Using HerbsWal cautions .. One must take care with herbs and spices
- natural does not mean it is not dangerous to predators like humans. The
plants are protecting themselves.
I believe in using natural herbs and
spices rather than commercial essences, which I agree are definitively more
convenient, but then buying a bottle of liquor from a store is also more
convenient.
Herbal liqueurs are made from a large number of herbs and
spices. In the 15th -19th centuries these liqueurs were used for their
medicinal properties. Most liqueurs contain approximately 30% sugar which is
best to use as a sugar syrup - 1 lb (450 g) sugar, 1 cup (250 ml) water, 1/4
tsp acid. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
The principal herbs and spices
used for making liqueurs at home:
Winemakers are taught
that there are only four tastes: sweet, sour, salt and bitter - all other
tastes aresaid to be aromas or smells. For vermouth one works also with 3
sensations: warmth, coolness and tingling. Vermouth is a fortified wine
flavored with herbs and spices. The most common herbs and spices used are
angelica, aloe juice, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, gentian, hyssop,lemon balm,
marjoram, mace, orange peel (bitter & sweet), quinine, sage and thyme,
wormwood.
Some herbs have a definite pharmacological effect and should
be used with care - e.g. valerian root, St John's wort, meadowsweet. If in
doubt look it up on the Internet:
A Russian site gives the following amounts of herbs and spices
(grams/litre, to be steeped for 2 weeks in alcohol) to achieve various flavors.
They can be combined, but need to be reduced proportionally.
Herb/Spice
Quantity ( grams/litre)
Orange peel
50-100
Lemon peel
60-250
Bitter orange peel
2.5-50
Rosemary
0.5-1
Saffron
0.1-0.5
Star anise
3-20
Cinnamon
3-15
Vanilla
0.5-2
Bay leaves
0.5-2
Cardamon
4-20
Nutmeg
3-6
Pimento (allspice)
3-6
Ginger
1.5-12
Cloves
0.6-3
Black pepper
2-24
Aperatives and Digestives
(bitters). The aperitif serves to stimulate the appetite. e.g. vermouth
wines. Spirit based ones include the Italian Aperol (11%abv) which is made from
an infusion of rhubarb root, quinine, gentian and bitter orange peel).
Jagermeister is a well known German after dinner drink based on various herbs.
They had their origin in medicines prepared by monks.. Honey/sugar, and spices
were added to alleviate the bitterness. Modern cough mixtures remind us of this
background.
BittersAmaro means bitter in Italian. It is a herbal infusion in
alcohol and amari (plural of amaro) are still popular in Italy as digestives,
or after dinner drinks. There are many brands on the market. The bitter taste
is imparted by wormwood, gentian root, quinine, centaury, bitter orange
peel,rhubarb, hops, cascarilla, nettles. Aroma is provided by juniper, anise,
coriander, hyssop, fennel, cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, rosemary, lavender,
caraway, camomile, peppermint, tumeric, vanilla, lemon balm, sage, marjoram,
oregano, angelica root, orris root, thyme, sweet calamus root.
'Fernet
Branca' produced in Milan since 1845, contains aloe, bay leaves, wormwood,
aniseed, bitter orange peel, basil, cardamon, liquorice, nutmeg, peppermint and
saffron. See the 'Amaro alle erbe' recipe at http://italianfood.miningco.com/library/rec/blr0484.htm
A
recipe for a simple Amaro or Bitters:
bitterness. Macerate herbs in alcohol for a 2 weeks, add sugar syrup. Strain,
pace in a bottle and allow to age.
Most recipes for herbal liqueurs have
between 40-100 g of herbs/litre of alcohol. I came across a French site with a
recipe that uses laurel tree berries rather than the leaves.
Recipe for
'Liqueur de Laurier' :
Marialuisa's Liqueur
alcohol. Strain. Add sugar syrup.
Mint Liqueur
Make a sugar syrup, boiling together the lemon peel. Cool and add to
alcohol.
from 'Sicilian Home Cooking' by W & G
Tornabee:
Bay Leaf Liqueur
syrup. Bottle and age.
Wild FennelWal writes ..
VermouthVemouth arose when an amaro was added to wine. Proportions
varied to suit individual tastes. The first commercial success is credited to
Antonio Carpano from Turin who began selling a pre-blended formula in 1786 he
named 'Punt e mes' (one and a half). In 1813, Joseph Noilly of Lyons, France
created a French dry vermouth based on delicate whites infused with wormwood
and local plants. 'Vermouth' is the French term for the German
'wermut'(wormwood), the principal bittering agent. In Europe vermouth is drunk
as an aperitif or pre-dinner drink. Dry vermouth is essential to add to your
gin to make a martini cocktail.
The most basic recipe I have seen is
from a French site -
alcohol, sugar and star anise. Remove star anise after several days.
A
more complex recipe for vermouth is found at - http://www.makewine.com/winemaking/methods/vermouth/
Came
across a recipe for 20 litres of vermouth at 20%abv which could be also made
with a neutral spirit base or to camouflage something less successful. Steep
for a week. Centaury, Gentian, Wormwood provide the bitterness. Quinine bark,
woodruff, yarrow, elecampane,tonka beans are not readily available. Tonka beans
have aromatic coumarins but also contain high amounts of thujone.
