Absinthe is a spirit steeped in history. Writers, poets, philosophers, and bohemians have been inspired by its high potency and hallucinogenic tendencies for over 200 years. Known for its high proof and strong flavor, absinthe is made from a variety of bases with countless ingredients, but is always centered around the “holy trinity”: grand wormwood, green anise, and fennel. Five years ago, the US legalized the sale and consumption of absinthe and since then Three Blind Mice Craft Co has been itching to make a batch.
Production of quality absinthe hinges on two main things. First, you need a good reflux still (which we did not have) and second you need a few slightly obscure spices (which we had no idea where to get). But we were undeterred, and with our forefathers in mind, we persevered. Thankfully, acquiring spices is a bit simpler than they were one hundred years ago. The spices we needed in bulk (green anise and fennel) we bought at the market, and the rest I was lucky enough to find at Christina’s, my local spice shop in Boston. The reflux still was a whole other issue entirely, and resulted in us building a modular column attachment to one of our current pot stills.
We scoured home distilling forums for good recipes, and eventually created a hybrid recipe based on a few different suggestions.
Maceration (1.25 gal @ 60% alcohol)
Wormwood, Grand – 90g
Anise, Green – 450g
Fennel – 225g
Coriander – 60g
Angelica Root – 15g
Chamomile – 15g
Coloring (250ml of distillate @ 65% alcohol, 150 degrees)
Wormwood, Grand – 5g
Hyssop – 10g
Lemon Balm – 10g
http://www.artisan-distiller.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4089&hilit=absinthe
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