(Herbal) Tea?

[Medicus matt]

Wow, i never realise Absinthe stemmed back as far as Roman times!... That stuff is lethal!... How easy is it to make your own authentic roman absinth?

Very simple. I've had interesting results using grand wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) that I've grown at home (Apcicius recommends wormwood grown in Camerinum or Santo), combined with hazelwort (nard/Asarum Europaeum) and alecost (both homegrown), saffron and a bit of Cypriot mastic.

Heated up together, simmered for an hour, left to cool and then filtered cold.
Very bitter (as you'd expect from a wormwood infusion) and, as it's not distilled it relies on the properties of the wormwood (and the alecost) for it's effect so it's not 'lethal' like the spirits you can buy these days, which rely more on their alcohol content rather than their ingredients for their effects.

Nice with a bit of honey mixed in.