angelica, star anise, Dittany of Crete, juniper, nutmeg, and veronica. At first, the distillery had only two stills, but as business increased, a new factory was built. Travelers and soldiers helped to spread the drinking of 'Pernod' absinthe throughout France. French soldiers were given rations of absinthe to fight bacterial infections during the Algerian War (1844-1847), and brought a taste for it back to France. Absinthe became popular among artists and bohemians because it stimulates creativity, and acts as a curative and aphrodisiac. It is said to have inspired fine literature and great paintings. Absinthe became the favorite drink of the upper class, and the French bourgeoisie loved to celebrate their "l'heure verte," the green hour. By the turn of the century, the plant's daily production of 30,000 liters was distributed to all parts of the world. On 11 August, 1901, Pernod's distillery was struck by lightning, and burned out of control for four days; afterward, it was quickly rebuilt and the flow of absinthe resumed.
Absinthe soon found its way to New Orleans, Louisiana. The drink was sold under such names as Green Opal, Herb Sainte and Milky Way. The Old Absinthe House at 240 Bourbon Street in New Orleans was frequented by many famous people, including the pirate Jean Lafitt, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman and Aleister Crowley. Absinthe was served in the traditional French manner: stationed along the long bar were marble fountains with brass faucets which slowly dripped cool water, drop by drop, over the sugar cubes perched above the glasses on a slotted spoon. Absinthe Houses soon spread to San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Absinthe was one of the few alcoholic beverages that women were permitted to drink in public.
Chronic use of absinthe was believed to produce a syndrome, called absinthism, which was characterized by addiction, epileptic attacks, delirium and hallucinations. This was actually caused by fake absinthe, which had copper sulfate added to produce a green color, and antimony trichloride added to make it turn white when water was added. Both of these additives are poisonous. This was compounded when a blight hit the vineyards in the 1870's, and manufacturers were forced to use industrial alcohol, made from beets and cereal instead of fruits. This type of alcohol required two distillations, and unscrupulous manufacturers sold impure ethanol (drinking alcohol) made with only one distillation. Thus, a rather toxic form of fake absinthe began to appear alongside of the real thing, and the health problems that resulted were blamed on the wormwood in absinthe.
In 1905, Frenchman Jean LanFray murdered his wife after drinking two glasses of absinthe, and his trial was called the "Absinthe Murder" by the press. Crude experiments were performed, wherein large amounts of wormwood oil were injected into animals, resulting in convulsions; the fact that wormwood oil was never used in absinthe, and the quantities used represented more wormwood than any person could ever accumulate in their body, didn't faze the critics. Absinthe was blamed for everything from dementia, criminality and degeneracy to epilepsy and tuberculosis. As a result, absinthe was banned in Switzerland shortly after LanFray's trial. It was banned in France on 17 March 1915, and throughout most of Europe shortly thereafter. Since absinthe never caught on in Britain, it was never banned there. On July 25, 1912, the US Department of Agriculture issued Food Inspection Decision 147, which banned absinthe in the United States.
HOW TO DRINK ABSINTHE Although absinthe is sometimes drunk straight or in a variety of mixed drinks, the classic method of drinking it involves dribbling ice cold water over a sugar cube on a slotted spoon into a glass of absinthe (three to five parts water to absinthe). As the water hits the absinthe, the drink changes from a clear emerald color to an opaque, milky white. One then sips it slowly, relishing the clearing of the mind and the onset of a truly spiritual experience. Afterwards, the effects of the alcoholic content take hold.
There were several types of specialized absinthe drinking paraphernalia. The most famous one is the slotted spoon. The spoon sits on top of the glass, and the spoon's holes serve to allow the water to carry the sugar into the glass. The six-ounce absinthe glass has a pattern, line or indentation part way up from the base of the glass to indicate the level of absinthe to be used. Typically, when the absinthe is served, one has the glass, the spoon, sugar cubes, a carafe of cold water, and of course, the absinthe.
