Yesterday, we blogged about how you can make distilled absinthe, with links to websites that either sell stills or provide directions for creating homemade stills. But since distilling alcohol without a permit is illegal and distillation is a complicated, time-consuming process, today we're going to show you another option: how to make absinthe from herbal kits without any distillation.
Absinthe connoisseurs will tell you that if it isn't distilled, it isn't "real" absinthe -- and this is true, to some extent. The only way to get a very high-proof alcohol is to distill it, and traditionally, absinthe has always been distilled.
But thanks to the resurgence of absinthe (helped largely by its decriminalization in the United States), enterprising companies like www.greendevil.com and www.absinthekit.com have begun selling "absinthe kits" that allow people to easily make absinthe (or some semblance thereof) at home.
These kits average $35 each, but once you've got one, making your own absinthe is almost as easy as opening a bottle of wine.
The first kind of absinthe kit on the market is basically a tea bag of
dried herbs (these are the types of kits sold at greendevil.com and
absolutelyabsinthe.com). To make absinthe from one of these dried herb
kits, simply put the bag of herbs in a glass container and add two
liters of alcohol (you'll want to use a grain alcohol; Everclear or
vodka usually work best). Let the herbs soak in the alcohol for five
days. Refrigerating absinthe is not recommended, as many of the herbal
oils are not soluble in very cold temperatures, and the absinthe could
louche (cloud) before you're ready to drink it.
After the herbs soak in the alcohol for five days, squeeze all
liquid from the bag of herbs into your absinthe-to-be, then rinse the
herb bag with vodka and squeeze it into your alcohol again. Then, pour
the absinthe through a filter (like a coffee filter).
Many absinthe kits come with "micron filters" that fit into funnels,
and multiple filterings are recommended (at least three filterings per
absinthe batch). Once you've filtered your absinthe several times, it's
ready to be bottled and consumed.
If you don't even want to bother with letting herbs sit for several
days and multiple filterings, the absinthe kits at sites like
www.absinthekit.com and www.absinthe-dealer.com make homemade absinthe
even easier. These kits are small bottles of concentrated liquid, often
marketed as "essences of absinthe," that contain all the absinthe herbs
(including wormwood).
To make absinthe using one of these liquid
essences, just add the essence to alcohol (again, go with Everclear or
vodka). Generally, you'll want to use no more than 2/3 of an ounce of
absinthe essence per 25 ounces of alcohol. Once you've mixed your
essences and alcohol, your homemade absinthe is ready to drink.
Now that we've shown you how to make distilled absinthe and how to make
absinthe from kits, we're ready to recommend the best brands of
absinthe you can buy. Check back with us tomorrow for the skinny on
buying absinthe, along with a couple special absinthe drink recipes.
