![]() The tide had been turning against absinthe for decades. How Absinthe Became The Target Of Teetotalersįlickr A 1905 anti-absinthe poster that declares: “Absinthe is death!” But by the end of the 19th century, the general population suspected that the drink did more harm than good. It only changes the ideas.” He even invented an absinthe cocktail, Death In The Afternoon (named after one of his books), which mixes absinthe and champagne. Years later, Ernest Hemingway became a convert, noting: “ supposed to rot your brain out, but I don’t believe it. What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?” The Irish poet Oscar Wilde became infatuated with the drink, raving, “A glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world. In 1859, Édouard Manet painted The Absinthe Drinker, one of his first major works. While absinthe was popular among all social classes, it was especially beloved among artistic people. It is you who have lost your moral faculty.” Wikimedia Commons Manet’s painting The Absinthe Drinker was rejected from the 1859 Salon of Paris, leading the artist’s mentor to note: “You are the absinthe drinker. But because it was so strong, most people mixed it with water. And French people realized that they could get more bang for their buck (or, franc) by drinking absinthe instead of something weaker. Soldiers brought back the booze to mainland France where l’heure verte (green hour) quickly became a treasured time of day. And before long, the drink began to soar in popularity. And thus, absinthe as a casual beverage was born.Ībsinthe was first introduced to France in a more playful form around 1840. But they mixed their medicine with a little wine to help it go down smoothly. They drank it to cool fevers and prevent dysentery. Sometimes, it was even used to ward off the bubonic plague.īy the 1830s, French soldiers in Algeria used wormwood as medicine as well. This practice continued throughout the subsequent centuries, as wormwood was often used to treat stomach problems. The History Behind ‘La Fée Verte’Īdam Berry/Getty Images The man in this absinthe poster says, “I forgot to add water! And to think some people drink it pure.” But that doesn’t mean that this spirit isn’t incredibly strong. You probably won’t see a green fairy if you drink it. In short: Absinthe is not a hallucinogen. “They were experimenting with drugs and everyone was drinking out of leaded glasses. “All those artists were drinking absinthe, but they were doing other stuff, too,” Johnson said. The myth of the spirit’s power also comes from artists like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh, and Oscar Wilde. And even in high doses, there’s no hard evidence that thujone causes hallucinations. ![]() One distiller estimated that a person would have to drink three bottles to feel the effects of thujone. But this is practically impossible from drinking the spirit casually.Ī devotee of the green fairy is much more likely to suffer alcohol poisoning well before overdosing on thujone. Thujone can cause convulsions and even death in high enough concentrations. The drink gets its hallucinogenic reputation from the chemical thujone, which occurs naturally in the drink. ![]() The effects of absinthe as portrayed in Moulin Rouge. But is absinthe really a hallucinogen - or are its effects exaggerated? Anyone who has seen Moulin Rouge knows about La Fée Verte (the green fairy) and the spirit’s allegedly hallucinogenic properties. Those are the basics of the spirit, but the drink’s allure comes from how it makes people feel. So, if someone hates black licorice, he recommends something else. While absinthe doesn’t taste exactly like black licorice, the flavor is said to be somewhat similar. “The first thing I ask people is, ‘How do you feel about black licorice?'” noted Matt Johnson, who owns a bar in Portland, Oregon. The anise is an important ingredient - it gives the drink its distinctive taste. Absinthe verte gets its famous Tinkerbell-green color from those herbs. Traditionally, absinthe is made from a white grape-based spirit, wormwood, anise, fennel, and some other herbs. The spirit comes in two forms: absinthe verte (which is green) and absinthe blanc (which is white). Wikimedia Commons Aside from being strong, absinthe can also be deceptively sweet - perhaps making it even more powerful.Īt its most basic, absinthe is a spirit with very high alcohol content - generally between 110 and 144 proof.
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