FAMOUS ABSINTHE USERS Edouard Manet
Guy de Maupassant
Charles Baudelaire
Paul Verlaine
Emile Zola
Arthur Rimbaud
Oscar Wilde
Edgar Degas
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Vincent Van Gogh
Paul Gauguin
Pablo Picasso
Jean Lafitt
Andrew Jackson
Walt Whitman
Mark Twain
Edgar Allen Poe
Teddy Roosevelt
Ernest Hemingway
Jack London
Aleister Crowley
HOW TO MAKE ABSINTHE Commercial absinthe is legally made today in Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Denmark and Czechoslovakia, and illegally made in France and Switzerland. It was recently reintroduced to Britain by rock and roller John Moore and his import company, Green Bohemia. In other parts of the world, such as Japan, absinthe is legal. In the United States, many users make it at home. One of the best commercial absinthes today is Sebor Absinthe.
Sebor Absinthe First they begin with the finest refined alcohol to assure the highest purity and maximum herbal absorption. Healing herbs are soaked a long time in strong alcohol or water to extract the best flavors and smells. The mixture ripens for a long time, allowing all the herbs, and the main ingredient, wormwood (Artemisa absinthium) to mix and mellow. The final product is re-distilled to a 55 percent alcohol (110 proof) content. In addition to Artemisa absinthium, the main herbal ingredients are anise and fennel, followed by chamomile, coriander, mint, melissa (lemon balm) and others, which are Sebor's secret.
An Old French Recipe An 1855 recipe from Pontarlier, France, gives the following instructions for making absinthe: Macerate 2.5 kilograms of dried wormwood, 5 kilograms of anise and 5 kilograms of fennel in 95 liters of 85 percent ethanol by volume. Let the mixture steep for at least 12 hours in the pot of a double boiler. Add 45 liters of water and apply heat; collect 95 liters of distillate. To 40 liters of the distillate, add 1 kilogram of wormwood, 1 kilogram of hyssop and 500 grams of melissa (lemon balm), all of which have been dried and finely divided. Extract at a moderate temperature, then siphon off the liquor, filter, and reunite it with the remaining 55 liters of distillate. Dilute with water to produce approximately 100 liters of absinthe with a final alcohol concentration of 74 percent by volume.
(commercial)
Putting the Wormwood back in Pernod After the ban on absinthe, Pernod and Herb Sainte were produced without wormwood as an ingredient. You can remedy this. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons Wormwood extract (wormwood herb distilled in food grade alcohol) to 1 liter or quart of Pernod or Herb Sainte. **Please note, this extract is also referred to as wormwood water, and IS NOT wormwood oil, which is poisonous when more than a drop or two are used. It is *not* recommended to steep wormwood herb in Pernod, as the results are extremely bitter. The distillation creates a minty and aromatic flavor, whereas the residue (from steeping) creates a persistent bitterness.
HOMEMADE ABSINTHES Dick's Absinthe Ingredients: 30 grams wormwood, 8.5 grams hyssop, 1.8 grams calamus, 6.0 grams melissa (lemon balm), 30 grams anise, 25 grams fennel seed, 10 grams star anise, 3.2 grams coriander. Put the dry herbs in a large jar. Dampen slightly. Add 800 milliliters of 85-95 percent alcohol. Wine spirits make a better product than pure grain alcohol. Let steep for several days - a week is better - shaking occasionally. Then add 600 milliliters of water and let the whole macerate for another day. Decant off the liquid squeezing as much from the mass of herb as possible. Wet the herbs with some vodka and squeeze again. Recipe should give a little over a liter and a half of green liquor. It must then be distilled.
(distilled)
Color the distillate by again adding: 4.2 grams mint, 1.1 grams melissa (lemon balm), 3.0 grams wormwood, 1 gram citron peel, 4.2 grams liquorice root. Let the herbs macerate for another three or four days. Decant, filter, bottle.
Easy Absinthe Ingredients: 1 pint vodka, 2 teaspoons crumbled wormwood (dried), 2 teaspoons anise seed, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, 4 cardamom pods, 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 2 teaspoons chopped angelica root, 1 2/3 cups sugar syrup. Place vodka in large jar with tight fitting lid. Add wormwood and shake well; steep 48 hrs and strain out. Crush seeds and pods in mortar. Add them and all remaining spices to vodka and steep in a warm place for one week. Filter and sweeten. This absinthe is made to drink straight, not in the French manner. The sugar syrup mentioned above is your standard simple syrup.
