Absinthe House, New Orleans by Guy Pene du Bois.
Absinthe was once believed to stimulate creativity and has long been popular
amongst the artistic community. Some of the historical figures who regularly indulged in it were Poe, Verlaine, Van Gogh, and Baudelaire.
Hemingway tended to let his characters regularly indulge in it as well.
Absinthe had the pleasure of sharing the vain popularity of opium. However, in the 1850s, concern over the effects of chronic
use began cropping up. Regularly indulging in absinthe was believed to produce a syndrome, called absinthism, which was
characterized by addiction, hyperexcitability, and hallucinations.
Absinthe is an emerald green alcoholic drink made with an extract from wormwood (Artemisia
absinthium). It is very bitter (due to the presence of absinthin) and is, therefore, traditionally poured over a perforated spoonful
of sugar into a glass of water. The drink then turns into an opaque white as the essential oils precipitate out of the alcoholic
solution.
True absinthe was marked by its intense green color (which usually came from herbs other than wormwood, which is a
gray-green at best). This lead to cases in which the drink was adulterated with copper salts, doubtless to the consumers
detriment. The best absinthe contained 70-80% alcohol, which in itself makes a case for why it might be a dangerous drink. Of
beverages still legally for sale in most places, Campari and Fernet Branca contain wormwood, but are not nearly so
alcoholic.
The 1911 edition of the Britannica remarks, "There is some reason to believe that excessive absinthe-drinking leads to effects
which are specifically worse than those associated with over-indulgence in other forms of alcohol."
The manufacture and sale of true absinthe is still legal in Spain.
These recipes are posted here mearly as historical reference
and are not intended to be reproduced physically by anyone viewing them or otherwise !
Dharkworld.com holds no responsibility for any actions resulting from use of these recipes
or Illegal use of any information included on these pages !!!
Historical Absinthe Recipe #1
1 pint vodka
2 tsp crumbled wormwood (dried)
2tsp anise seed
1/2 tsp fennel seed
4 cardomom pods
1 tsp majoram
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp chopped angelica root
1 2/3 cups sugar syrup
Place vodka in large jar with tight fitting lid. Add wormwood and shake well; steep 48 hrs 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.)
Historical Absinthe Recipe #2
1 tsp crumbled wormwood
1 cup vodka
2 Tbsp chopped peppermint leaves
1 piece of lemon peel, 3/4"x2"
1/3-1/2 cup sugar syrup
Steep wormwood in vodka for 48 hours. Strain out and add peppermint leaves and lemon peel. Steep for 8 days, strain and
sweeten. Smells good but is more bitter than #1.
Historical Absinthe Wine Recipe
All herbs are dried.
2 tsp peppermint
2 tsp dried wormwood
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp lavender
2 tsp hyssop
2 tsp majoram
2 tsp sage
2 pints port
Steep herbs one week, filter and bottle. My notes describe this as "bitter, aromatic and potent".
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