How to make Absinthe the right way

How to make Absinthe

There are different methods of making an Absinthe, especially when it comes to quality and taste. That’s reason enough for us to give you a closer look at the different production methods. How to make Absinthe is this weeks topic!

How to make Absinthe: The recipe is important

Knowledge about different herbs and spices is key in producing a tasty Absinthe. That is why successful Absinthe recipes are kept secret by distillers. To be more precise, especially the amount of herbs used in the recipe is key to making Absinthe. If you want to make a homemade Absinthe your general objective should be to achieve a balanced, but complex taste. Some herbs are very aromatic, if you take too much of them, the whole Absinthe is ruined.

Nevertheless, a good Absinthe recipe has to follow this general guideline: Every Absinthe has to include the holy trinity of Absinthe. (1.) Wormwood (artemisia absinthium) (2.) green anise and (3.) fennel. Everything besides these three herbs is based on personal preferences.

However, there are some common ingredients which can be found in various old and modern recipes: Star anise (for the licorice taste), coriander seeds, hyssop, artemisia pontica, angelica roots. And more extraordinary: Lemon balm, spearmint, calamus, sandal wood, genepi.

Absinthe Recipe from 1855
Original Absinthe Recipe from 1855

Source: P. Duplais

Making Absinthe: The alcohol base and the coloring herbs

Actually, some of the ingredients have a deeper reason for being used in Absinthe distillation. Deeper than just the taste. The high alcohol purpose is the bonding of molecules. The oil, which is basically essence out of the plants, would not stay solved in water, whereas it does in high proof alcohol. A better quality is achieved, if you use wine alcohol as a distillation base. Wine alcohol based Absinthes (instead of neutral grain spirit based Absinthes) have better aging qualities.

After distillation, every Absinthe is initially crystal clear. The color has to be added in a second step. The green color of real Absinthe comes from the coloring herbs. You place them, similar to a tea bag, into the distillate. After a while they set free their green color and of course as well their aroma. Therefore, you have to be careful which herbs you choose. Popular coloring herbs are artemisia pontica and hyssop. Never use grande wormwood (artemisia absinthium) for coloration. This results in a harsh, bitter taste!

Absinthe Trinity: Wormwood, green Anise, FennelSource: Shuttersttock / Everilda

Absinthe Production: Maceration vs. distillation

Let’s put one thing right in the beginning: Real Absinthe has to be distilled. Nevertheless, one common, less authentic way of making Absinthe is maceration. It is actually a very easy production method, that is why homemade Absinthes often follow this production method. Maceration is also called “cold distillation”, although this term is misleading, as no real distillation takes place. It contains steeping dried wormwood, anise and fennel in highly concentrated ethyl alcohol. This is left alone for one day. Then water is added, and the whole elixir is filtered to give a clear, green liquid. Sometimes the macerate is as well boiled, to dissolve even more flavors.

Macerated Absinthes are often very bitter, as the bitter components are not being separated from the essential oils during the production method. Therefore, the better term for these spirits would actually be “Bitters” instead of Absinthe. As we already mentioned, the real thing (and higher quality) is to further distill the macerate. Then you will get a very fine taste with only little bitter notes.

How to make Absinthe: Distillation
How to make Absinthe: Distillation

Source: Shuttersttock / Morphart Creation

Low Quality Production Method: The Oil Mix

One last production method is the “oil mix”. Here, you simply take neutral alcohol and infuse it with essential oils. This is by far the poorest, low quality production method of the Green Fairy. But it is commonly used for mass-marketed brands. You should avoid “Absinthes” made by this method.

Summary:

In general, one can say, that a high-quality Absinthe should be distilled. Nevertheless, some people like as well the bitter taste of a macerate, but it is not a real Absinthe, strictly speaking. In Switzerland, the birthplace of Absinthe, there is actually a food regulation which says that real Absinthe has to be distilled, otherwise you are not allowed to call it “Absinthe”.

Well, we do hope that you enjoyed this post about “How to make Absinthe”. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask us! You can find us as well on Facebook and all our other Social Media Channels.

If you think making your own homemade Absinthe is too complicated and you simply want to buy a bottle of real Absinthe, just visit our online store. Our purchase recommendation for an original Absinthe is ALANDIA Verte. It is distilled using a classic 19th century recipe and its green color is based on natural coloring herbs. This brand will give you a perfect impression how real Absinthe tastes and should taste like. 

Santé and much love,

Your ALANDIA Team

Author: ALANDIA

The ALANDIA Absinthe store was established in 2001. From this date on we are proudly serving the Absinthe Community worldwide.