From an Italian site (liquori fatti in casa) a recipe for
vermouth (which is quite unusual to find).
Vermouth:
and spices, for 3 days. Strain, add sugar, bottle. Consume after 15 days. The
wormwood and gentian proveid the bitterness, the other herbs and spices are for
flavor.
Highland Bitters
"In Scotland bitters were
traditionally drunk before meals, especially breakfast, 'for the purpose of
strenthening the stomache, and by that means invigorating the general health'.
Any kind of spirit could be used and sometimes wine or ale.
of pith).Place in mortar with seeds, cloves, cinnamon and chamomile flowers.
Bruise all together, place in an earthernware jar, pour in the whisky and make
the jar air-tight. Leave for ten days, then strain and bottle." ('A Country
Cup' W. Paterson, 1980)
Wilma Paterson who hails from Skye, also gives
her recipe for Heather Ale using heather (Erica cinerea; Erica tetralix,
Calluna vulgaris) instead of hops. She says that there are records of heather
being used as late as the 18th and 19th centuries.
Heather Ale:
bloom, but not overblown, and boil them in 1 gal (4.5 l) of the water for
nearly an hour. Strain on to the malt extract and sugar through a jelly bag and
stir till dissolved. Add remaining water and , when lukewarm, add the dried
yeast.
'Aperol' from Italy is a low-alcohol aperitif made from rhubarb,
gentian, quinine, biter orange peel.
For information on herbs in the
recipes see: http://www.botanical.com
With
so many differing versions on the market, the home distiller can experiment to
produce equally valid ones.
For those who don't want to use sugar to
sweeten their liqueurs you can use stevia powder(from health food shops) or
fresh stevia leaves. A sugar syrup substitute can be made by infusing 10 leaves
of fresh stevia leaves in 200ml of boiled water.
Grappa alla
Stevia
Spanish Herb
Liqueur
for 2 months. Strain and bottle. Put a couple sprigs of herbs in the
bottle.
Italian Herb Liqueur (Liquore di erbe)
sugar syrup. Strain. Age for 4 weeks before consuming.
Many herbal
liqueurs were originally monastic elixirs and their recipes remain secret. Here
is a recipe which claims to be that for Trappistine which came from a French
site. It does give an indication of the herbs and spices that were used, and
could be used as a basis for your own
experimentation.
Trappistine (for 2.5 L at 35%abv)
yellow.
Persicot is now extinct. Here is a recipe for 2 litres
(36%abv) of the clear liqueur.
redistill
Krambambuli is another exinct liqueur. Here is a recipe
for 2 litres (40%abv).
orange peel.
BenedictineThe monasteries of the Middle Ages had a proud alcoholic
reputation. Monastic orders still make wine, beer and liqueurs, and their
religious fervour has a commercial streak. The most famous are Benedictine and
Chartreuse. Only Chartreuse is presently controlled by monks. The secret
formula for Benedictine, believed lost when the Abbey of Fecamp in Normandy was
destroyed in 1789 during the French Revolution, turned up in 1863 in the house
of Alexandre Le Grand. He modernised the elixir of 27 plants and spices and
called it Benedictine. D.O.M. on the label stands for 'Deo Optimo Maximo'(To
God, most good, most great). The recipe is said to contain angelica root,
arnica flowers, orange peel, thyme, cardamon, peppermint, cassia, hyssop,
cloves and cognac. There is a complex Benedictine recipe from an old English
pharmaceutical book in - http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs/benedict.htm
Others that I have seen certainly do not contain as many herbs and spices.
ChartreuseChartreuse is still made under the control of Carthusian
monks near Grenoble in the French Alps. The formula for this 'elixir de longue
vie' or elixir for longetivity was give to the Monastery of the Grand
Chartreuse in the 17th century by the Marechal d'Estrees. A total of 130
ingredients are in the formula. They are macerated in alcohol and redistilled.
The original Elixir is 71%abv, Green is 55%abv and the sweeter yellow 40%abv.
Both of these have honey added before being aged in casks for 8 years, although
Chartreuse VEP is kept longer. Personally I believe that macerating so many
herbs, and then redistilling produces a very complex vodka, which when
sweetened with honey produces a liqueur - one which could be emulated by the
home distiller as a 'variation on a theme' (Pepsi is a valid variation of Coca
Cola although both arrived at their formula independently). The roots of herbal
liqueurs lie in Italian monasteries and originally were herbal medicines.
'Centerbe' (100 herbs), 'amaro' (bitters), infused wines(vermouth) are still
popular in Italy. Strega (witch in Italian) which was invented in 1860 contains
70 botanicals which are macerated and redistilled. Galliano contains 40 herbs
and spices with anise and vanilla quite prominent.
