Absinthe

At its essence, absinthe is a relatively uncomplicated liquor—a high proof anise-flavored spirit that contains wormwood, originally developed for medicinal purposes in Switzerland and France in the late 1700s.

Absinthe is distilled spirit and can not be made without distillation which, in the US, requires a federal permit. The grotesquely bitter homemade products which have become common are not absinthe and do not resemble it in any way whatsoever. Without distillation it's not possible to separate the water-soluble bitter absinthins from the desired essential oils. It is these absinthins that give vodka-soak preparations their horrible, bitter taste. Absinthe "kits" will not make absinthe or anything remotely like it. The people selling these kits either know nothing about absinthe or how it is made, or simply don't care. The results of these kits are a positively vile-tasting and insanely bitter.

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.

Fake Absinthe
Makes 1 pint

2 1/2 tsp dried wormwood
1 pint vodka
2 teaspoons chopped angelica root
3 teaspoons crushed anise seed
3 crushed cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon marjoram

Place the wormwood in vodka for two days, filter, add remaining herbs and let sit for one week. Filter and then bottle. Serve by dropping a sugar cube in the bottom of a cordial glass. Wormwood can be found by searching in the Internet. Real Absinthe has been illegal in America since 1912. It's been known to have hallucination properties. It's the green drink seen in Moulin Rouge with Nicole Kidman.

Vieux Carré Absinthe

Philadelphia Distillery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Review: Distillation is excellent, nicely complex, balanced, interesting absinthe that is well done. Price is amazing especially compared to many of the other artisanal absinthes on the market. Best absinthe out there for the money by far.

Another very good absinthe from America. This is another tasty absinthe and thanks to a friend, I'm delighted to have my hands on a full bottle of Vieux Carré Absinthe. The color is very pretty but my bottle had a bit of haze and once in the glass, the color was a beautiful yellow-green. The louche held a lovely opalescence through 4.5-to-1 but started to degrade after that. That's less of a complaint than a warning to those with a 5-to-1 or greater preference. It is a delicious absinthe, light and refreshing with plenty of complexity. The Wormwood bitterness is a little curious as it seems to come and go, perhaps playing with the Genepy but a bit more sustained Wormwood dominance would be a personal preference of mine. It's a minor complaint because this is a well crafted beverage. I like Vieux Carré Absinthe. I also like the decanter bottle. It looks damn good on my bar and tastes damn good to boot. Congratulations to Philadelphia Distillery. They have added another quality product to their arsenal of fine beverages.