Drinkers with a Running Problem

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Absinthe (Read 378 times)

seeEricaRun


Awesome

    The stuff sold in the U.S. still can't contain wormwood (Thujone), the component considered (incorrectly) to be the hallucinogen, though I've actually read that it's thought to have protective effects on the liver. I made it myself a couple of times (not distilled), but the stuff I bought was light years better. I used to order from Liquers de France, because they had a customs guarantee - if what you bought didn't make it through, they'd reship until it did. They even apologized twice that my order, which showed up in four days (from France) was so late. It showed up in plain brown wrapping, so not only did people not know what I ordered, they also thought it was porn. I liked that they refused to sell that nasty stuff that people pick up at airports. It looks like a lot of new sellers have sprung up, with the laws relaxing across the EU. This site has tasting notes, and will teach you to become properly snooty about the shiznitz, before you ever even taste it. My personal favorite was the Jade Edouard 72% (same company as the Nouvelle-Orleans, if anyone remembers that Wired article) from a while back, but my husband hates the stuff, so I don't buy it anymore.
    Trent


    Good Bad & The Monkey

      How did you make it?
      seeEricaRun


      Awesome

        How did you make it?
        Sounds essentilally the same as what you did, I believe. Soaked wormwood leaves in something high octane (I did this a couple times, and I used either just vodka or a vodka/Everclear combo), combined it with a number of different spices and oils (don't remember the entire list, but it involved star anise, and I do remember going all over Manhattan to find Angelica Root extract) and filtered it. God knows where I got the recipe, but it did amuse house guests. My boss offered to let me borrow his still, but I was terrified of blowing up my apartment (and I suspected I might not be smart enough to figure it out).
        Trent


        Good Bad & The Monkey

          Where did you get the wormwood? I grew mine, the only way I could get ahold of it.
          seeEricaRun


          Awesome

            Where did you get the wormwood? I grew mine, the only way I could get ahold of it.
            Some friends of mine gave me a plant, but I did see the plants in a [plant] nursery once. We found Wormwood powdered and packaged at a Korean grocery store (Han Ah Rheum in Midtown) at one point. We bought some, but it smelled weird, so we never used it for anything. I've always been curious if it was legal for them to even have it for sale.
            Trent


            Good Bad & The Monkey

              There are several varieties of wormwood. The most common are called silver mound and powis castle. That is not the same as wormwood absinthum and are not suitable for making absinthe. It is totally legal to own and sell. I found mine at a Home Depot.
              seeEricaRun


              Awesome

                There are several varieties of wormwood. The most common are called silver mound and powis castle. That is not the same as wormwood absinthum and are not suitable for making absinthe. It is totally legal to own and sell. I found mine at a Home Depot.
                Was it a plant already? Or was it still a little seed? I would have thought that the FDA ban on food substances containing thujone would have covered the powdered stuff from the Korean store, but I had not considered that it might have been made from a different variety. I just found out actually that one of the guys I go to school with used to sell absinthe-making supplies online (I'm blanking on the name of the site but he sold the business before starting school). He said had a hard time with Paypal - they refused to believe that he wasn't doing anything illegal.
                Trent


                Good Bad & The Monkey

                Trent


                Good Bad & The Monkey

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