As an example, from a
French site a Chartreuse type elixir is given for "distestion difficulties and
intestinal troubles."
of water and honey. Leave for 24 hours. Strain again and bottle.
for old
liqueurs, including what purports to be Chartreuse. Its in French, but the
ingredients repeat, so you can get by with a good dictionary. There is a
partial gastronomic glossary at
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/vinnytt/fdicepic.htm
Found 4
more so-called "Chartreuse" recipes at a French site - http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hugues.sauvage/tablerecette.html.
It would be more accurate to call them French Herbal Liqueurs as they do not
have anywhere near 130 herbs that the original reputedly has. Those interested
in herbal infusions should find them useful.
Green 'Chartreuse' 1
other ingredients in alcohol, in a separate jar, for 2 weeks.Filter. Add sugar
and spinach infusion. Age for 1 week. Bottle.
Green 'Chartreuse'
2
(except tansy and saffron) and macerate in alcohol for 18 hours. Add tansy,
saffron and macerate for an additional 6 hours. Add sugar syrup (700g sugar in
2l water). Filter and bottle.
Yellow 'Chartreuse' 1
all the botanicals in a jar with lid. Macerate in alcohol for 2 weeeks. Filter.
Add sugar. Age for several days. Bottle.
Yellow 'Chartreuse' 2
botanicals in alcohol for 3 days. Filter. Add sugar syrup (1kg sugar in 250ml
water). Age for 1 week. Bottle.
Here is another which relies just on
steeping:
Grand Chartreuse
lid and macerate in alcohol for 2 weeks, agitating twice a day. Add sugar
syrup. Leave for several days. Filter and bottle.
Dirk writes ..
writes ..
CamomileWal writes ..
MarijuanaDC writes ..
- natural does not mean it is not dangerous to predators like humans. The
plants are protecting themselves.
I believe in using natural herbs and
spices rather than commercial essences, which I agree are definitively more
convenient, but then buying a bottle of liquor from a store is also more
convenient.
Herbal liqueurs are made from a large number of herbs and
spices. In the 15th -19th centuries these liqueurs were used for their
medicinal properties. Most liqueurs contain approximately 30% sugar which is
best to use as a sugar syrup - 1 lb (450 g) sugar, 1 cup (250 ml) water, 1/4
tsp acid. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
The principal herbs and spices
used for making liqueurs at home:
- Allspice berries (Pimenta Dioica Merr.)
- Angelica root and seeds (Angelica Archangelica L.)
- Anise seeds (Pimpinela Anisum L.)
- Cardamon seeds (Elettaria Cardamomum Maton)
- Cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bl.)
- Cloves flower buds (Eugenia Carophylata Thunb.)
- Coriander seeds (Coriandrum Sativum L.)
- Fennel seeds and tops (Foeniculum Vulgare Mill.)
- Gentian root (Gentiana Lutea L.)
- Hyssop leaves (Hyssopus Officinalis L.)
- Juniper berries (Juniperus Communis L.)
- Lemon Balm leaves (Melissa Officinalis L.)
- Marjoram leaves (Origanum Majorana L.)
- Oregano leaves (Origanum Vulgare L.)
- Peppermint leaves (MenthaxPiperata L.)
- Star anise seeds (Illicium Verum Hook)
- Thyme leaves (Thymus Vulgaris L.)
- Tumeric root (Curcuma Longa L.)
- Vanilla seeds (Vanilla Planifolia Andr.)
Winemakers are taught
that there are only four tastes: sweet, sour, salt and bitter - all other
tastes aresaid to be aromas or smells. For vermouth one works also with 3
sensations: warmth, coolness and tingling. Vermouth is a fortified wine
flavored with herbs and spices. The most common herbs and spices used are
angelica, aloe juice, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, gentian, hyssop,lemon balm,
marjoram, mace, orange peel (bitter & sweet), quinine, sage and thyme,
wormwood.
Some herbs have a definite pharmacological effect and should
be used with care - e.g. valerian root, St John's wort, meadowsweet. If in
doubt look it up on the Internet:
A Russian site gives the following amounts of herbs and spices
(grams/litre, to be steeped for 2 weeks in alcohol) to achieve various flavors.
They can be combined, but need to be reduced proportionally.
Herb/Spice
Quantity ( grams/litre)
Orange peel
50-100
Lemon peel
60-250
Bitter orange peel
2.5-50
Rosemary
0.5-1
Saffron
0.1-0.5
Star anise
3-20
Cinnamon
3-15
Vanilla
0.5-2
Bay leaves
0.5-2
Cardamon
4-20
Nutmeg
3-6
Pimento (allspice)
3-6
Ginger
1.5-12
Cloves
0.6-3
Black pepper
2-24
Aperatives and Digestives
(bitters). The aperitif serves to stimulate the appetite. e.g. vermouth
wines. Spirit based ones include the Italian Aperol (11%abv) which is made from
an infusion of rhubarb root, quinine, gentian and bitter orange peel).
Jagermeister is a well known German after dinner drink based on various herbs.
They had their origin in medicines prepared by monks.. Honey/sugar, and spices
were added to alleviate the bitterness. Modern cough mixtures remind us of this
background.
