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There's a new absinthe on the market called Lucid that's catching on at places like the Violet Hour, Lumen, and Delilah's, namely because Lucid is the first Grande wormwood-based absinthe available in the States since before Prohibition. Now, we've tried the "green fairy" and it was an experience we'll never forget, so we researched Lucid for details on how much thujone (the active ingredient from wormwood) it carries.
Turns out, not much at all: under 10 parts per million, as mandated by the FDA. What the distillers of Lucid are doing is using Grande Wormwood in the distillation, but effectively filtering out the thujone before bottling. In other words, it's no stronger than Absente, Pernod, or other anise-flavored cordials on the market. We contacted Adam Seger of Nacional 27, who's an expert on absinthe. At one point, Seger wrote the FDA asking for clarification on wormwood extract availability. He discovered that wormwood extract could be purchased as a dietary supplement, but not sold for food. So, we asked, you could conceivably buy some vodka from Sam's and wormwood extract at Whole Foods and make your own absinthe, huh?
Seger provided us with two recipes. We're going to share one of them with you as an early holiday gift.
What You Need
1 pint vodka
2 tsp crumbled wormwood (dried)
2 tsp anise seed
1/2 tsp fennel seed
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp majoram
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp chopped angelica root
1- 2/3 cups sugar syrup
Place vodka in a large jar with tight-fitting lid. Add wormwood and shake well. Steep for 48 hours and strain out. Crush seeds and pods in mortar. Add them and all remaining spices to vodka and steep in a warm place 1 week. Filter and sweeten. (The sugar syrup mentioned above is your standard simple syrup.)
We've already got our absinthe ready to go for New Year's.
If you don't want to run around buying the ingredients, you can purchase an absinthe making kit online. So there are options other than buying a bottle of Lucid to see if you'll hallucinate from drinking it. 'Course if you drink enough of anything you'll see goblins. So, as with any spirit, drink your absinthe responsibly.
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My hubby makes the best absinthe. He just put up a batch this weekend.
Shouldn't it have a higher proof than vodka? Would everclear work better?
I don't know if I've ever heard the phrase "Would everclear work better" except when trying to figure out what to use to start a grill.
Everclear is exactly what we use.
BTW, you can't buy alcohol over, I think 120 proof (?), in the city of Chicago. You can get Everclear at Binny's in the 'burbs, though.
I had some D.I.Y. absinthe years ago and don't remember anything too special. I've had bottled as well, they both taste wretched IMHO. Just pour some cough syrup,crushed up menthol cigs and acetone onto the filtiest sock you can find and suck on that for awhile.
It's not for everyone. But I like the licorice taste. You have to have the sugar, though, or it'll blow your head off.
I didn't want to do this, but, here goes.
Proper absinthe is never sugared in the creation process. Proper absinthe is distilled. This is a maceration, just soaking herbs in a solvent. I can see why sugar (and a LOT of it) is being added to this maceration recipe. Your mind cannot begin to ponder how terrible this will taste. If you want more real information on absinthe go here- www.wormwoodsociety.com For a review of Lucid go here- eyelinerrobot.wordpress.com Also, I don't mean to insult Ferdy. If you enjoy your product keep on keepin on! Just showing people how distilled absinthe should be. Cheers.
I like the licorice taste, too. But that anise is supposed to BE the sweetener that takes the bitter edge off of the wormwood. In a distilled drink, the anise is sweet enough to balance out the bitterness of the wormwood, and everything is cooked together in a harmonious, delicious whole. When it's just herbs steeped in everclear, the wormwood oils are truly overpowering and raw, and the sweetness of the anise doesn't help. In fact, even a couple of lumps of sugar don't really help.
If there's not supposed to be sugar, then why are those slotted spoons such coveted trophies of fairy fans? I only use a sugar cube over which the absinthe is poured.
Ferdy, Poor said that there's not supposed to be sugar in the MACERATION process. Sugar can be used when preparing the drink to actually consume - if you like it sweeter. It's not used when actually creating the drink. Regardless, absinthe is always distilled. This is just a maceration recipe and doesn't achieve the same end that distillation does. Pretty simple.
That was not clear from the post to me. But yes, I understand that, and thanks all for making it clearer. The hubby doesn't distill, which certainly would yield a superior product. If you want absinthe, though, his maceration recipe is pretty darn good.
...but it's not absinthe.