How to make Absinthe the right way

Absinthe Production: The Most Important Facts

• High-quality absinthe is distilled. Cheaper, inferior varieties are macerated or mixed from neutral alcohol, oils, dyes, and sugar.
• The most important ingredients of the recipe are wormwood, green anise, and fennel.
• For the characteristic green color, coloring herbs, not dyes, should be used.

How to make Absinthe: The recipe is important

There are different methods to produce absinthe. The production method is responsible for quality and taste. Reason enough for us to present the different production methods in more detail.

Knowledge of various herbs and spices is crucial for producing a palatable absinthe. This is why distillers guard their successful absinthe recipes like a treasure. In particular, the quantity of herbs used is of central importance for the quality of absinthe. Those who want to prepare homemade absinthe should aim for a balanced, yet complex taste experience. Some herbs are very aromatic; if too much is used, the entire absinthe is ruined.

Nevertheless, a good absinthe recipe must follow this general guideline: every absinthe must contain the holy trinity of absinthe: (1.) Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), (2.) green anise, and (3.) fennel. Everything else depends on personal preference. However, there are some common ingredients found in various old and modern recipes: star anise (for the licorice flavor), coriander seeds, hyssop, Roman wormwood, and angelica. Lemon balm, spearmint, calamus, sandalwood, and genepi are also often mentioned.

Original Absinthe Recipe from 1855

Source: P. Duplais

 

Making Absinthe: The Alcohol Base and Coloring Herbs

In fact, some ingredients have a deeper meaning for use in absinthe distillation. It's not just about taste. The high alcohol content serves to bind the molecules. The oil, essentially the essence of the plants, does not dissolve in water, but it does in high-proof alcohol. Higher quality is achieved when wine alcohol is used as the distillation base. Absinthes based on wine alcohol instead of neutral grain alcohol mature better.

After distillation, every absinthe is initially crystal clear. The color is only added in a second step. The green color of real absinthe comes from the coloring herbs. These are added to the distillate, similar to a tea bag. After a while, they release their green color and, of course, their aroma. Therefore, the choice of herbs is crucial. Popular coloring herbs include Roman wormwood (Artemisia pontica) and hyssop. Never use grand wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) for coloring. This leads to a harsh, bitter taste!

The Absinthe Herbs: Fennel, Wormwood, Anise

Source: Shutterstock / Everilda

Absinthe Production: Maceration vs. Distillation

First things first: Real absinthe must be distilled. A common, though less authentic, production method is maceration. It is very simple, which is why homemade absinthe is often made this way. Maceration is also called "cold distillation," although this term is misleading as no actual distillation takes place. In this process, dried wormwood, anise, and fennel are soaked in highly concentrated ethyl alcohol. This mixture is left to stand for a day. Water is then added, and the elixir is filtered to obtain a clear, green liquid. Sometimes the macerate is additionally boiled to extract even more aromas.

Macerated absinthes are often very bitter, as the bitter compounds are not separated from the essential oils during production. Therefore, the term "bitter" would be more appropriate for these spirits than absinthe. As mentioned before, the true and higher quality is achieved by further distillation of the macerate. This results in a very fine taste with only a few bitter notes.

Absinthe Distillation: The Still

Source: Shutterstock / Morphart Creation

Inferior Production Method: The Oil Blend

A final production method is the "oil blend." In this method, neutral alcohol is simply mixed with essential oils. This is by far the most inferior method for producing the Green Fairy, as absinthe is also called.

However, it is often used for mass-market brands. You should avoid "absinthes" produced by this method. You can usually recognize them by their very low price, the exaggerated green color from artificial dye, and the emphasis on the alleged "effect" of absinthe due to high levels of Thujone.

Summary

Generally speaking, a high-quality absinthe should be distilled. While some may enjoy the bitter taste of a macerate, strictly speaking, it is not real absinthe. In Switzerland, the birthplace of absinthe, there is even a food regulation that states that real absinthe must be distilled, otherwise it cannot be called "absinthe."

We hope you enjoyed this article on "How to Make Absinthe." If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram. If making homemade absinthe is too complicated for you and you'd prefer to buy a bottle of real absinthe, simply visit our online shop. Our purchase recommendation for original absinthe is ALANDIA Verte. It is distilled according to a classic 19th-century recipe and owes its green color to natural herbs. This brand gives you a perfect impression of how real absinthe tastes and should taste.

Your ALANDIA Team

Bonus: Historical Absinthe Recipe

For the interested reader, we also share one Absinthe recipe for a distilled Absinthe:

Distilled Absinthe (original Recipe from 1855):

• 95 liters of 85 percent ethanol
• 2.5 kilograms of dried wormwood (artemisia absinthium)
• 5 kilograms of anise seeds
• 5 kilograms of fennel seeds
• 1 kilogram of Roman wormwood (artemisia pontica)
• 1 kilogram of hyssop
• 500 grams of lemon balm
• 45 liters of water

The distillation manual for 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 macerate for at least 12 hours. Add 45 liters of water and apply heat. Collect 95 liters of distillate. For coloration, add to 40 liters of the distillate 1 kilogram of Roman wormwood, 1 kilogram of hyssop, and 500 grams of lemon balm. All of which have been dried and finely divided. Let it macerate for 10 minutes (or longer for a darker green color, but beware, the coloration also adds flavor!) 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.