In the beginning of the 20th century France was overwhelmed by the fashion for the so-called ‘American-style’ cocktails. Therefore Europeans not only consumed the already existing shakes, but also invented those of their own. This one is a classic example of the early ‘American-style’ European cocktails.

Absinthe amateurs claim the ‘Green Fairy’ and vermouth blend perfectly due to the fact that they are both produced from the same herb – wormwood (or Artemisia Absinthium in Latin). However, one shouldn’t expect to experience the same ‘buzz’ from drinking dry vermouth, because the two alcoholic beverages are made not exactly from the same material. Absinthe is produced from the whole wormwood plant plus some other herbs, and vermouth – only from the wormwood flowers. Moreover, it contains less Thujone than the ‘Green Muse’, which explains the difference in the effect both create.

Alright, that is enough of the theory; let’s get down to the practice. In order to prepare the cocktail, one needs:

• gin (two ounces),
• dry vermouth (half ounce),
• absinthe (one splash),
• ice (three to five cubes).

You don’t trust all those absinthe manufactures and would like to generate the unique ‘Green Fairy’ right in the cozy surroundings of your own kitchen? Now problem! Following are the recipe and directions to aid you in your courageous gust.

First of all, you need to add some unusual items on your shopping list:

• dried chopped wormwood (one ounce),
• angelica root (one tablespoon),
• hyssop (one teaspoon),
• coriander seeds (half teaspoon),
• caraway seeds (quarter teaspoon),
• cardamon pods (one pinch),
• fennel or anise seeds (one pinch),
• vodka (one liter).

The last item is probably not so much uncommon for you to have at home, so you can just extract it from the secret place where it has been kept for the state of emergency.