(steeped)
Phil Heiple's Absinthe Ingredients: one ounce chopped wormwood, one tablespoon angelica root, one teaspoon hyssop, one half teaspoon coriander seeds, one quarter teaspoon caraway seeds, one pinch cardamom pods, one tablespoon of anise seeds, 750 ml 111 proof vodka. In a glass container add the wormwood to the vodka. Set aside in the dark for ten days. For extra-powerful absinthe, use 151 rum instead of vodka. Then strain out the wormwood and add all the remaining spices and herbs. Wait four more days, then strain these out and serve.
Julia Venobre's Absinthe Ingredients: one third cup of crumbled wormwood, one tablespoon angelica root, one teaspoon hyssop, one teaspoon anise seeds, one half teaspoon coriander seed, one tablespoon licorice root, one tablespoon lemon balm, one tablespoon calamis root, one tablespoon star anise, anise extract from two ounces of anise, one liter Everclear or 100 proof vodka, one cup sugar or simple syrup. Steep the wormwood and alcohol in a glass container in the dark for five days, shaking occasionally. Then strain out the wormwood, crush the remaining herbs in a mortar (or any way you can) and add the remaining herbs to the liquid and steep for four days in a warm place. Strain and serve.***NOTE - Long term chronic use of absinthe will lead to results similar to the long term chronic use of marijuana, such as memory loss.
NOTES ON INGREDIENTS When using wormwood, use only Artemisia absinthium. Other types of wormwood such as Silver King, Roman (petite) Wormwood, Southernwood, Tarragon, Old Woman, Dusty Miller, Sagebrush, and Levant Wormseed contain little or no thujone, the main active ingredient in absinthe.
Wormwood was used by the ancient Egyptians to expel worms from people and animals, as well as for an insect repellent. It contains anti-malarial substances, and was used against fever. Wormwood also has liver protecting qualities, due to the presence of anti-oxidants and calcium blockers. It has been shown to block the growth of some types of bacteria. Wormwood contains vitamin B, C and D. Women in ancient times applied wormwood to their nipples to help wean their babies. Substances in wormwood that are washed into the soil by rain tend to inhibit the growth of other plants nearby.
In Asia, wormwood has been used for centuries to a variety of things. The Chinese used it to relieve migraine headaches, as well as menstrual pain in women. Taken as a soup, they used it to relieve a hangover, cure liver jaundice and relieve the pain of arthritis. In Korea, Japan and China, wormwood rice cakes were a delicacy favored by the high born, said to ward off disease. Dried wormwood was burned as an incense in houses to sterilize them of disease, twisted in the form of a tiger and hung in a place to ward off illness, and worn in the hair with a thread wrapped around it to ward off misfortune. Wormwood was one of the symbols of immortality in China, and Taoists consumed it to aid their spiritual transformation.
Thujone, the main active ingredient in wormwood, was named after the plant from which it was first extracted, thuja. It has variously been called absinthol, tanacetone and salviol. It is contained in a number of other plants, including sage, tansy and white cedar. Thujone accumulates in the body with regular use, and has a mild psychoactive effect. It has a pain killing effect similar to codene, and has been shown to increase the learning ability of slow learners. When 2.5 kg of wormwood is used to prepare 100 liters of absinthe, about 2-4 mg of thujone will be present. Vermouth, chartreuse and benedictine all contain small amounts of thujone. It is the major component of wormwood oil, and accounts for up to 90% of the oil's weight; this density makes wormwood oil dangerous to ingest. Thujone is chemically related to THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana.
Anise and fennel contain psychoactive anethole. Anise is what helps the absinthe loache up (turn a milky opalescent color when you add five times as much water to a shot of the absinthe. It is important when making absithe to use twice as much anise (or star anise) as wormwood.
Fennel has a long history as an adjunct to spirituality; its oil was traded to temples throughout the ancient Mediterranean area, and it was the "herb of immortality" retrieved by the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh. Angelica root was used by American Indians to induce lucidity and visions. Coriander was used as an aphrodisiac, while lemon balm (melissa) was a curative. Licorice is an aromatic, used for flavoring. All of the different ingredients used to make Absinthe generally fall into one of these four categories: mind-altering, aphrodisiac, curative or aromatic.Aleister Crowley's "Green Goddess"
