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Absinthe: Meeting the Green Fairy - Absinthe's history, ingredients, famous drinkers...
Absinthe in the USA Popular! - Green and legal, but is it the real Green Fairy?
Century 100: A rare absinthe reviewed Popular! - My verdict: The world's (second) best absinthe.
Buy Absinthe .Net New! - Recommended absinthe buyer's guide. Tips, tricks & reviews.
Cassandra's absinthe recipe & herbs - Guide to the herbs by my herbalist friend.
Dick's absinthe recipe - Original recipe from the 19th century, with detailed ingredient info.
Absinthe art and photos - Green Fairy, the muse of the artist. Paintings and posters.

Absinthe is back! Are you ready

to fly with the Green Fairy?
BY MSJEKYLL POSTED APRIL 1997
TO BE UPDATED SOON.

Absinthe was invented in 1797 by Dr. Pierre

Ordinaire. Henri-Louis Pernod opened the first
absinthe distillery in Switzerland and then moved
to a larger one in Pontarlier, France in 1805. By
the 1850's it had become the favorite drink of the
upper class. Originally wine based, a blight in
1870's on the vineyards forced manufacturers to
base it with grain alcohol. Everyone could now
afford it. The bohemian lifestyle embraced it.

The Green Fairy (la fee verte) as it became

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Century Absinthe in the style

of Alphonse Mucha
Artist: R.L. Macaulay (2009) RLMacaulay.com
Technique: Watercolor on Arches watercolor paper (10"x7")
Notes: This charming piece by Rebecca Macaulay is executed
in the distinctive style of Alphonse Mucha, who was, arguably,
one of the greatest of Art Nouveau painters and decorative
artists. To see more of Rebecca's art, visit her website. To
experience Century, the absinthe that inspired this piece, click
here.
Showcase your original art
on MsJekyll.com

commonly known, was most popular in France.

Most days started with a drink and ended with the
"green hour" (l'heure verte) as one or two or more were taken for its aperitif
properties. It is interesting to note that it also has aphrodisiac and narcotic
properties. Authors and artists were proponents for using it to induce
creativity.
Absinthe's popularity soared from 1880 on. Advertisements touted it as being
healthful. It was exported to New Orleans and reached the same acclaim in
the United States. It was one of the few drinks considered lady-like and
women freely enjoyed it in the coffee houses where it was most commonly
served. Victorian era men however, found women freely enjoying absinthe
distasteful.
In 1905, Jean Lanfray who was very intoxicated, murdered his wife. He
supposedly only had two glasses of absinthe but none the less, his trial
became known as the "Absinthe Murder". Prohibition movements were
underway. Absinthe was singled out as the maddening culprit and became
synonymous with alcohol. Experiments started to be conducted often by
injecting large doses of the oil of wormwood into animals. Absinthism was
named as a disease. On July 25th, 1912, the Department of Agriculture
issued Food Inspection 147, which banned absinthe in America, and finally
France followed in 1915.

But is it (real) absinthe?

UPDATED MARCH 2009

A lot has changed since absinthe was banned in the beginning of the 20th
century. In Europe, the Green Fairy flies freely again following recent relegalization, and there are some excellent absinthes to be had.
Unfortunately, absinthe-thirsty Americans are not so lucky yet. Although the
US authorities have now permitted the use of the term "absinthe" on bottle
labels (subject to approval and conditions), all "absinthes" sold in the US
must test thujone-free. But once you remove thujonethe natural essential
oil of the Artemisia plantit's no longer absinthe; it's just a green drink that
will get you drunk fast, but no effect beyond that.
As someone who has drunk absinthe since 1997, I am very disappointed
because as long as these absinthe-like imitations continue to plague U.S.
liquor stores, posing as the genuine article, there will be no pressure on the
US authorities to relent and allow real European absinthes into America's
stores and bars. Essentially, the FDA/TTB policies have done absolutely
nothing for America's absintheurs; they have just opened doors to producers
with a buck on their mind and green-colored vodkas to sell.

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I want to take this opportunity to recommend the Buy Absinthe guide, which
aims to be a no-nonsense resource for newcomers and seasoned absinthe
drinkers alike. Though still quite new, the guide is already packed with useful
tips that any absinthe buyer will appreciate. I've known the writer for years
and I can confirm his opinions are well worth listening to.

