Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 7: Choose a good absinthe
• Method 2 of 7: Classic French method
• Method 3 of 7: Czech or Modern Bohemian method.
• Method 4 of 7: "Glass in a Glass" method
• Method 5 of 7: "Backdraft" Method
• Method 6 of 7: Pure Absinthe
• Method 7 of 7: Absinthe in Cocktails
• Tips
• Warnings

Absinthe is a drink that was previously prohibited. It is made from "Artemisia absinthium" (wormwood) and other herbs. Absinthe is also known as "la fée verte" (the green fairy). In the 19th century, absinthe was very popular in central Europe, where it was eventually banned. After years of illegality, the drink is now legally available again in many countries. And, as with famous drinks, there are many drinking rituals involved. Try it, but make sure you don't turn green.

To step

Method 1 of 7: Choose a good absinthe

1. Make sure you have good absinthe. Absinthe is made in many ways and with many ingredients. There are a number of conditions that good absinthe must meet. You can recognize good, authentic absinthe by a number of characteristics. You can also make it yourself, but that can be dangerous and is not recommended.
   • Brands of absinthe vary considerably in the content of thujone: from negligible to 35 mg per kilo (/ kg). Look at Tips for a more detailed explanation of how thujone works. According to international standards, drinks with more than 25% alcohol should not contain more than 10 mg / kg thujone, while distilled drinks may contain up to 35 mg / kg thujone. A distilled absinthe will contain between 10 and 35 mg / kg of thujone.
   • The use of thujone in drinks has been permitted again in the Netherlands since 2005, followed by Belgium later that year.
2. Quality absinthe will slowly but surely become cloudy with the addition of water. This effect is both complex and nuanced and certainly does not occur immediately.
   • It should be noted that this phenomenon does not occur with all quality absinthe as it is caused by anise and fennel. These herbs make absinthe taste like liquorice. The cloudy effect is caused by the precipitation of essential oils from these herbs.
3. Choose absinthe made from pure, natural ingredients. The best absinthe does not contain any artificial additives such as colors and flavors. The herbs are only ground so that they can do their work optimally during the distillation and extraction process. The typically pale-green color is caused by chloroful. The pale-green color of typical high-quality absinthe is imparted by the chlorophyll found only in fresh, natural herbs.
   • Absinthe with a bright green color is probably artificially colored. Not all quality absinthe is green; clear, orange or red also occur. The color must come from natural ingredients.
   • Old absinthe can be amber due to the chlorophyll that fades over time. If you come across such a bottle, you should consult with a food expert to determine whether the absinthe is still drinkable.
4. Choose absinthe with a high alcohol content, 45 to 68%. A percentage of 68% is called "136-proof" in the US, for example. This percentage is not seen as extraordinary as absinthe is usually diluted with water and usually sipped, so that the alcohol does not get the upper hand over the effect of the herbs.

Method 2 of 7: Classic French method

1. Pour about 30m of absinthe into a glass, preferably a container of pontarlier glass. There are different glasses, each glass has a blolling to indicate how much absinthe to serve.
2. Place a flat, perforated absinthe spoon on the rim of the glass, with a sugar cube on top. This is common, but not necessary. The sugar neutralizes the bitter wormwood taste.
3. Very slowly drip ice-cold pure water into the absinthe. This is the essence of the absinthe ritual. If you use a sugar cube, the water will melt the sugar and dissolve it very slowly in the absinthe. Top quality absinthe is usually drunk with just water.
   • The water: absinthe ratio is usually 3: 1 to 4: 1.
   • You can use ice cubes to cool the water, but they should not fall into the absinthe!
   • When the water is added, the absinthe slowly becomes cloudy.
   • In the past, absinthe fountains were used for this purpose.
   • The "brouilleur" can also be used to automatically drip the water into the absinthe: Place the brouilleur on the glass, add ice-cold water and the water will automatically drip into the absinthe. Remove the brewer before drinking.
     
     
4. Stir the absinthe with the absinthe spoon. Now you can add ice cubes, although the seasoned absinthe drinker will probably get his nose about this.

Method 3 of 7: Czech or Modern Bohemian method.

1. Pour absinthe into a glass, place an absinthe spoon with sugar cube on the rim.
2. Dip the lump with the spoon in the absinthe, or pour some absinthe over it.
3. Light the sugar cube on fire. The sugar will caramelize within a minute. (Not recommended, the absinthe can catch fire due to the extremely high alcohol content). Make sure the sugar does not burn or fall into the absinthe!
4. Pour ice-cold water over the lump before it turns brown and burns.
5. Use your brain. Some absinthe purists will frown affably at this method, but in recent years this technique has been gaining popularity. It is better not to burn absinthe with extremely high percentages.

Method 4 of 7: "Glass in a Glass" method

1. Place a small glass of absinthe (approx. 30 ml) in a larger glass.
2. Drop water into the small glass so that it overflows into the large glass. When 3 to 4 parts of water have been added, the absinthe mixture will be in the large glass while the small glass will contain only water.
3. Remove the small glass and drink the absinthe.

Method 5 of 7: "Backdraft" Method

1. Very dangerous if carried out unwise! The absinthe has to be lit, after which you have to smother the flame with the palm of your hand: you are literally playing with fire! When in doubt: don't!
   • Also know that with this method you drink unadulterated absinthe, with an extremely high alcohol percentage. Not recommended for "light" drinkers.
2. Take a small "shot" glass and fill it three quarters (not more!) with absinthe. Make sure you have a glass that fits your palm all the way over or you won't be able to smother the flame.
3. Light the absinthe with a lighter or match.
   • N.B.: Don't let the absinthe burn too longotherwise, 1) the glass will become too hot which can burn your hand and 2) the alcohol and spices will burn and the taste will disappear.
4. Place after one second or 5 (no longer) over the glass to extinguish the flame. You should feel a suction effect in your palm.
   • You would think that putting it on the flame burns your hand, but due to lack of oxygen the flame goes out immediately, so that your hand in principle cannot burn (again: don't let the flame burn too long!)
5. Bring the shot glass to your nose, slowly break the suction, and breathe in the alcohol vapor produced by the flame.
6. Sip the absinthe or toss it in in one gulp. One likes to drink small amounts, the other grumbles it back like that.

