Absinthe, the recipe of which we will consider later, is a very strong alcoholic drink. Its most important component is the extract of bitter wormwood. By the way, this is exactly how the French word “absinthe” is translated.
It should be especially noted that the strength of such a drink can reach 70, and sometimes even 75 or 85%.
Historical reference
Absinthe, a recipe for which may involve the use of various ingredients, was a valuable drink for another 1,500 years before Christ. According to historians, it was quite often used by the Egyptians as an excellent medicine. However, ancient absinthe was noticeably different from modern. At a time when Picasso and Verlaine drank it, wormwood was simply soaked in wine or alcohol.
As mentioned above, the word "absinthe" came to us from the French language. But some experts note that the name of this drink comes from the Greek "apsinthion", which literally means "unsuitable for drinking."
As you know, Pythagoras recommended the use of absinthe as a means of promoting fertility. As for Hippocrates, he prescribed it to his patients for jaundice, anemia, rheumatism and menstrual pain.
Modern absinthe
Preparing absinthe is not an easy task. But those who are not indifferent to this drink will not be scared of the difficulties that they may encounter during its creation.
Modern experts suggest that the absinthe that we can use today was first made in 1792. Its manufacturer is considered an extraordinary doctor named Ordiner Pierre. During the French Revolution, he fled to a small village in western Switzerland. On one of the rides on horseback, he discovered bitter wormwood that grew on the hills in the area.
Like most healers in the country, Ordiner Pierre prepared his own medicines. Acquainted with absinthe, he began to experiment with it. As a result, the doctor became the creator of the most popular alcoholic beverage in the modern world.
What does it look like?
Absinthe, a photo of which can be seen in this article, is an emerald green alcoholic drink. It is so bitter and strong (due to the presence of absentin in it) that before use it is always diluted with water, and a small amount of sugar is added. After such a mixing, the absinthe becomes cloudy white.
It should be noted that in the 19th century this drink was considered a drink of bohemia. Today, almost everyone can buy it. Although it is worth it but not cheap.
If you are a fan of such a drink, then you can prepare it yourself. Of course, absinthe home will be noticeably different from the store. However, you will know for sure that during its production all kinds of dyes and additives were not used.
How to cook absinthe classic?
Among modern lovers of this drink, the recipe of Pierre Ordiner is especially popular. After all, it is he who is considered the classic way to prepare absinthe. Such a method consists in taking dried wormwood, fennel and anise, and then insisting them on alcohol. Next, the resulting mixture needs to be boiled. The next step in the manufacture of such a drink is its tincture, as well as filtration.
It should be noted that different brands of absinthe can have completely different production technologies. However, the main idea remains to create not just an alcoholic, but a rather strong drink with a unique aroma of herbs.
Home absinthe: a recipe for cooking
As mentioned above, such an emerald drink does not have to be purchased in a store. After all, using ordinary vodka, you can make it yourself. However, it should be noted that before drinking such a drink is usually not diluted, in contrast to the fact that it was made from 95% alcohol.
So, before you prepare absinthe, you must purchase:
- any forty-degree vodka - 1 bottle;
- anise seeds - 2 dessert spoons;
- dry wormwood - 2 dessert spoons;
- fennel seeds - ½ dessert spoon;
- marjoram - 1 dessert spoon ;
- cardamom - 4 small pods;
- ground coriander - ½ dessert spoon;
- sugar syrup - 2/3 faceted glasses;
- crushed angelica root - 2 dessert spoons.
Cooking process
Absinthe, the recipe of which involves the use of ordinary vodka, should be done in several stages. Firstly, you need to pour crushed wormwood into a glass liter jar, pour a forty-degree alcoholic drink into it, and then tightly close and insist at room temperature for at least two days. After the specified time, the semi-finished product must be filtered.
Next, put all the remaining herbs in a bowl and grind them into small crumbs. After adding the mixture to the drink, it is required to close it again and stand for another week. Finally, absinthe must be filtered and then sweetened with sugar syrup.
