Wormwood Geist Spirits

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium and Artemisia pontica), is called wermut in the German language, absinthe in the French language, and malört in the Swedish language. It has been used as a vermifuge (worm-expeller) since at least the ancient Greek and Egyptian periods. A single-botanical wormwood geist has been distilled in German-speaking areas of Europe for centuries. That spirit is profoundly unpleasant to drink for most people, and it was not ever considered a recreational spirit. It was a shelf stable medicine against worms and parasites. By adding aniseed, fennel, star anise or licorice root to the geist bill, the flavor of wormwood is masked by anethol and it's pseudo-sweet, licorice-type flavor. This made the distillation of classic esprit d'absinthe possible for recreational purposes, while maintaining vermifuge effects.