73 thoughts on “How to make Absinthe the right way”

  1. For the interested reader, we also share one Absinthe recipe for an distilled Absinthe:

    Distilled Absinthe (original Recipe from 1855):

    95 liters of 85 percent ethanol
    2.5 kilograms of dried wormwood (artemisia absinthium)
    5 kilograms of anise seeds
    5 kilograms of fennel seeds
    1 kilogram of Roman wormwood (artemisia pontica)
    1 kilogram of hyssop
    500 grams of lemon balm
    45 liters of water

    How to make the 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 macerate for at least 12 hours. Add 45 liters of water and apply heat. Collect 95 liters of distillate. For coloration add to 40 liters of the distillate 1 kilogram of Roman wormwood, 1 kilogram of hyssop and 500 grams of lemon balm. All of which have been dried and finely divided. Let it macerate for 10 minutes (or longer for a darker green color, but beware, the coloration also adds flavor!) 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.

  2. I regularly distill grappa at about 70% ABV. Could I use it as a base for this recipe? Thanks!

  3. Hi Ken, yes, you can do this. Although grappa has quite of an intense taste so expect it to really impact the final taste of your absinthe. But it’s worth a try! All the best, ALANDIA

  4. At the stage of adding the roman wormwood, hyssop and Lemon balm, what do u mean by extract at a moderate heat? Re-distill? Macerate?

  5. What is meant here by “wine alcohol”? Is that to mean cognac or similar?

  6. Hello Patrick, this is the alcohole the herbs are macerated in. It is sort of a “brandy” instead of neutral grain spirit. All the best ALANDIA

  7. Hello I have been trying to search around for a recipe to make absinthe using essential oils and I saw something on here saying it can be done would you have or know where I could get a recipe I would be extremely thankful

  8. Hi
    Really amazing post. That’s so great all the alchemy behind all these.
    But I want to know if you know why they use dry herbs and not fresh?
    Does it change the flavor
    Thank you and congrats

  9. Hey 🙂
    I have recently got distilling equipment and am making a nice neutral spirit!
    I need help finding as many credible Absinthe recipes as possible! Either from the 19th/early 20th centuries or recent recreations that people can confirm taste good ^^
    Thank you !

  10. Hi Isaac, search online for the recipe book “Manufacture & Distillation of Alcoholic Liquors by P.Duplais. The Most Important 19th Century Distilling Guide & The Bible of Absinthe Distillation. Facsimile of the 1871”. It has several recipes in there. All the best, Mike from the ALANDIA Crew

  11. Actually dried herbs are easier to distill. If you would take fresh herbs, the macerate turns into a “spinach soup”. It is a mess :-). Cheers Mike from the ALANDIA Crew

  12. Hi Brenton, the three herbs of traditional Absinthe are wormwood, anise, and fennel. These oils have to be used for sure. For the others let your creativity flow… Cheers Mike from the ALANDIa Crew

  13. Hi, sorry, but there must be a misunderstanding!
    The herb used for coloring: “Roman wormwood” is not clear what the Latin name is.
    In online stores, Roman wormwood is the artemisia absenthium, the main ingredient ( major absinthe) of distillation phase! And this is impossible …
    Please can you write the names of the two absinthe in Latin? I wouldn’t want to use the wrong kind of absinthe since I want to invest 4.75 liters of self-produced wine alcohol …. The same goes for the artemisia pontica that you mentioned for coloring. Please you can be clearer about the varieties of absinthe maybe using the scientific name, Thanks a lot !!

  14. Hello, What, if any is the botanical difference between the “2.5 kilograms of dried wormwood” and the “1 kilogram of Roman wormwood” that are called for in this recipe? Would you please provide the scientific names of these different types of wormwood so that I am assured of what I am needing?

  15. Dear Ugo, it is artemisia pontica that is used for coloration. Artemisia absinthium (grande wormwood) is used for distillation. You can also distill artemisia pontica, but ptimiarily it is used for coloration. All the best, Mike from ALANDIA

  16. Dear Anthony, the 2.5 kilogram dried wormwood is artemisia absinthium. Roman wormwood is artemisia pontica. All the best, Mike

  17. so first you Macerate the hebs in high abv alcohol. This product you distill?