Method 6 of 7: Pure Absinthe

1. Drink absinthe neat (undiluted). For some old absinthe it is important to drink it pure in order to appreciate all the flavor nuances.
2. Once again: due to the extreme alcohol percentage this is not customary to do.
3. However, the blurring effect remains an important property of absinthe and you should also experience this with quality absinthe.

Method 7 of 7: Absinthe in Cocktails

1. Try the "Death in the Afternoon". This cocktail, simple and refined, has been described in great detail by Ernest Hemingway. Quote: "Pour 1 jigger (1 shot, about 45 ml) of absinthe into a champagne glass. Add ice-cold (brut) champagne until the drink has the correct cloudy milky-white substance. Drink it, take it easy, 3 to 5."
2. Try absinthe sazerac. Created by Antoine Amédée Peychaud in the early 19th century, the Sazerac is one of the oldest known cocktails. For an extraordinary cocktail, add some absinthe to this recipe.
   • Put 3 dashes of absinthe in a whiskey glass with ice cubes. Then shake in a cocktail shaker:
     
     • 60 ml Osocalis brandy
     • 7.5 ml of syrup
     • 2 dashes of Peychauds bitter
   • Shenk the contents in a whiskey glass. Stir lightly and wipe lemon zest over the edge, then use as a garnish. Ready.
3. Try the sour absinthe. Fresh lemon juice goes well with the herbs and plants of the absinthe and gin. Interesting if you have lemons, absinthe and gin on hand!
   • Shake the following ingredients well with ice and pour into a martini glass:
     
     • 15 ml absinthe
     • 1 teaspoon of brown caster sugar
     • juice of half a lemon (approx. 20 ml.)
     • 30 ml of gin

Tips

• Quality absinthe uses herbs during distillation. These herbs do not affect the characteristic color. The color is added later in the process by soaking herbs in the distilled alcohol. This is called maceration. With lesser quality absinthe, herbs are not used in the distillation, but only for maceration. Bad absinthe often uses cheap herbal extracts or essences, or worse, artificial colors and flavors. Sometimes it is difficult to recognize due to a high price and misleading information. Traditional absinthe recipe should involve maceration of natural unprocessed wormwood and other herbs such as anise, licorice, hyssop, veronica (speedwell), fennel, lemon balm and angelica (angelica). The first maceration can be distilled, after which the alcohol can be used again for maceration (do not be distilled).
• When purchasing absinthe or derivatives, get expert advice from absinthe experts and read the labels carefully!
• Thujone is believed to be the primary active botanical constituent of absinthe. Yet there is a dispute about the effects of, for example, valerian root (sedative) and other herbs (stimulant). Although thujone is a derivative of wormwood, depending on geography, e.g. sage, it may contain higher concentrations of thujone. Roman alant (Artemisia pontica) also contains thujone and is commonly used as an additive to Artemisia absinthium. Artemisia absinthium should be used in the first distillation, while Artemisia pontica can be used as a natural colorant for the distillate. Thujone is extracted during both distillation and coloring.
• If you don't like the typical liquorice flavor, you can buy different brands of absinthe without anise and other liquorice-like herbs.
• The bitter taste of wormwood is masked by adding herbs. Quality absinthe also becomes less bitter through distillation. As with good cognac, the “heart” of the distillation should be used for the best absinthe, while the “head” and “tail” (beginning and end of the process) produce lower quality absinthe or even be used for the maceration. Still, absinthe is supposed to taste somewhat bitter, as proof that wormwood has been used.
• Buy absinthe produced by renowned traditional distillers: France, Spain, Switzerland and the Czech Republic produce authentic, high quality absinthe.
• Some modern distilleries produce absinthe of comparable quality to what it was before Prohibition. Due to the long ban, people are still learning the production process again. Some people make very high quality absinthe by working with antique recipes and distilling equipment. Some earlier production techniques were very complex and difficult to reproduce.
• Wormwood and other herbs can be used at different points in the process, and there are many production methods. These result in different flavors, colors and thujone concentrations. So absinthe is available with high, medium and low concentrations of thujone.

Warnings

• Absinthe referred to as "bitter" is likely to contain a high concentration of thujone, up to 35 mg / kg.
• Never drink absinthe just because it contains thujone. The so-called GABA-type brain receptors that thujone acts on also respond to antioxidant polyphenolic flavonoids, such as valerian and chamomile, which, unlike thujone, are non-toxic.
• Always drink in moderation and do not do things that require your common sense (such as driving and operating machinery).
• Never drink wormwood extract or oil! These are highly poisonous and can be deadly!
• Absinthe with extremely high thujone concentrations can be harmful and is likely to be fired illegally. Thujone is poisonous in high concentrations. Thujone has an astringent effect and binds to gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptors in the central nervous system. In European absinthe, the thujone concentration is regulated to a safe level, so absinthe is not counted among the illegal narcotics. It is not the intention to take more than 3 or 4 doses of absinthe in a session. Absinthe is not harmful in the short term, but, as with any alcoholic drink, long-term use can have harmful consequences.
• Absinthe has a high alcohol content.