A simple drink recipe
How can absinthe be made at home? The recipe for this emerald drink requires the use of the following ingredients:
- dried wormwood (you can buy in a pharmacy) - a dessert spoon;
- usual forty-degree vodka - faceted glass;
- dried mint leaves - 2 large spoons;
- lemon peel - a small slice;
- sugar syrup - ½ faceted glass.
Making a drink
Before making absinthe at home, put dry wormwood in a bowl, and then turn it into small crumbs. Next, the grass must be placed in a glass jar and pour forty-degree vodka. Sealing the container tightly with a lid, it must be insisted for 2 days. The resulting liquid must be filtered through a fine sieve. After that, it is necessary to add dried mint leaves to the drink, as well as a small piece of lemon peel. Having infused the vodka for another 8 days, it should be filtered again and add sugar syrup.
Absinthe, the recipe of which we examined, turns out to be more aromatic and bitter than the above drink.
Distillation method
Home absinthe, the recipe of which does not provide for distillation, is quite difficult to call real. After all, it is this process that gives it the properties that are inherent in drinks from the store. If you are interested in this method of preparing homemade absinthe, then we will present its detailed recipe.
So, the whole process of making this strong alcoholic drink is the sequential implementation of the following steps.
Step one - tincture of herbs on alcohol
To complete this step, we need:
- alcohol 95% - 1 l;
- dried wormwood - 100 g;
- dried anise - 50 g;
- fennel - 50 g;
- chamomile - 3 g;
- lemon balm –15 g;
- caraway seeds - 10 g;
- angelica –10 g (or the so-called Angelica grass);
- a mixture of herbs "Provence" (marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, basil, tarragon and dill seeds) - about 15 g;
- hyssop - about 5-10 g (if you do not find it, then you can not use it).
If you understand herbs and live in a suitable area, then it is better to collect them yourself. Otherwise, these ingredients can be bought at any pharmacy.
Thus, after mixing all of the listed herbs together, they should be put in a glass container, pour 95% alcohol, and then put in a dark place and kept at room temperature for about 1-2 weeks.
Step Two - Distillation
Now you know what absinthe is made of. After all the herbs have been infused in alcohol, the resulting mixture should be diluted to 55 degrees, and then pour directly into the container with herbs and begin distillation. The first 50 ml must be discarded. When 95% of the total liquid volume is distilled, the process must be stopped so that the grass does not burn.
Step Three - Herb Staining
Absinthe (photos of a store and a home-made drink may differ markedly), prepared at home, is good because it is painted only with natural ingredients.
So, to get a green-emerald drink, you need to take a little distilled substance, and then add the following herbs to it (calculated for each liter):
- licorice - 10 g;
- lemon balm - 8 g;
- angelica - 2 g;
- chamomile - 2 g;
- a mixture of dried herbs "Provence" - about 15 g.
Having mixed all the components, they should be rector in a dark place for several days, and then strain and add to the main drink.
Step Four - Aging or Ripening
After all the above actions have been completed, the resulting alcoholic beverage must be put in a dark place and wait about 2 weeks until it is fully ripe. After half a month, homemade absinthe will be fully usable.
Cooking wormwood tincture
As you know, tincture of wormwood is not quite absinthe. Reviews about such a tool are very diverse. Someone likes such a substitute for a bohemian drink, and someone uses it only for medicinal purposes. It should be noted that the manufacture of this absinthe at home implies mandatory distillation. But for those who still decided to make a tincture, we will present its detailed recipe. However, before this I want to say that such a drink by its effect and taste is much worse than real absinthe, prepared independently.
So we need:
- dried wormwood - about 45 g;
- hyssop - about 10 g;
- alcohol 95% - 0.7 l;
- calamus - 10 g;
- fennel seeds - 5 g;
- dried mint leaves - a dessert spoon;
- cloves - a dessert spoon;
- coriander - a dessert spoon;
- nutmeg - ½ dessert spoon.
