Real Absinthe was made by steeping wormwood, anise, coriander*, Fennel*, Hysop*, and other herbs in distilled spirits, then adding water, then distilling the whole lot. (* these ingredients vary among recipes, but the "licorice" type flavor is predominant). In a way, this is creating "wormwood extract", but absinthe aficianados will tell you that it is the combined natural effects of all these herbs that give it it's unique properties (not just Thujone). You can buy Wormwood oil on Ebay, but I wouldn't recommend drinking it.

Dang. I wrote my master's thesis on Hemingway about 30 years ago.

About 10 years later, I had a house fire which destroyed all of my 12 Hemingway first editions.

I've never had an urge to drink Absinthe, but I'm starting to feel an itch:-)

That sucks about the loss of the books. My brother bought me a first edition of "Death in the Afternoon" for Xmas and his dog destroyed it before he could ship it to me.

I friend turned me on to a show on the Fine Living Channel call the Thirsty Traveller. Excellent show dedicated to a different type of booze each episode. The absinthe episode was great. Absinthe production is on its way to legality due to one distiller's findings. He's a Louisiana chemist distilling absinthe in Europe (don't remember which country). He found that though wormwood is required for the production of absinthe, the thujone doesn't end up in the final product. Since the effects of thujone are the cause of absinthe being illegal, expect to see a change in the coming years.

I have had a still,
and have made absinthe. I will not do it again. I grew all of the herbs, including anise, and wormwood. Took me forever to get the smell out of my still, and my next three batches of shine, had a faint flavor of anise, and a slight green twinge to it. Not good when you are making other things with the shine. My personal favorite Moonaritas, just didn't taste right.
Up here in the hills we like a buzz, just keep the fuzzy vision a product of the alcohol. We don't need no stinkin Thujone. LOL
Later
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)
P.S. It was ok, not the greatest though, or I'd make more.

Homebrew has a still? Who knew?

Wait till the government revenuers find out!

Homebrew,

Looks like I'm on the path you were on in the past. My friend's still is stainless, so I would probably be able to get the smell/color out. I have wormwood seedlings going right now in the basement. If you had weighed in earlier, I may have called it off, but I'll probably give it a shot this summer. Being new, I'd love to review some of your shine recipes. If you are comfortable with that, drop a message to tev at kiski dot net. I've been an avid brewer (beer) for years, and only since my daughter waas born have I slacked off what was a weekly ritual of brewing 10 gallons. That being said, I understand the science behind makng alcohol and look forward to some fun with the still.

Hey Andytv,
Brewing and distilling are very closely related. Scotch Ale is actually a precurser to scotch. I have my first batch of Malt Whiskey, more along the lines of Irish whiskey than scotch, in an aging cask, spanish sherry, as we speak. It ought to be ready, in another 3 years, that will make it 8 years old. I sampled it this christmas, and it is still a littl "hot". I am also experimenting with a sour mash, but it is only 2 years, and is extremely "hot". I have a few liters, around 30, of my grandfathers stuff, aged over 50 years, that I use to toast him on his birthday every year. I only allow myself a liter a year. If you like Irish whiskey, you will love this stuff.
The still I use, was my grandfathers, 30 gal capacity, and was made from an old copper brewer from before prohibition.
Have a great day.
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

if you guys wouldn't mind sending me some of that stuff i could get a crazy check for sure.......

if you guys wouldn't mind sending me some of that stuff i could get a crazy check for sure.......

see? i am almost there anyway.....

18 Delta,

As much as I would love to share; I must not allow myself to do so outside my home. The laws are pretty clear in this state; and I have already made myself visible on a public forum. If I were caught distributing distilled spirits, it would be the end of my fun. Save your money and make your own still! There are a number of websites where you can get plans.