But what is absinthe?

Absinthe is an alcoholic drink made with an extract from wormwood
(Artemisia absinthium). It is an emerald green drink which is very bitter (due
to the presence of absinthin) and is therefore traditionally poured over a
perforated spoonful of sugar into a glass of water. The drink then turns into an
opaque white as the essential oils precipitate out of the alcoholic solution
(louche).
Absinthe was once popular among artists and writers and was drunk by Van
Gogh, Baudelaire, and Verlaine, to name a few. It appears to have been
believed to stimulate creativity. However, in the 1850's, there began to be
concern about the results of chronic use. Chronic use of absinthe was
believed to produce a syndrome, called absinthism, which was characterized
by addiction, hyperexcitability, and hallucinations.
This concern over the health effects of absinthe was amplified by the
prevailing belief in Lamarckian theories of heredity. In other words, it was
believed that any traits acquired by absinthists would be passed on to their
children. Absinthe's association with the bohemian lifestyle also worked to
compound fears about its effects, much as has happened with marijuana in
America. Absinthe was subsequently banned in many countries in the
beginning of the 1900's.

Ingredients of the emerald drink

Simon and Schulter's "Guide to Herbs and Spices" tells us that Henri-Louis
Pernod used aniseed, fennel, hyssop, and lemonbalm along with lesser
amounts of angelica, star anise, dittany, juniper, nutmeg, and veronica. These
ingredients were macerated together with wormwood plants. After leaving the
mixture to sit, water was added and the mixture was distilled. Dried herbs,
including more wormwood, were added to the distillate, which was then
diluted with alcohol to give a concentration of about 75% alcohol by volume.
Different absinthe manufacturers used slightly different ingredients,
sometimes using calamus, which has been purported to have psychoactive
effects.
In addition to these ingredients, manufacturers sometimes added other
ingredients to produce the drink's emerald green color. Normally, this color
was due to the presence of chlorophyll from the plants. However, in the event
that the product was not properly colored, absinthe makers were known to
add things like copper sulfate, indigo, turmeric, and aniline green. Antimony
chloride was also used to help the drink become cloudy when added to water.
Presumably modern makers of Pernod and absinthe use safer ingredients for
their concoctions!
See Dick's Recipe for Absinthe and more detailed ingredient information.

Modern alcoholic beverages related to

absinthe
Herb Sainte and Pernod are names of modern wormwood-free absinthes.
Typically, additional star anise is added to balance the flavor. Herb Sainte is
manufactured in New Orleans. Pernod is named after Henri-Louis Pernod,
who founded the most important absinthe distillery in France in the early
1800s.

Pastis is a similar liqueur to absinthe and was also originally made with
wormwood. However, the dominant flavor in pastis is licorice (rather than the
star anise of modern Pernod or HerbSainte). Pastis brands include Ricard,
Duval, Jeannot, Casanis, and Henri Bardouin. Vermouth, chartreuse, and
benedictine absinthe contain small amounts of thujone. In fact, vermouth,
which is made using the flower heads from wormwood, takes its name from
the German wermuth ("wormwood"). There are, of course, many other
essential oil containing drinks, such as Ouzo and Jagermeister. Wormwood
is popular as a flavoring for brannvin (an alcoholic drink made from potatoes)
in Sweden.

Famous absinthe drinkers include:

Edouard Manet
Charles Baudelaire
Paul Verlaine
Arthur Rimbaud
Oscar Wilde
Ernest Dowson
Edgar Degas

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Vincent Van Gogh
Adolphe Monticelli
Paul Gauguin
Alfred Jarry
Pablo Picasso
Ernest Hemingway
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Want to talk with the Fairy

about absinthe or else?
Write to greenfairy (at) msjekyll (dot) com anytime...

More @ MsJekYll.com Axis | Absinthe & the Green Fairy | Poetry | The Mayfair Witches | Site Map
Other good sitez:

Check out Cassandra's Swiss & Bohemian

homemade absinthe

Absinthe Kits

The Absinthe Buyer's Guide provides a listing of absinthe

currently being produced for sale worldwide.
Includes photos, history, books, absinthe vendors
and links to absinthe related sites.
Also check out Century - an absinthe
with 100mg thujone

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