BittersAmaro means bitter in Italian. It is a herbal infusion in
alcohol and amari (plural of amaro) are still popular in Italy as digestives,
or after dinner drinks. There are many brands on the market. The bitter taste
is imparted by wormwood, gentian root, quinine, centaury, bitter orange
peel,rhubarb, hops, cascarilla, nettles. Aroma is provided by juniper, anise,
coriander, hyssop, fennel, cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, rosemary, lavender,
caraway, camomile, peppermint, tumeric, vanilla, lemon balm, sage, marjoram,
oregano, angelica root, orris root, thyme, sweet calamus root.
'Fernet
Branca' produced in Milan since 1845, contains aloe, bay leaves, wormwood,
aniseed, bitter orange peel, basil, cardamon, liquorice, nutmeg, peppermint and
saffron. See the 'Amaro alle erbe' recipe at http://italianfood.miningco.com/library/rec/blr0484.htm
A
recipe for a simple Amaro or Bitters:
- 5 leaves melissa (lemon balm)
- 5 leaves sage
- 10 leaves (not sprigs) rosemary
- 10 leaves wormwood
- Flowering top of a European centaury plant (from herbal shop)
- 15 juniper berries
- 5 cloves
- 12mm piece cinnamon
- A piece of orris root (Florentine Iris)
- A piece of calamus root ( Sweet Flag)
- A piece of gentian root
- 2/3 cups water
bitterness. Macerate herbs in alcohol for a 2 weeks, add sugar syrup. Strain,
pace in a bottle and allow to age.
Most recipes for herbal liqueurs have
between 40-100 g of herbs/litre of alcohol. I came across a French site with a
recipe that uses laurel tree berries rather than the leaves.
Recipe for
'Liqueur de Laurier' :
- 100 g laurel (bay tree) berries
- 4 g nutmeg
- 1 clove
- 1 litre alcohol (50%bv)
- 750 g sugar
- 500 ml water
Marialuisa's Liqueur
- 100 verbena leaves
- 1 lemon (quartered)
- 600 g sugar
- 600 ml alcohol
- 500 ml water
alcohol. Strain. Add sugar syrup.
Mint Liqueur
- 35 mint leaves
- peel of 1 lemon
- 300 g sugar
- 300 ml water
- 300 ml alcohol
Make a sugar syrup, boiling together the lemon peel. Cool and add to
alcohol.
from 'Sicilian Home Cooking' by W & G
Tornabee:
Bay Leaf Liqueur
- 2 cups (500ml) neutral spirit (40%bv)
- 2 cups water (500ml)
- 2 cups sugar
- 50 fresh bay laurel leaves
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- zest from a large lemon
syrup. Bottle and age.
Wild FennelWal writes ..
- An Italian from Campania province told me that he uses 13 flowering tops
of wild fennel per one litre of grappa.
A common liqueur in Italy is
'Liquore de Finocchietto Selvatico' (30%abv) obtained by the maceration of the
tops of wild fennel (not seeds like aniseed based liqueurs) with added sugar.
It apparently has digestive properties.
VermouthVemouth arose when an amaro was added to wine. Proportions
varied to suit individual tastes. The first commercial success is credited to
Antonio Carpano from Turin who began selling a pre-blended formula in 1786 he
named 'Punt e mes' (one and a half). In 1813, Joseph Noilly of Lyons, France
created a French dry vermouth based on delicate whites infused with wormwood
and local plants. 'Vermouth' is the French term for the German
'wermut'(wormwood), the principal bittering agent. In Europe vermouth is drunk
as an aperitif or pre-dinner drink. Dry vermouth is essential to add to your
gin to make a martini cocktail.
The most basic recipe I have seen is
from a French site -
- 1 handful of wormwood
- 1 litre red wine
- 1 glass neutral alcohol
- 1 glass of sugar
- 1 star anise
alcohol, sugar and star anise. Remove star anise after several days.
A
more complex recipe for vermouth is found at - http://www.makewine.com/winemaking/methods/vermouth/
Came
across a recipe for 20 litres of vermouth at 20%abv which could be also made
with a neutral spirit base or to camouflage something less successful. Steep
for a week. Centaury, Gentian, Wormwood provide the bitterness. Quinine bark,
woodruff, yarrow, elecampane,tonka beans are not readily available. Tonka beans
have aromatic coumarins but also contain high amounts of thujone.
- Herb Quantity (grams/20L)
- Wormwood 14
- Oregano 7
- Elecampagne 7
- Blessed thistle 7
- Lemon bslm leaf 7
- Yarrow 3
- Cantaury 3
- Gentian 3
- Angelica root 1
- Camomile 1
- Tonka beans 7
- Orange peel 3
- Quinine bark 1
- Saffron 1
- Plus a total of 1g mix of Majoram, Rosemary, Sage, Summer savory, Basil,
Thyme.
From an Italian site (liquori fatti in casa) a recipe for
vermouth (which is quite unusual to find).
