AbsintheSince its introduction to the drinking community, absinthe has the most compelling history of any liqueur. The drink, nicknamed the green fairy, gained popularity in the artistic social circle. Among its devotees were Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Dowson, Edgar Allen Poe, Verlaine, and Vincent Van Gough. As time continued, absinthe soared in popularity, reaching the everyday, working-class man. By 1910, French refiners produced thirty-six million liters of absinthe a year (Kiffel). As the drink became increasingly popular, questions concerning the safety of the drink arose leading to bans by almost every European nation between the years 1912 and 1915. While its reign was short, absinthe signified early twentieth century counterculture, leading people to refer to it as “the drink of Parisian abandon” (Walsh).
Absinthe’s two main components were alcohol and thujone, a substance similar to THC. It was made out of a combination of aniseed, fennel, hyssop, and lemonbalm along with lesser amounts of angelica, star anise, dittany, juniper, nutmeg, and veronica (Baggot). These ingredients were mixed with wormwood plants and water. The mixture was then distilled. Dried herbs, including more wormwood, were added to the distillate, which was then diluted with alcohol to give it a concentration of seventy-five percent alcohol by volume (Walsh). If done correctly, the finished product had a mild green color and an extremely bitter taste.
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In 1792, Pierre Ordinaire concocted absinthe as a cure-all. The potion remained in relative obscurity until Major Dubied bought the rites to the elixir. Within ten years, he established the Perrod-Fils absinthe company. In 1844, the French military purchased an immense …
…nd a threat to European culture. Starting with Sweden in 1912, absinthe was banned from almost every nation, ending with France in 1915.
Works Cited
Walsh, Don. “Absinthe & Thujone”. www.chem.ox.ac.uk/mom/absinthe/absinthe.html. This source provided information about the chemical makeup of absinthe. It also talked about the reasons for its ban and the possible health effects of the drink.
Kiffel, James. “Absinthe”. www.sepulchritude.com/chapelperilous/absinthe.html. (1997). This source provided a good historical view of the drink and its relation to the times in which it was popular.
Baggot, Mathew. “Facts about Absinthe.” www.sepulchritude.com/chapelperilous/absinthe/absinthe-faq.html. (1943). This source provided general information about absinthe such as its main components, the way it was drunk, and its relation to other alcoholic drinks.
