This is an extended weekend, so I will have time to start several powerful potions. Requests for Bruise Juice has skyrocketed so I need to start a batch as soon as possible.
I’ve also decided that this year, I will make absinthe in all three colors: Bleu, Vert, and Rose. Each has its strengths. The Bleu is the purest absinthe, with the widest variation in flavor and scent changes as it is diluted for drinking. Vert is gorgeous and snappy and has the most dramatic color change. The rose has the most complex flavor.
The mead I made last fall was refined last weekend in preparation for macerating the absinthe herbs. I’ll harvest the herbs tonight, the wormwood and the Florence fennel. I already have the aniseed stored away for this. I’ll macerate the herbs in the finished mead overnight, and tomorrow, I’ll spend the whole day steaming and cooling and straining the base absinthe.
Sunday, I’ll separate the base asbinthe into three parts. The Bleu will be finished with small wormwood, lemon balm, hyssop, mint, and licorice root, ready for casking on Monday.
The Vert will be finished with tarragon, juniper, more aniseed, angelica seed, star anise, coriander seed, and hyssop. I’m debating adding cardamom to it – I think some white cardamom will finish it off even better.
The Rose will be finished with coriander seed, beet slices, rosehips (they’ve just ripened on the rose bushes, so that’s perfect), star anise, angelica seeds, juniper, lemon balm, lemon zest, and hyssop. I may add more aniseed to it this time around to give it a foggier louche.
In a year, the absinthe will be ready, but the Bruise Juice will be done by March.
The Bruise Juice will macerate in olive oil for a week, then I’ll strain it, add fresh herbs and let it macerate another week, then strain and add fresh hersb, only this time, I’ll heat it until the herbs turn crispy. To the strained oil, I’ll add the distillates of healing herbs I made this past fall, then run it all through the steam finisher. The dregs will go to feed the garden and the rest will be bottled in 1 and 2 ounce bottles. An ounce of this Bruise Juice will last most people a year. I’m making three gallons of it and hope I have enough.
