Recipes For Making An Absinthe Cocktail At Home, How To Cook, Video

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Secrets of making absinthe

Absinthe has been popular since ancient times. And despite the frequent bans on the sale, this drink is always in demand among lovers of an unusual, original taste. Modern absinthe, which is sold in the store, is very different from the classic one, primarily in that it has an identical natural taste due to the replacement of ingredients. Therefore, today we will make absinthe at home, following the old traditional recipe.

Content

• 1 Getting Started: Preparatory Stage
• 2 The composition of the recipe: what herbs we need
• 3 The process of brewing a drink
• 4 More about distillation: technology features
• 5 Cooking absinthe without distillation
• 6 Video about making absinthe at home

Getting Started: Preparatory Stage

Absinthe is prepared in 4 stages, which must be kept in strict sequence:

• herbs insist on alcohol or double distilled moonshine;
• absinthe is distilled;
• the drink is colored green;
• aging is carried out.

Alcohol can be purchased at the pharmacy or obtained from the hospital. If you decide to replace it with moonshine, then remember: double distillation will give the strength of 75-80 degrees, which is necessary for homemade absinthe.

Herbs for the drink can also be purchased at the pharmacy, but they are often of poor quality there. You will need wormwood, anise, and fennel. It is better to buy the same wormwood from grandmothers in the market or collect it yourself at the end of the dry period.

Wormwood is the main ingredient in absinthe

There are several recipes for making absinthe, but first of all, we will look at the basic one. For it, you need the following herbs and spices (for 1200 grams of alcohol):

• bitter wormwood - 100 g;
• green anise - 60 g;
• fennel - 60 g;
• star anise - 20 g;
• mint - 20 g;
• coriander - 15 g;
• cardamom - 10 g;
• chamomile - 30 g;
• nutmeg - 10 g;
• oregano - 30 g;
• melissa - 20 g;
• thyme - 10 g.

Remove the stems from the herbs: you only need leaves, they contain the required concentration of active ingredients. Grind them in a blender or coffee grinder, but not to a dusty state. Crush the nutmeg into small pieces.

Absinthe should be infused exclusively in glassware. The plastic will react with alcohol and the product will have a chemical flavor. Therefore, it is better to take a glass three-liter jar or two liter bottles.

The composition of the recipe: what herbs we need

The brewing process

1. Dilute the alcohol to 85 degrees, in accordance with the classic recipe of the 19th century. Put all the ingredients in the jar in the same order in which they are listed, carefully fill with alcohol, close the container tightly and put it in a dark, warm place, for example, to the battery.
2. Absinthe should be infused for at least 2 weeks, the more the better. Shake the dishes with the drink once a day. After the infusion process is completed, you need to start distillation. To do this, the workpiece should be filtered to separate the liquid from the herbs, which must be carefully squeezed out.
3. Before proceeding with distillation, you need to add water to the workpiece to reach an alcohol level of 60 degrees. The water will help retain the tar and heavy essential oils, preventing them from spoiling the taste of homemade absinthe.
4. Distillation is carried out on a home-made moonshine still or using a ratification column.

Now we just have to take the last steps: color the absinthe and age it. During coloring, the drink will acquire a specific color and final taste. You will need:

• 15 g mint;
• 5 g St. John's wort;
• 5 g thyme;
• 5 g lemon balm;
• zest of half a lemon.

When infusing absinthe, adhere to the temperature regime and the required time

Insist the distilled workpiece for about 7 hours, and then filter the finished absinthe. Before you finally cork it, bring the drink to 70 degrees using distilled water.

Absinthe belongs to noble drinks, therefore it is not customary to drink it immediately after production, but should be kept for some time. Pour the drink into glass bottles, seal it tightly and place in a dark, warm place for 2 weeks. This time will be enough for harshness to disappear from taste and smell.

More about distillation: technology features

It is very important to know how to technically ensure the distillation process. The simplest, budgetary version of the device consists of the following components:

• heat-resistant glass flask with a round bottom, 2 liters;
• Liebig descending refrigerator (liquid vapors condense in it during distillation);
• 2 hoses that keep the refrigerator running;
• a Wurtz nozzle, which is a connection between a flask and a refrigerator;
• cover for the Würz tip.

Instead of a lid for convenience, you can use a thermometer that monitors the temperature of the mixture.

A variant of the form of a moonshine still for distillation

This is the standard design used in a moonshine still. On its basis, you can make any kind of technique, if desired.

Do not put the flask on an open flame, as its material will not withstand uneven heating. Better to use a bath - sand or water. In the first case, a frying pan with high sides is filled with sand or salt; in the second, the flask is placed in a large pot of water.

During the distillation process, the distillate should drip at a rate of about 3-4 drops per second. When doing this, discard the first 50 ml of the resulting liquid, as they contain methanol and harmful esters. Be careful not to burn the herbs during distillation, as this will give the drink an unpleasant aftertaste. The process can be stopped when all the liquid in the flask runs out.

Keep in mind that our goal in distillation is to obtain a product that contains the maximum amount of aromatic and essential oils. Therefore. If the design of the moonshine still includes a reflux condenser. Or a dry pot, then you need to turn it off.

Cooking absinthe without distillation

It is possible to make absinthe without including the distillation process. To do this, you need vodka, and the drink will be ready to drink almost immediately, without dilution. We offer two simple and inexpensive recipes.

For the first, you will need:

• 1 bottle of vodka;
• 2 teaspoons of dry wormwood;
• 2 teaspoons of anise seeds
• ½ teaspoon of fennel seeds;
• 4 pods of cardamom;
• 1 teaspoon marjoram;
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander;
• 2 teaspoons of crushed angelica root
• 2/3 cup sugar syrup

Pour vodka into a liter jar, add chopped wormwood. Close tightly with a lid, leave for two days, then filter.

Pound the rest of the herbs in a mortar and add to the drink. Leave to infuse for another week, then filter again and sweeten with sugar syrup.

Green color and aroma of absinthe are given by mint, lemon balm and thyme

For the second recipe, take the following foods:

• 1 glass of vodka;
• 1 teaspoon of wormwood;
• 2 tablespoons of mint leaves
• 1 slice of lemon zest;
• ½ cup sugar syrup.

Put the chopped wormwood in a glass container, fill it with vodka. Close the lid and leave for 2 days to infuse. Then strain, add lemon, mint, and set for another 8 days. Filter, add sugar syrup. Such absinthe has a more pronounced aroma, but its taste gives off bitterness.

Video about making absinthe at home

For a century and a half, absinthe has firmly held the laurels of one of the most popular drinks. Over the years, it was banned, citing the narcotic properties and harm of the drink, and then the bans were lifted. Now you know how to make absinthe at home. If you have any questions about this article, please ask them in the comments. Comfort for your home!