Vermouth:
- 1 litre white wine
- 150 g sugar
- cinnamon
- cloves
- wormwood
- sage
- coriander
- gentian root
- peel from 2 oranges
and spices, for 3 days. Strain, add sugar, bottle. Consume after 15 days. The
wormwood and gentian proveid the bitterness, the other herbs and spices are for
flavor.
Highland Bitters
"In Scotland bitters were
traditionally drunk before meals, especially breakfast, 'for the purpose of
strenthening the stomache, and by that means invigorating the general health'.
Any kind of spirit could be used and sometimes wine or ale.
- 1 and 3/4 oz (55 g) gentian root
- 1 oz (30 g) coriander seed
- 1/2 oz (15 g) bitter orange peel
- 1/4 oz (7 g) chamomile flowers
- 1/2 oz (15 g) cloves (whole)
- 1/2 oz (15 g) cinnamon stick
- 2 bottles whisky
of pith).Place in mortar with seeds, cloves, cinnamon and chamomile flowers.
Bruise all together, place in an earthernware jar, pour in the whisky and make
the jar air-tight. Leave for ten days, then strain and bottle." ('A Country
Cup' W. Paterson, 1980)
Wilma Paterson who hails from Skye, also gives
her recipe for Heather Ale using heather (Erica cinerea; Erica tetralix,
Calluna vulgaris) instead of hops. She says that there are records of heather
being used as late as the 18th and 19th centuries.
Heather Ale:
- 1 gallon (4.5 litres) heather tops
- 2 lb (1 kg) malt extract
- 1 and 1/2 lb (700 g) sugar
- 3 gals (13.5 l) water
- 1 oz (30 g) yeast
bloom, but not overblown, and boil them in 1 gal (4.5 l) of the water for
nearly an hour. Strain on to the malt extract and sugar through a jelly bag and
stir till dissolved. Add remaining water and , when lukewarm, add the dried
yeast.
'Aperol' from Italy is a low-alcohol aperitif made from rhubarb,
gentian, quinine, biter orange peel.
For information on herbs in the
recipes see: http://www.botanical.com
With
so many differing versions on the market, the home distiller can experiment to
produce equally valid ones.
For those who don't want to use sugar to
sweeten their liqueurs you can use stevia powder(from health food shops) or
fresh stevia leaves. A sugar syrup substitute can be made by infusing 10 leaves
of fresh stevia leaves in 200ml of boiled water.
Grappa alla
Stevia
- 1litre grappa
- 50 leaves of stevia
Spanish Herb
Liqueur
- 2 and 1/4 cups dry anise liqueur (raki, ouzo)
- 2 and 1/4 cups sweet anise liqueur (anisette, sambuca white)
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 3 sprigs savory
- 1 sprig lemon verbena
- 6 sage laves
- 6 mint leaves
- peel 1/2 orange
for 2 months. Strain and bottle. Put a couple sprigs of herbs in the
bottle.
Italian Herb Liqueur (Liquore di erbe)
- 200 ml alcohol 95%bv
- 500 ml water
- 400 g sugar
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 10 mint leaves
- 10 camomile flowers
- 10 sweet basil leaves
- 10 lemon leaves
- 15 sage leaves
- 3 cloves
- 3 saffron filaments
sugar syrup. Strain. Age for 4 weeks before consuming.
Many herbal
liqueurs were originally monastic elixirs and their recipes remain secret. Here
is a recipe which claims to be that for Trappistine which came from a French
site. It does give an indication of the herbs and spices that were used, and
could be used as a basis for your own
experimentation.
Trappistine (for 2.5 L at 35%abv)
- 10 g true wormwood
- 10 g cardamon
- 10 g angelica
- 30 g mint leaves
- 5 g myrrh
- 7.5 g melissa
- 5 g sweet flag (acorus calamus)
- 1 g cinnamon
- 0.5 g mace
- 1 g cloves
- 1 litre alcohol 85%bv
- 300 ml water
- 900 g sugar
yellow.
Persicot is now extinct. Here is a recipe for 2 litres
(36%abv) of the clear liqueur.
- 90 g bitter almonds (you could use apricot kernels)
- 12 g lemon peel
- 4 g cassia bark
- 1 g nutmeg
- 1 g cloves
- 450 g sugar
- 930 ml water
- 850 ml alcohol (84%abv)
redistill
Krambambuli is another exinct liqueur. Here is a recipe
for 2 litres (40%abv).
- 8 g roman chamomile
- 6 g fresh anise leaves
- 4 g sage
- 4 g marjoram
- 6 g cinnamon
- 6 g sweet flag
- 6 g gentian
- 4 g galangal
- 4 g lavender flowers
- 4 g cardamon
- 40 g sugar
- 831 ml water
- 944 ml alcohol (84%bv)
- 4 g orange peel
orange peel.