    Or can I add the herbs to my herb basket in my still? In this way no Maceration will take place

    Cheers

  18. Hi Marcus, maceration should take place before, otherwise your Absinthe will be very “thin” and not aromatic. All the best, Mike

  19. Hi, After 12 hours maceration do I have to take those seeds and wormwoods out of the ethanol before destillation or leave them in the ethanol during destillation? Thanks

  20. someone i know did distill everclear once and actually got 200 proof 100% alcohol maybe i should try that i willlet you know how that turns out

  21. Hi, love your article. Can you please disclose what the proper temperature(s) are for proper distillation and if there will be heads to discard and tails to re distill? Thank you.

  22. In this distillation recipe, do i need to worry about head and tails? Since we are using drinkable alcohol to macerate and distill.

  23. Absinthe is traditionally distilled with grape brandy, so grappa would be perfect. It’s what I use, and prefer.

  24. Very excited to try this recipe, thanks for posting it! can you please clarify what “siphon off the Liquer” means after the second maceration. is that literally just separating it from the botanicals?
    Thanks again!

  25. Hi Allan, it is a bit up to you, but we would recommend to stop as soon as the first spurt of product measures less than 60% alcohol by vol. Therefore, cut the tails, the heads, from our experience, do not affect the taste negatively.

  26. Hi Rick, distill slowly, that´s one secret. And stop as soon as the first spurt of product measures less than 60% (alcohol). So cut the tails, the heads, from our experience, do not affect the taste negatively.

  27. HELP! I made absinthe twice with this formulation: Great dry absinthe 120 g, Green anise 124.7g and
    Fennel 124.7 g in 14 liters of 66% alcohol, macerated for 21 days before distilling. I got 10 liters of 66% absinthe (mixed with plain water) but I DIDN’T GET LOUCHE! Why does that happen? Help me please. Greetings from Ecuador.

  28. Hi Javier, maybe you have an anisefree Absinthe? These ones don’t louche. Buy a proper one at our store, for example Strong68 Absinthe, then you will get a good louche 🙂 All the best, Mike

  29. Hi Javier, the louche is a result of the essential oils from fennel and anise. If your Absinthe does not louche, you maybe distilled too fast? Then the essentials oils did not separate. The louche is not a question of maceration, it is a result o the proper distillation. Hope this helps, all the best, Mike

  30. Just a quick question about the herbal profile of traditional absinthe: does the ‘green anise’ some recipes refer to indicate using just the leafy growth of the anise plant instead of the seeds? Or is it a way of distinguishing standard anise seeds from star anise? In the recipe posted above, the seeds are clearly indicated, do any recipes use just the leaves, or the leaves in addition to the seeds? I have a similar question about the fennel. Are there recipes which use the fronds/leaves AND the seeds?

    Thank you for the excellent site!

    Dan

  31. Hi Dan, you always use the seeds, green anise is a specific anise type (much better than star anise which gives a numb tongue). Also for fennel you always use the seeds. All the best, Mike

  32. Hi there.
    If we dilute the distillate to reach the 74% of alcohol after the maceration stage.does it become cloudy after mixing with water?or it will stay clear and green ???

  33. It will stay clear, as 74% is still enough. It starts to get cloudy if you mix it down to less than 30%. all the best, Mike

  34. Thank you for your answer. Yes, I use anise.
    I made absinthe twice with this formulation: Great dry absinthe 120 g, Green anise 124.7g and
    Fennel 124.7 g in 14 liters of 66% alcohol, macerated for 21 days before distilling. I got 10 liters of 66% absinthe (mixed with plain water) but I DIDN’T GET LOUCHE! Why does that happen? Help me please. Greetings from Ecuador.

  35. thanks for answering my question! much of the literature on absinthe is written and translated in very old style speak so it can be tricky to decipher. I read somewhere that there was a certain point in the distillation to cut the run and switch from collecting the hearts to collecting phlegms but i cant find it again. any info on when exactly to make the cut in a distillation run? would that be the proof of the collective distillate or proof in the parrot?
    thank you!

  36. Hi Javier, that’s really strange. Maybe you distilled too fast..? You have to distill slowly at 85°C. All the best, Mike from the ALANDIA Crew.

  37. Hi Willegh, at a temperature of 80-85°C you get the heart. Before that and after that you have the head and tail. All the best, Mike from the ALANDIA Crew.

