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• 1 teaspoon chives
Let all this sit in the strained alcohol for 1 week, shake everday. Store in dark place
because the sun will evaporate the alcohol.
After the week is over make 1 1/2 cups sugar syrup using sugar and water. (a semi-thick
mix)
Add to alcohol and you have Absinthe
Enjoy!
References to absinthe are found in the Bible, in Egyptian papyri and in early Syrian
texts. Originally, it was a simple composition of wine with wormwood leaves soaked in
it. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a shrub native to Europe and Asia (but not North
America). The name "absinthe" is derived from the Greek word "apsinthion", meaning
"undrinkable", probably a reference to the bitter flavour of the original beverage.
The drink is distinguished by its blue-green clarity from its chlorophyll content.
Traditionally, it was served with water and a cube of sugar; the sugar cube was placed on
an "absinthe spoon", and the liquor was drizzled over the sugar into the glass of water.
The sugar helped take the bitter edge from the absinthe, and when poured into the water
the liquor turned milky white, like the Greek ouzo, which has a similar anise flavour.
The active ingredient of wormwood is thujone, a neurotoxin, which has been proven
identical to tanecetone in the herb tansy and salvanol in sage. Thujone has also been
shown to have a very similiar molecular structure to THC.
During the European Middle Ages, absinthe was primarily valued as a cure for flatulence
and to exterminate tapeworms in the abdomen while leaving the human host uninjured .
French soldiers fighting in Algeria in the 1840s drank absinthe as a preventative against
malaria and other diseases. This sparked the first big surge in absinthe's popularity in
France. In 1990 wormwood extracts were found to be as effective in supressing malaria
as chloroquine.
Absinthe enjoyed a vogue during the Symbolist and Art Nouveau periods at the end of
the 19th century. The head-aches, vomiting involuntary evacuation of the bowels,
foaming at the mouth and other side effects of consuming more than merely medicinal
dosages were interpreted according to the dogma of the suffering artist, the social
revolutionary delving deep into the crevices of of his (usually his) grand epic tale of
himself. Absinthe addiction became associated with several sensational criminal trials.
In 1906 Switzerland voted to ban absinthe. In 1907, to ban any imitators. In 1912 it was
banned in the United States of America. In 1915 by France. It is still legal in Spain.
Interestingly, I've heard it is a relative of vermouth, which is actually German for
wormwood.
Another country where absinthe is illegal is the good ol' USA. I'm not sure if it's illegal to
make it in the US, but we have this thing in the US called freedom of speech so I think I
can post this anyway. For good measure, though, don't try this at home. This is only for
reference - Absinthe is illegal for a reason.
Absinthe Jumbo
1 ounce of wormwood
1 ounce wormwood powder
1/4 ounce crushed anise seed.
1 bottle of store bought oil of anise seed.
1/2 ounce of fennel
2 pinches of dill (for precursor oils)
2 Pinches of Parsley (for essential oils)
One 750ml bottle of Clear Spring 190 (dilute before drinking!!)
• Metal spoon
• Συγαρ