BenedictineThe monasteries of the Middle Ages had a proud alcoholic
reputation. Monastic orders still make wine, beer and liqueurs, and their
religious fervour has a commercial streak. The most famous are Benedictine and
Chartreuse. Only Chartreuse is presently controlled by monks. The secret
formula for Benedictine, believed lost when the Abbey of Fecamp in Normandy was
destroyed in 1789 during the French Revolution, turned up in 1863 in the house
of Alexandre Le Grand. He modernised the elixir of 27 plants and spices and
called it Benedictine. D.O.M. on the label stands for 'Deo Optimo Maximo'(To
God, most good, most great). The recipe is said to contain angelica root,
arnica flowers, orange peel, thyme, cardamon, peppermint, cassia, hyssop,
cloves and cognac. There is a complex Benedictine recipe from an old English
pharmaceutical book in - http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs/benedict.htm
Others that I have seen certainly do not contain as many herbs and spices.
ChartreuseChartreuse is still made under the control of Carthusian
monks near Grenoble in the French Alps. The formula for this 'elixir de longue
vie' or elixir for longetivity was give to the Monastery of the Grand
Chartreuse in the 17th century by the Marechal d'Estrees. A total of 130
ingredients are in the formula. They are macerated in alcohol and redistilled.
The original Elixir is 71%abv, Green is 55%abv and the sweeter yellow 40%abv.
Both of these have honey added before being aged in casks for 8 years, although
Chartreuse VEP is kept longer. Personally I believe that macerating so many
herbs, and then redistilling produces a very complex vodka, which when
sweetened with honey produces a liqueur - one which could be emulated by the
home distiller as a 'variation on a theme' (Pepsi is a valid variation of Coca
Cola although both arrived at their formula independently). The roots of herbal
liqueurs lie in Italian monasteries and originally were herbal medicines.
'Centerbe' (100 herbs), 'amaro' (bitters), infused wines(vermouth) are still
popular in Italy. Strega (witch in Italian) which was invented in 1860 contains
70 botanicals which are macerated and redistilled. Galliano contains 40 herbs
and spices with anise and vanilla quite prominent.
As an example, from a
French site a Chartreuse type elixir is given for "distestion difficulties and
intestinal troubles."
- 1 litre alcohol (90%bv)
- 1 litre water
- 2 g star anise
- 1 g angelica root
- 1 g carraway seeds
- 10 g coriander seeds
- 1 g sage
- 0.5 g saffron
- 700 g honey
of water and honey. Leave for 24 hours. Strain again and bottle.
for old
liqueurs, including what purports to be Chartreuse. Its in French, but the
ingredients repeat, so you can get by with a good dictionary. There is a
partial gastronomic glossary at
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/vinnytt/fdicepic.htm
Found 4
more so-called "Chartreuse" recipes at a French site - http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hugues.sauvage/tablerecette.html.
It would be more accurate to call them French Herbal Liqueurs as they do not
have anywhere near 130 herbs that the original reputedly has. Those interested
in herbal infusions should find them useful.
Green 'Chartreuse' 1
- 5g chopped spinach leaves
- 45g myrrh
- 9g mace
- 60g hyssop
- 70g glace angelica
- 10g fresh angelica stems
- 50g fresh melissa leaves
- 50g mint
- 50g orange blossoms
- 1 litre alcohol (80%bv)
- 800g sugar
other ingredients in alcohol, in a separate jar, for 2 weeks.Filter. Add sugar
and spinach infusion. Age for 1 week. Bottle.
Green 'Chartreuse'
2
- 1g star anise
- 10g coriander
- 1g sage leaves
- 1g melissa leaves
- 1g mint leaves
- 1g angelica leaves
- 10g tansy
- 0.5g saffron
- 700g sugar
- 2 litres water
- 1 litre alcohol 90%bv
(except tansy and saffron) and macerate in alcohol for 18 hours. Add tansy,
saffron and macerate for an additional 6 hours. Add sugar syrup (700g sugar in
2l water). Filter and bottle.
Yellow 'Chartreuse' 1
- 4.5g saffron
- 1.5g cinnmon
- 4g coriander
- 6g melissa
- 6g fresh hyssop stems and leaves
- 3g angelica
- 1 litre alcohol 90%bv
- 300g sugar
all the botanicals in a jar with lid. Macerate in alcohol for 2 weeeks. Filter.
Add sugar. Age for several days. Bottle.
Yellow 'Chartreuse' 2
- 2g nutmeg
- 1g angelica root
- 2g star anise
- 1g fennel seeds
- 1g carraway seeds
- 1g cumin seeds
- 0.25g saffron threads
- 1litre neutral alcohol 70%bv
- 250ml water
- 1kg sugar
botanicals in alcohol for 3 days. Filter. Add sugar syrup (1kg sugar in 250ml
water). Age for 1 week. Bottle.
Here is another which relies just on
steeping:
Grand Chartreuse
- 400ml alcohol 95% abv
- 300ml distilled water
- 250g sugar
- 10g lemon balm (melissa)
- 5g fresh hyssop
- 3g angelica root
- 1g coriander seed
- 0.5g cinnamon
- 0.5g mace
- 0.5g fennel seed
- 1 clove
lid and macerate in alcohol for 2 weeks, agitating twice a day. Add sugar
syrup. Leave for several days. Filter and bottle.
Dirk writes ..
- Here I am with the recipe I found in an old book.