  38. Hello I would like to ask you for advice regarding the Louche.
    A goal that I want to achieve is to create an excellent turbidinent.
    I wanted to ask you: in this ancient recipe, does the quantity of botanicals to obtain a good cloudiness seem low to me, or is it all in the technique? Does the duration of the initial maceration have to do with obtaining a good Louche? can i get it without having to increase the quantity of botanicals?
    if the first time I do not have the queues of the previous destination available, could I distill anise seeds in a current of steam with water and use the result that contains essential oils instead of water in the distillation of absinthe?
    could you please give me some advice How to get a great cloudiness without having to increase the quantity of botany?
    A thousand thanks

  39. The louche arises when the finished product is diluted, its a simple precipitation out of solution of constituents that were kept in solution at the higher etho percentage. the second post distillation phase of maceration provides some additional flavor and the green of the green fairy.

  40. I think Javiers problem might be that the original alcohol needs to be much higher than 66%. need to get closer to 80% as the starting alcohol before adding botanicals.
    Cheers from California!

  41. Hi Ugo, it is all about the quality of the herbs. The better, the more essential oils are in there that can be set free by the distillation. To set them free, you should distill at the right temperature with enough time (not too fast). The time of the maceration is not important, the distillation process is important. All the best, Mike

  42. I love the recipes and tips on this site. Thank you! I’d like to share a few of my own observations from trying this a few times now-

    0. I divide the quantities above by 100 to make approx 1L
    1. I think the initial macerate needs more time. I’ve been doing 72 hours.
    2. I strain out the herbs before distillation. It seems to reduce the chance of burning (which creates a terrible odor and makes the result undrinkable)
    3. I just keep the heads. We’re already starting with nearly pure ethanol; there’s nothing that’s gonna come out of the still that can hurt us that wasn’t there already.
    4. You get 1L of good distillate out at the high end but usually it’s closer to 0.75L. The tails are NOT good and NOT worth reusing. Just stop and dump as soon as the concentration starts to diminish.
    5. For the coloring, I just use all the distillate; I don’t know what the motive would be to separate it first.
    6. One or two pieces of star anise, and a bunch of dried mint, add a wonderful flavor at the end.
    7. I can’t find roman wormwood anywhere so I use 1/2 tsp of the grand wormwood. The end product is a bit bitter but I like it.
    8. Again I think the final infusion takes longer than the recipe says. I do 24hrs.
    9. At the end I filter everyrhing through a coffee filter.

    There you have it. Would love to hear any comments from the pros or other amateurs. And thanks for all the great info!

  43. I just distilled my first absinthe batch. Should I keep the spent herbs from the initial distillation and return them to the next batch of fresh herbs or throw them out?

  44. Are the seeds (fennel and anise) meant to be ground up prior to maceration? Or are they meant to be macerated whole. Does it make a difference?

  45. my friend and I are about to do exams projects and we want to make it for a subject called Process, food and health. Our only problem is that our teachers won’t allow us unless we can argue that we won’t succeed the concentration of 35mg/l of thujone in our final product.

  46. My friend and I are making Absinthe. And we wondered how much thujone there is in it and how we can avoid a high part of it

  47. Hello, and thank you for the recepie, Peter, please do not give advice if you do not realy understand the proces, Do not strain the herbs out! They Do not burn! It is impossible if you use the right equipment, DO Not put the distilling pot direct on the fire! Use bain-marie, do not discard the tails, especialy if you do real propper amount, you will lose alot of good alcohol, for amators that make 1 l for shure it does not count, use the tails for next bach. Recepie is good as it is, thank you alandia crew!

  48. This is interesting to read from the perspective of a medical herbalist because historically all absinthe was only macerated. It’s the Swiss farmers take on a universal home healthcare norm of creating an aromatic bitter you take before meals to stimulate digestion and prevent worms. The mixture needs to be bitter flavoured to work properly since it’s the bitterness that stimulates the digestive cascade via the vagus nerve.

  49. Didn’t get a very good louche effect right away. Does it need to sit for a while before you get a good louche?

  50. No, usually the louche should already be there. If you do not have a good louche it means, that there are not enough essential oils from fennel and anise in the spirit. Maybe you used low quality herbs, distilled too fast, so that the oils did not dissolve, or you did not use the quantities specified in the recipe 🙂 Cheers, Mike

  51. First off, I’m an old school gheto chemist. My interest in psychoactive pleasurables has waned because my blood pressure is so high now that it is obscene. My interest Absinthe has been keen for decades as I am a Hemingway fan, so i have taken an interest in making absinthe.

    I purchased 5 gallons of 200 proof food grade ethanol on the internet for $350 after taxes, hazmat fee, and shipping cost.