Cooking process
After all the components have been prepared, grind the coriander, fennel seeds and cloves in the coffee grinder, and then add the rest of the herbs to them. Further, the ingredients must be placed in a container, pour 0.7 l of 95% alcohol and tightly closed. Insisting the drink for two weeks, it is recommended to shake it periodically.
After the specified time, the resulting fluid should be filtered, while removing all herbs. Next, you need to add to the drink:
- wormwood oil - a few drops;
- anise extract - ½ dessert spoon;
- peppermint extract - dessert spoon.
After mixing all the components together, they should be closed again and insisted in a dark place for about 2 more weeks. Before use, this tincture must be diluted with water. After all, such alcoholic beverages can quite quickly and easily contribute to severe internal burns.
Absinthe Cocktails
Now you know how many degrees in absinthe. That is why it is recommended to dilute it before use. By the way, it is due to the special strength that this drink is often used in the preparation of less strong alcoholic cocktails. Consider a detailed recipe for one of them. For this we need:
- home absinthe with a strength of at least 75% - about 50 ml;
- berry liquor - about 20 ml (can be replaced with any berry syrup);
- ice in the form of cubes - up to 4 pcs.;
- natural apple juice or purchased, but of high quality - about 100 ml.
Cooking process
Such an alcoholic cocktail is prepared quite quickly and easily. First, pour a small amount of natural apple juice into a tall glass cup. Next, in the same capacity, you must add berry liquor or syrup. At the end, a little strong absinthe should be poured into the cocktail. To cool the prepared drink, it is also required to lower several ice cubes into it.
How to drink homemade absinthe?
As we found out above, such a drink is best consumed in diluted form. Although some of his fans can drink absinthe without first adding any liquid. In this case, such a drink should be as chilled as possible, and most importantly, should not be more than 30 ml per serving.
It should be emphasized that the most common supply is precisely diluted absinthe. There are several ways to make such a drink. By the way, it is diluted not only in order to significantly reduce the strength, but also to significantly improve its taste. Indeed, pure absinthe is rather bitter.
What is diluted with?
If you yourself made homemade strong absinthe, then before using it you should definitely find out how and with what such a drink is diluted. As a rule, many people use plain or soda water as well as sugar as an extra liquid.
So, the traditional proportions for such a drink are the following: one part of absinthe should have three parts of water, lemonade or tonic. By the way, for its preparation it is advisable to use a not very tall, wide glass glass. If the drink with which the absinthe is diluted is sweet, then there is no need to add sugar. Otherwise, water can be further sweetened. Although there are more original ways to add such a product.
The most common way to drink absinthe
If you come to a club, restaurant or bar, you will definitely be offered exactly this way of drinking absinthe, since it is the most original and beautiful.
So, on the edge of the glass you need to put a special flat spoon with holes. Next, one or two pieces of refined sugar must be laid out on the device. Through it, in large drops, it is necessary to pass one part of the fortified absinthe (70, 75 or 80%). After this, the sugar soaked in the drink should be set on fire. As a result of such actions, the sweet product gradually melts and drains from a spoon into a glass. Next, the device must be removed, and the drink diluted with three parts of ordinary or sparkling water. If you prefer to use cold absinthe, then you can add a few ice cubes to it.
Precautionary measures
During the preparation of such a drink, it can quite easily catch fire from caramel, which drains from a spoon. If this happened to you, then experts recommend quickly diluting absinthe with ordinary water. So, having lost the original fortress, it will go out by itself.
It should be noted that this method is called Czech. It is recognized as the most beautiful way to drink an alcoholic beverage, but at the same time the most dangerous. Indeed, there were often cases when absinthe lovers received severe burns during its preparation and even drinking.
To summarize
As you can see, it is not at all difficult to make a fortified drink called absinthe at home. Moreover, such a product is safer than those sold in supermarkets. After all, during its creation, you use only proven ingredients. It should also be noted that absinthe, made independently, is much cheaper than the one that was purchased in the store.