- Peppermint-oil 3 parts
- lemon-oil 4 parts
- cassia-oil 2 parts
- clove-oil 2 parts
- mace-oil 3 parts
- russian anis-oil 2 parts
- angelica-oil 80 parts
- bitter almond-oil 1 part
- wormwood-oil 40 parts
- neroli-oil 2 parts
- cognac-oil 30 parts
- alcohol 600 parts
- alcohol 12.5 liter
- chartreuse-essence 5 grams
- sugar-syrup of 65% 4.5 liter
- water 12.5 liter
First the
chartreuse-essence:
read that the green coloring was done with chlorofyl.
writes ..
- From 'The Complete Book of Spirits and Liqueurs' C.Ray, 1978. "These are
- 50g wormwood
- 10g aloe vera
- 50g angelica seeds
- 12g angelica root
- 6g arnica flowers
- 60g either 'chrysanthemum balsamita' or more likely alcost/costmary -
'tanacetum balsamita' (the original has 'de grand camel balsamide' which is
either a transcription error or a local/archaic name.)
- 12g sweet flag (acorus calamus)
- 30g cinnamon (Chinese)
- 12g coriander
- 5g tonka bean juice
- 10g cloves
- 50g hyssop tops
- 12g mace
- 6g nutmeg
- 8g poplar buds
- 50g melissa
- 100g peppermint
- 12g thyme
- 12l alcohol
- 3l water
- 200g angelica root
- 40g cinnamon
- 100 g sweetflag root
- 200g myrrh
- 100g wormwood
- 12 l alcohol 86%bv
- 3l water
- 225mg cloves
- 15mg star anise
- 1.025g aniseed
- 57mg hyssop
- 225mg saffron
- 225mg cinnamon
- 4.025g coriander
- 1.042g angelica seeds
- 57mg melissa
- 500 ml alcohol (90%bv)
- 500 g sugar
- 1/2 stick vanilla
- 15 g cinnamon
- 10 g coriander
- 2 cloves
- 5 g anise flowering tops ( grow your own from aniseed in a pot)
- 10 g cardamon
- 10 g cochineal (can replace with cochineal coloring)
- 100 ml rosewater
- water - quantity not given, 1 litre would give a usual liqueur
strength.
the 3 monks who, at any one time, are entrusted with the secret of the 130
herbs from which 5 concentrated extracts are derived; and in what proportion
they are blended to produce the very strong green Chartreuse, the sweeter and
less strong yellow, and the highly concentrated elixir."
I have come to
the conclusion that it is impossible to find an authentic recipe for a herbal
liqueur with so many ingredients. A much better approach is to make your own
variation. The Chartreuse type blend their herbs so that none predominates.
Other liqueurs in this category are:
'La Senancole', similar to yellow
Chartreuse.
'Aiguebelle', in a strong green and a sweeter yellow version.
'Izarra', a Spanish green (stronger) and yellow (sweeter) liqueur.
'Etaller', a German green and yellow liqueur.
Here are 3 French
'recipes' supposedly for Charteuse but which do not have 130 botanicals, and so
are really just a herbal variation:
1) White Chartreuse (use
herbal coloring to get green and yellow) recipe for 10 litres - redistillation
required.
2) Chartreuse - redistillation required
3) Chartreuse (from http://jg.graessel.free.fr/Liqueur/Chartreu.htm)
Add sugar syrup made by dissolving 875g sugar in 1litre water.
AlchermesCooking recipes sometimes ask for the Italian 'Alchermes'
liqueur (pronounced alkermes). The liqueur came to Italy from Spain and is
probably of Arabic origin. It is bright red from cochineal coloring. The
cochineal beetle (cocciniglia) is called 'alquermes' in Spanish, which comes
from the Arabic 'quirmiz' which means scarlet. In Italy it was made by monks in
Florence as an elixir. Here is a recipe from an Italian
site:
Alchermes:
glass of water for 2 weeks. Add sugar syrup. Let stand for another 2 days.
Strain, add rosewater.
CamomileWal writes ..
- While looking at a Spanish beverage site I noticed a 'Manzanilla
- 50 g dried camomile flowers
- 1 litre alcohol 90%bv
- 800 g sugar
- 1 litre water
- 1 litre dry white wine
- 40 camomile flowers
- 40 sugar cubes
- 1 small glass rum
- 1/2 vanilla pod
- 1 litre sweet white wine
- 60 g dried camomile flowers
- 4 tbsp honey
- 20 g orange leaves
Xoriguer' camomile liqueur, manzanilla being the Spanish word for camomile.
Flowers are used as botanicals, and since camomile has medicinal properties, I
found a French camomile liqueur recipe, and a French and Italian recipe for a
camomile flavored wine for those who like to use camomile not only in the form
of a herbal tea:
Camomile Liqueur
add sugar syrup. Age for 3 months.
Camomile wine (vin de
camomile)
bottle
Camomile wine (Italian site)
botanicals for 30 minutes. Remove orange leaves, add rest of wine and steep for
7 days. Filter and bottle. There is no reason why you could not replace the
wine with alcohol.