    I ordered organic wormwood, anise seeds, fennel seeds, hyssop, Roman wormwood, and lemon balm just as the recipe calls for. (The Roman worm wood has been delayed and not expected for another week)

    I have an all glass set up. DO NOT TRY MY METHOD WITHOUT A MAGNETIC STIR PLATE/HEATING MANTLE

    In a 5000ml flat bottom boiling flask I did (4 times) a 1/40th to scale process of the recommended distillation process exactly per instructions, with the exception that I watered down the 200 proof ethanol by adding 120ml of H2O to make the maceration liquid @ apx. 95% ethanol.

    The exact measurements are as follows:
    2400 ml of 200 proof
    62.5g of worm wood
    125g of anise
    125g of fennel seeds
    120ml of H2O

    Let the “mash” soak for 12-24 hours and added 1125ml H2O just prior to distilling.

    The beauty of this recipe is in its efficiency. The only hardware in my distillation process that is not glass, is the magnetic stir bar and the magnetic stir plate.

    The distillation process via temperature reading with the thermometer at the still head never exceeded 90 degrees centigrade (60%alcohol), and at this point the liquid in the mash was below the the surface level of the mash. In other words, there is so little liquid left in the mash that the only way way to see that liquid was indeed boiling was to to watch the distillate dripping out of the condenser.

    90 degrees centigrade at the still head means 60% distillate and 10% alcohol in the “pot”. The efficiency is brilliant. There are no heads and no tails. I saved/separated 50 ml of heads an 80ml of tails and mixed them together and to my taste they are axactly the same to the overall product. Think about that.

    After distilling apx.10L of absinthe that averaged between 84% and 85% alcohol by volume I am perplexed with a dilemma.

    With 1 of the 4 fractions I followed the post distillation instructions.

    I mixed 40% of the distillate with 25g of hyssop and 12.5g of hyssop and not having yet received the Roman Wormwood I let the ingredients soak for ten minutes before separating the bio-matter via vacuum filter flask. The addition of 2 of the 3 last ingredients is exactly as the recipe calls for. I added the very green 40% to the 60% of the third batch. My thought process is that I can add the Roman wormwood later. I wanted to see what the taste difference is between adding the lemon balm and hyssop vs the original liquor.

    Now the puzzle. Wrap your minds around this folks. The louche between the the mother liquor (85% fennel/wormwood/anise alcohol) is much more pronounced than with the 85% liquor after the 10 minute soak with the hyssop and lemon balm bio-matter.

    Can anyone answer this mystery?

    The product without the Roman Wormwood is fantastic, I can hardly wait to get and add the Roman Wormwood.

    Who ever made this recipe really knew what they were doing.

  52. Hi Matrixreject, thanks for the detailed insights! Here is the answer to your question, at least what we think:

    “Now the puzzle. Wrap your minds around this folks. The louche between the mother liquor (85% fennel/wormwood/anise alcohol) is much more pronounced than with the 85% liquor after the 10 minute soak with the hyssop and lemon balm bio-matter.”

    The coloring herbs do not have essential oils, that louche when diluted with water. They just add color. Therefore, the clear distillate is more “pure” and more concentrated with essential oils than the distillate mixed with macerate. Therefore it louches better. But generally, the difference in louche should be small.

  53. What essential oils leman balm and hyssop do or don’t have is hardly relevant. The mother liquor remains at apx. 84%. I think adding the Roman wormwood will create a more significant louche effect, but I don’t understand how the louche effect is dissipated by adding, then straining the lemon balm and hyssops other than that they are absorbing the essential oils. But, how can they do that? Absorb essential oils from 84-85% ethanol solution? The Roman wormwood is in US Customs now, and I should have it within the next few days. I have 4 batches to experiment with, and I will send you pictures if you provide me with an email address to send them to. I love a puzzle like the one I discovered, and will be glad to share with you what I find out. Thanks for you response and the excellent recipe.

  54. OK, I got the Roman Wormwood ( Artemisia pontica) and used it with the lemon balm and hyssop. Mixing 50ml water and 50ml clear 85% alcohol absinthe, and doing the same with the SAME post distillation absinthe, I added the Roman Wormwood, Hyssop, and Lemmon Balm. The clear one has a pronounced louche effect, and the green mix has virtually no louche effect after sitting in my 34F refrigerator for over a day. (The louche is in the bottom of the half of the glass of the mother liquor) I have pictures. After letting the both the mother liquor and the green mix warm up to room temperature, the mother liquor lost the louche effect and both became clear liquid. These batches, (seven 1/40th batches) have all been controlled experiments, measurements all monitored for accuracy. For the sake and purpose of this educational thread, please respond.

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