Absinthe FAQ: by Matthew Baggott (Bagg@ellis - Uchicago.edu) February 3, 1993
Absinthe FAQ: by Matthew Baggott (Bagg@ellis - Uchicago.edu) February 3, 1993
Absinthe FAQ: by Matthew Baggott (Bagg@ellis - Uchicago.edu) February 3, 1993
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Absinthe FAQ
by Matthew Baggott (bagg@ellis.uchicago.edu)
February 3, 1993
INTRODUCTION
This FAQ file was prepared by Matthew Baggott (bagg@ellis.uchicago.edu) for
distribution on the newsgroup alt.drugs. It may be freely reprinted and distributed as long
as it is properly credited. If you're reprinting the file in a zine (e- or otherwise), I'd like to
hear about it. Some uses of the medline abstracts might be go beyond legal 'fair use' of
that intellectual property. If I determine this to be a problem, I'll replace the abstracts with
summaries written by myself. However, people reprinting this file may wish to leave out
that section of the FAQ if this issue is of concern to them. Comments, questions,
referenced information, and personally- collected anecdotes relating to absinthe and
wormwood are welcome. File last updated on 3-FEB-93.
The following individuals contributed information or editorial skills to this FAQ file:
Michael Golden (mgolden@eecs.umich.edu) archived the recipies which were posted to
rec.food.drink by unknown parties; Laurent Hagimont (hagimont@cnam.cnam.fr) and
Johnny Svensson (svensson@ISI.edu) supplied information about the current availability
of absinthe; Johnny Svensson also gave information about wormwood's use as a flavoring
in vodka. Myra Chachkin (cs_myra@gsbvax.uchcicago.edu) provided editorial
comments on an earlier draft of this FAQ file. These individuals deserve much credit for
helping to compile obscure data. Nonetheless, the perspectives, arguments, and errors of
this file are mine alone.
The file contains the following sections: What is absinthe?; What is the active component
in absinthe?; What plants contain thujone?; How was/is absinthe made?; References;
Recent references on absinthe/thujone culled from medline; and Books on absinthe culled
from the University of California on-line card catalog. Each of these sections is separated
by a partial line of minus characters, allowing one to easily page through the document.
WHAT IS ABSINTHE?
Absinthe is an alcoholic drink made with an extract from wormwood (Artemisia
absinthium). It is an emerald green drink which 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. Absinthe was once popular among artists and writers and
was used by Van Gogh, Baudelaire, and Verlaine, to name a few. It appears to have been
believed to stimulate creativity. However, in the 1850's, there began to be concern about
the results of chronic use. Chronic use of absinthe was believed to produce a syndrome,
called absinthism, which was characterized by addiction, hyperexcitability, and
hallucinations. This concern over the health effects of absinthe was amplified by the
prevailing belief in Lamarckian theories of heredity. In other words, it was believed that
any traits acquired by absinthists would be passed on to their children (1). Absinthe's
association with the bohemian lifestyle also worked to compound fears about its effects,
much as has happened with marijuana in America. Absinthe was subsequently banned in
many countries in the beginning of the 1900's.
• 1 pint vodka
• 4 cardomom pods
• 1 tsp majoram
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.)
** Absinthe #2 **
• 1 cup vodka
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.
** Absinthe Wine **
All herbs are dried.
• 2 tsp peppermint
• 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".
** Absinthe #3 ** >From Arnold's article in Scientific American: An 1855 recipe from
Pontarlier, France, gives the following instructions for making absinthe:
Macerate 2.5 kilograms of dried wormwood, 5 kilograms of anise and 5 kilograms of
fennel in 95 liters of 85 percent ethanol by volume. Let the mixture steep for at least 12
hours in the pot of a double boiler. Add 45 liters of water and apply heat; collect 95 liters
of distillate. To 40 liters of the distillate, add 1 kilogram of Roman wormwood, 1
kilogram of hyssop and 500 grams of lemon balm, all of which have been dried and
finely divided. Extract at a moderate temperature, then siphon off the liquor, filter, and
reunite it with the remaining 55 liters of distillate. Dilute with water to produce
approximately 100 liters of absinthe with a final alcohol concentration of 74 percent by
volume (4).
REFERENCES:
(1) Murphy, R. B. and Schneider, L. H. (1992) Soc. Neurosci. Abstr., Vol. 18, Part 1, p.
180.
(2) Simonsen, J. L. (1949) The Terpenes Vol. 2, Univ. Press.
(3) Guenther, E. (1952) The Essential Oils Vol. 5, Van Nostrand.
(4) Arnold, W. M. (1989) Scientific American 260 (June), 112-117.
(5) Vogt, D. D. and Montagne, M. (1982) Int. J. Addict 17, 1015- 1029.
(6) Pinto-Scognamiglio, W. (1968) Boll. Chim. Farm. 107, 780-791.
(7) Max, B. (1990) TiPS 11 (Feb), 58-60.
(8) Simonetti, Gualtiero (1990) Simon and Schuster's Guide to Herbs and Spices, Simon
and Schuster.