“Absinthe renders people mad and criminal, provokes epilepsy and tuberculosis, and has killed thousands of French people. It makes a ferocious beast of man, a martyr of woman and a degenerate of the child.” French Petition Against Absinthe, 1907
Absinthe, called la Fee Verte by some, the Green Goddess or even the Green Muse by others, was prohibited in most of Europe and America in the early 1900s, but has enjoyed a comeback in recent years. The first US distillery since the ban opened in December 2007, and the beverage is now offered by multiple producers in the United States and sold at bars and liquor stores throughout the country.
Fear of Absinthism Sparks Prohibition
"In absinthism, the hallucinating delirium is most active, most terrifying, sometimes provoking reactions of an extremely violent and dangerous nature." Dr. Valentin Magnan, Chief Physician at the Asylum of Sainte-Anne, Paris
Under fear that it caused absinthism, or uncontrollable addiction with psychopathic results (a misconception that was encouraged politically by French winemakers eager for new clientele,) absinthe was caught up in the conservative push towards prohibition. The drink has since undergone the scrutiny of FDA officials, microbiologists, and apprecianados alike to determine just what gave the anise-favored liquor such a bad reputation.
Famously consumed by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, Van Gogh, and Picasso, absinthe has been shrouded in mystery and the subject of many great quotes, poems, and even works of art. From Marie Correlli’s 1890 novel “Wormwood, A Drama of Paris,” to Picasso’s Cubist sculpture "Verre d'absinthe,” to Hemingway character Robert Jordan’s conspicuous consumption in For Who the Bell Tolls, absinthe has captured great imaginations for decades. Johnny Depp compared its effects to marijuana. "Drink too much," he once told the Swedish magazine Expressen, "and you suddenly realize why Van Gogh cut off his ear."
Thujone Hallucinations?
"We slowly sipped our martinis and, frankly, I didn't like the flavor, but then, as the elixir went into my stomach and the minute fraction of thujone coursed through my veins and arteries, I experienced a slow surge of sexual hunger as she suggested I make myself comfortable." Maurice Zolotow, Playboy. June, 1971
The beverage was first distilled in Switzerland in 1872 and marketed as general-purpose medicinal elixir. Types vary, but conventional mixtures all contain fennel, anise, and Artemisia absinthium, or wormwood, and are highly alcoholic. The drink became illegal in 1912 as the result of a ban on products containing thujone, a chemical found in wormwood.
Many thought thujone was responsible for historic accounts of the beverage’s hallucinatory effects, but recent researchers have claimed that even early versions of the drink contained only minimal amounts of the chemical. The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry published a study in April, 2008 in which several bottles of absinthe from the period before prohibition were tested and found to contain thujone levels similar to those found in modern absinthe.
After extensive pressure by European distillers Kubler and Lucid, a legal loophole was found to begin US production. Though thujone is still technically illegal, the official test allows for a small level of discrepancy. Since traditional absinthe only contains very little thujone to begin with, it was relatively easy to create a beverage that would pass inspections.
A Modern Approach to Mystery
“It is as if the first diviner of absinthe had been indeed a magician intent upon a combination of sacred drugs which should cleanse, fortify, and perfume the human soul.“ Aleister Crowley, Absinthe the Green Goddess
Ted Breaux, a New Orleans native and former student of microbiology at Lafayette has made the study of absinthe his life’s work. Using modern science, Breaux has been able to analyze antique absinthes and recreate products for US markets. Breaux’s independent study also found only small amounts of thujone in pre-ban bottles and his recipe was used to create Lucid. In a 2005 interview with Wired, Breaux explained, “It's like an herbal speedball. Some of the compounds are excitatory, some are sedative. That's the real reason artists liked it. Drink two or three glasses and you can feel the effects of the alcohol, but your mind stays clear - you can still work."
This may also be said of absinthe’s less authentic relative Absinth (minus the "e".) Brands with this label have been sold in the US for years but are considered cheap knock-offs by connoisseurs. The “ritual” of lighting a sugar cube on fire before dripping it into absinthe came from one such brand produced in the Czech Republic. The fire was used to disguise the drink’s inability to react chemically like conventional absinthe and cloud-up when mixed with cold water. Some brands still “louche” like genuine absinthe and have the unique green color and anise flavor, but use southern wormwood instead of the usual Grande Wormwood.
To enjoy absinthe traditionally pour about 1.5 ounces into a glass. Place a slotted spoon on top of the glass and than top with a sugar cube. Pour cold water over the cube allowing it to dissolve and drip into the glass. Continue adding water until you’ve reached about a 3:1 ratio with the absinthe. This process releases the flavors of the components not soluble in water, clouding the drink, and is known as louching.
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