MarijuanaDC writes ..
- For those of you pondering and now thinking about using a little "stash"
in your wash, there are a few things that should be understood before you do.
First, if Marijuana was to be used unprocessed (i.e. strait from your stash
without any alteration other than separation, like you would do if you were
going to use it to smoke), the water solubles in the unprocessed plant would
dissolves in the brew, leading to a POWERFUL off-taste.
What should be
done is to soak the herb by placing it in a nylon mesh bag. Fill a large
container (I was going to use the word "pot," but then I figured I might
confuse a few people with the terms) with TEPID water. (the reason for TEPID
water is because the dissolution rate of THC -- the active substance in
marijuana that gets a person "high" -- occurs in hot water; therefore the oil
from the THC glands become thinner and may be released from heavier gland, by
which causes a loss of the WANTED oil. This is the reason that TEPID water is
used). Soak the herb in the TEPID water for one hour. Then squeeze the water
from the vegetation, allowing the water to run back into the container, and
allow the vegetation matter to soak for another hour. Repeat this process
several times. Most of the pigments and tannin are released in several one-hour
soakings.
It should be known that when soaking the herb in water, even
TEPID water, some THC glands may fall off during the soaking and squeezing
process. These THC glands can be collected from the bottom of the large
container, after the herb has been removed, by draining the water through a
coffee filter. You can discard the water after you are satisfied that you have
collected all of the glands that you can. The collected glands on the filter
can be dried and smoked -- these glands are very purse and potent, so beware.
If you don't want to smoke them, you could (should) add then to your brew.
After the final soaking/rinse, the herb is ready to go into the brew.
Well, almost. You must dry the wet vegetation. To dry the herb, take kitchen
wire racks -- the kind used for cooling cookies and such -- and place one paper
towel over the rack. Then gently spread the herb loosely over the paper towel
covered wire rack. The paper towel draws some of the moister away from the
plant material, while the wire rack allows for air circulation underneath the
herb, hence quicker drying. You should store the herb that is being dried in a
warm dark location until dried. Time for drying depends on the environment, so
check the herb often and turn the vegetation over as needed to allow for even
drying.
There are other ways to dry the herb as well. You may use a
food dehydrator if one is available to you. Check the instructions for proper
use of drying herb-like items. You may even, but I am not quick to recommend,
use your microwave to aid in the drying process. To use the microwave, loosely
place the herb on a paper towel lined microwave safe plate and place in the
microwave. Heat the herb on HIGH for 30 SECONDS. Check the herb, if it is still
wet, turn the herb and put it in for another 30 SECONDS. Continue the 30 SECOND
cycle until the herb is dry and almost crumbly. You do not want to turn the
plant black, brown, or have it so dry that it becomes powder after you touch
it. Using the microwave to dry herb is a skill, so you may want to try your
hand at drying different herbs before you try your hand on this no-so-cheap
herb. Now that it is dry, you are ready to go.
There are many ways that
you can incorporate your, now processed, herb into different types of drinks.
For a "double buzz" beer, just brew up your favorite batch of beer as you
normally would. Then add your processed marijuana, in a nylon mesh bag, to your
fermenting beer 3-4 days BEFORE you bottle. This gives the alcohol in the
fermenting beer enough time to dissolve the THC. The marijuana will lend a
small amount of flavor to the beer, due to the residual water solubles the have
remained in the processed herb.
The same can be done for whiskey. Add
the marijuana to your whiskey mash 1 week before to put your mash into the
still. The THC oils will be carried over with your flavorful alcohol. I don't
recommend this process with a fractioning/reflux still, as that type of still
may keep back some of the desired THC that you have worked so hard to get. MY
recommendation is to use a pot still only.
You can also add the
processed herb you liquors and other "botanical" brews. An interesting
experiment would be to try an Absinthe recipe with and/or without the Wormwood.
Now there is an extremely illegal drink waiting to happen.
Some people
have taken their processed herb and added it to strait spirit. But they didn't
do this to drink it. They did it so that they can later extract THC oil. The
process goes like this: take your processed herb and put it into a jar. Take
HIGH proof spirit and pour it over the herb until it just covers the herb. Let
this sit covered for a week, remembering to shake the jar 2-3 times a day.
After the week is up, pour this solution into a double boiler (preferably on an
electric stove/hot plate). Then gently bring the solution up to a gentile
simmer. What happens next is the alcohol is slowly being evaporated, while
leaving behind the THC oil. Mind you, THC is heat sensitive, so you will lose
some of the oil due to the heating process. When you are done, you are left
with a THC oil concentration. Most people then use this oil to dip their
cigarettes into to enjoy an interesting smoke. Other people take a small amount
of the oil and re-dissolve it into a shot worth of vodka and take the solution
sublingually to achieve the THC affects without smoking. Other people add it to
their cooking. The list could go on.
Now, this e-mail is not my
endorsement for using marijuana, or any other illegal plant or drug, in any
form or fashion. This is knowledge being passed on for educational use only. It
is not to be put into use in any form or fashion.