Absinthe, also known as the green fairy, has a romantic history like no other drink (Conrad, 1953).
From humble beginnings as a cure for all to its height of popularity amidst the Parisian caf scene of the late 1800s, right through to its demise in the early 1900s. In this essay I will outline the drinks history, from its origins to its spread, illustrate how absinthe was consumed and its taste, its constituents and controversial properties. Absinthe influenced many an almighty mind and had its own place in French Bohemian culture. I will outline its influence and demise, and finish with the small revival of the Absintheur in the last ten years. According to legend the inventor of the drink was Dr.
Pierre Ordinaire (Conrad, 1953), whom in 1872 produced the first ever, commercial bottle of Absinthe as a remedy. Claiming the drink was good for dysentery, epilepsy, gout, kidney stones, colic, headaches and worms. A gentleman named Major Dubied saw its potential as an aperitif rather than a herbal tonic and purchased the recipe from two sisters named Henriod beginning production of the recipe as an aperitif (Conrad, 1953).
His nephew, Henri-Louis Pernod set up the Pernod Fils Absinthe Company in 1805 and this is where Absinthe began to be produced on a large commercial scale. The company grew from strength to strength and by 1850 was producing 20,000 litres per day (Nelson, 2002).
The popularity of Absinthe spread with French Troops returning from Algeria in 1844 (Baker, 2003) they had taken with them absinthe and mixed it with wine or water as a remedy and boredom killer, also known as Absinthe soup. Returning to France they brought with them a taste for Absinthe and it became a hit in the cafes of Paris.
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During the reign of Napoleon, Absinthe accounted for 90% of all the aperitifs consumed in France (Crowley, 1994).
5pm became know as lHeure Verte the Green Hour and Happy Hour today is a remnant of this. Absinthe is traditionally consumed by placing a sugar cube on a slotted spoon and trickling water on to the cube letting it dissolve into the Absinthe, typically it is five parts water to one part Absinthe. This causes the green liquor to Louche and become opalescent (Crowley, 1994).
This became somewhat of a classic ritual for Absintheurs and seeing the drink change colour was part of its ritualistic attraction and aesthetic appeal. Some considered it a science rather than an art to drink Absinthe well and while the Professors of Absinthe went on to their tenth glass, unshakeable at their post, their pupils rolled under the table (Balesta, 1860).
A simple maceration of wormwood without distillation produces a bitter drink but with proper distillation and the infusion of anise, Florence fennel, hyssop, melissa and Roman wormwood it becomes more palatable and is rumoured to be a floral bouquet on the tongue (Baker, 2005).
Some recipes call for angelica root, sweet flag, dittany leaves, coriander, veronica, juniper, nutmeg and various mountains herbs as well, all diffusing the bitterness of the wormwood. Although Absinthe has a high alcohol content about 62% it was believed that the active ingredient in Absinthe is Thujone much like the THC that gives marijuana its kick (Allen, 145).
Thujone, the derivative from wormwood is a terpene and related to menthol. High doses are extremely dangerous and can cause convulsions but the amount found in even the strongest Absinthe has a null effect. Recent research has discredited claims from the turn of the century and concluded that Alpha-Thujone and Beta-Thujone are not themselves dangerous (Baker, 2005).
However alcohol and Thujone may work against each other and reduce the obvious effects of intoxication allowing the person to drink even more, becoming too drunk to notice that they were drunk for example. Thujone is found in sage, tarragon, vermouth, chartreuse and even Vicks vapour rub none of which has there ever been reports of hallucinations from their use. Despite this evidence Absinthe was alleged by its users to have mildly hallucinogenic properties, it was the preferred drink of Vincent van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemmingway (Lanier, 1995) and the subject of much of their works. Poets, playwrights and artists all embraced Absinthe as they attempted to romanticize and capture its beauty, danger and seduction. Between 1874 1910 the Bohemian culture thrived whilst everybody drank Absinthe, it was cheaper than ever before and considered a quintessential part of Belle poque French society (Lanier, 1995).
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At the turn of the last century grape phylloxera had wiped out most of the vineyards in Europe and wine was hard to come by. The aristocrats consumed what little wine there was and left Absinthe to the Bohemians (Nelson, 2002).
Absinthe was at this stage beginning to get a bad name.
Dr Valentin Magnan released his research stating that Absinthe caused madness of an extremely violent and terrifying nature called absinthism. It was characterized by addiction, hyperexcitability, epileptic fits and hallucinations (Adams, 2002).
In 1910, in Switzerland a man named Jean Lanfray murdered his wife and two children under the influence of Absinthe (as well as five litres of wine) and 82,000 people signed a petition to have it banned. French winemakers and pseudo-scientists with political sway all fought to have the liquor banned and in 1915 France became the last country in the world to ban the drink. Absinthe was first banned in the Congo Free State in 1898, then in Brazil and in Belgium in 1906, in Holland in 1908 and in the USA in 1912 (Baker, 2003).
After the ban most absinthe producers switched to making pastis, the weak, gutless imitation, and some moved to Spain where absinthe was never banned and continues to be made on a small scale. Despite the Spanish production of the liquor, absinthe had its real revival in the Czechoslovakian Velvet Revolution in 1987 (Baker, 2003).
Randomil Hill inherited his fathers distillery and decided to start producing Absinthe. He stated that soaking a sugar cube in the absinthe, and then setting fire to it prepared it, as his product didnt louche like it was supposed to by mere titration. This product is still sold in Czechoslovakia but absinthe connoisseurs contest its authenticity. French and Swiss laws have slackened in the past ten years and traditional absinthe can be purchased again. Unfortunately many of these products are artificially coloured oil-mixes, of dubious quality. However, it said the products of Francois Guy, Lemercier, Kubler and the old firm of Emile Pernot in Pontarlier, still make a good brew (www.oxygenee.com/absinthe, 2005).
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Like many greats fads and fashions a true wonder could only be ignored for so long, absinthe had its hey-day, was criticized and vilified but only for a period. Whilst the market of today is drawn into the romance of the controversial drink and research has concluded that this so called psychedelic vodka is not much worst than any other strong liquor, it sells quietly and anonymously over the Internet and in back room bars.
I was fortunate enough to try the Czech version of the drink and whilst there were no hallucinations, I found myself in a rather inebriated state courtesy of the 120 proof, heinous tasting liquor that I had ingested. While worth the effort in the name of research, it is not an exercise I would be willing to repeat or recommend. I imagine the real stuff would be much more palatable though the effects quite similar. Melissa Ousey References: Adams, Jad. Hideous Absinthe: a history of the devil in a bottle, 2004, Allen, Stewart Lee. In the Devils Garden, 2002 Baker, Phil.
Book of Absinthe: A Cultural History, 2003 Balesta, Henri, Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, 1860 Conrad, Barnaby. Absinthe: History in a Bottle, 1953 Crowley, Aleister. Absinthe: The Green Goddess, 1994 Lanier, Doris. Absinthe: The Cocaine of the Nineteeth Century a History of Hallucinogenic Drugs and its effect on the Artist and Writers in Europe and the United States, 1995 Nelson, Aurealia, Absinthe: Prosaic Bouts of Delrium, 2002.
