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Absinthe
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The Absinthe Ritual
All true absinthes are bitter to some degree (due to the presence of absinthin, extracted from the wormwood) and are therefore
usually served with the addition of sugar. This not only counters the bitterness, but in well made absinthes seems also to subtly
improve the herbal flavour-profile of the drink.
The classic French absinthe ritual involves placing a sugar cube on a flat perforated spoon, which rests on the rim of the glass
containing a measure or “dose” of absinthe. Iced water is then very slowly dripped on to the sugar cube, which gradually dissolves
and drips, along with the water, into the absinthe, causing the green liquor to louche (“loosh”) into an opaque opalescent white as the
essential oils precipitate out of the alcoholic solution. Usually three to four parts water are added to one part of 68% absinthe.
Historically, true absintheurs used to take great care in adding the water, letting it fall drop by single drop onto the sugar cube, and
then watching each individual drip cut a milky swathe through the peridot-green absinthe below. Seeing the drink gradually change
colour is a part of its ritualistic attraction.
Absinthe Original Bitter Spirit
Alcohol by volume: 60%
Bottle size: 70cl (23.67oz)
Thujone: 35 mg/kg
$97.10
Alcohol by volume: 60%
Bottle size: 70cl (23.67oz)
Thujone: 35 mg/kg
$97.10
Limited Edition-- Absinthe Beetle
Alcohol by volume: 70%
Bottle size: 70cl (23.67oz)
Thujone: 35 mg/kg
$158.46
Alcohol by volume: 70%
Bottle size: 70cl (23.67oz)
Thujone: 35 mg/kg
$158.46
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Absinthe Gift Set 01
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Absinthe Gift Set 02
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Absinthe Gift Set 03
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Absinthe Gift Set 04
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Absinthe Gift Set 05
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Absinthe Gift Set 06
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Absinthe Gift Set 07
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Absinthe Gift Set 08
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Absinthe Spoon
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Absinthe Spoon
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Absinthe Original
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$88.63 | ||
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Absinthe Original Bitter Spirit
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$96.51 | ||
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Absinthe Original Innocent
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$51.12 | ||
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Absinthe King Gold
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$196.99 | ||
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Absinthe King
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$98.46 | ||
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Absinthe Verdoyante
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$59.08 | ||
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Absinthe Couperose
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$59.08 | ||
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Staroplzenecky Absinthe
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$63.02 | ||
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Absinthe Fruko Schulz
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$49.23 | ||
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Absinthe Original Innocent
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$39.30 | ||
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Absinthe Fruko Schulz
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$33.47 | ||
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Staroplzenecky Absinthe
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$31.50 | ||
Absinthe is back! Are you ready
to fly with the Green Fairy?
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 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 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 similarliqueur 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 ofthujone. 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 andJagermeister. Wormwood is popular as a flavoring for brannvin (an alcoholic drink made from potatoes) in Sweden.
Famous absinthe drinkers include:
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Notes on technique
The “ritual” is important – it’s part of the fascination of absinthe. No other drink is traditionally consumed with such a carefully
calibrated kind of ceremony. It’s part of what lends absinthe its drug-like allure (for instance, one talks about the dose of absinthe in
the glass, a term you’d never use with whisky or brandy). From all historical evidence, it seems that absinthe was almost always
drunk like this – even the poorest working man, in the roughest bar or café, would prepare his absinthe slowly and carefully. It was
seldom drunk neat (except by the kind of desperate end-stage alcoholics who might also be drinking ether or cologne); the water was
always added slowly not just sloshed in; ice was never added to the glass.
The water added to the absinthe dose must always be iced, as cold as possible. Part of the advantage of using an absinthe fountain
was that you could add ice cubes to the water to keep it cold, and some carafes had a chamber for ice as well. There’s a famous
poem by the French author and absintheur Raoul Ponchon, where he says if you add tepid water, you might as well be drinking ….
pissat d’âne / Ou du bouillon pointu – donkey piss or an enema broth. Paradoxically though, ice wasn't added to the glass itself – the
idea was to start with the drink as cool as possible, but let it slowly warm to room temperature as you drank it. Aside from historical
considerations, it tastes better this way.
It’s essential to add the water as slowly as possible – drop by drop - particular at first, as the louche starts to develop. There are two
reasons for this: it enables you to admire the gradual change of color, and it allows the aroma to develop slowly for maximum
complexity and interest. (Technically: different essential oils precipitate out of the solution - and thus release their aromas - at
different dilution percentages. By pouring very slowly you effectively get to appreciate them all individually, whereas if you just throw
the water in everything gets released at once).
Holding the carafe in a relaxed and stylish way high above the glass, and letting the water slowly drip out drop for drop is harder than
you’d think, and was a much admired skill at the time. Busy cafés had “absinthe professors” – professional absintheurs – who for a
small sum would instruct a patron in the art, or assist him themselves. A slightly easier but also historically accurate method you
might prefer is as follows:
Place a sugar cube on the spoon.
Drip a few drops of water on to the sugar cube, just enough to saturate it thoroughly.
Then do nothing, just watch the sugar cube for a few minutes. It will spontaneously slowly start to collapse and drip into the glass,
eventually leaving only a few drops of sugared water on the spoon.
Then add the rest of the water in a thin stream.
Sugar isn’t essential – it’s entirely a matter of taste. In their brochures, Pernod Fils suggested their absinthe could be drunk with or
without sugar. There is – or certainly was - an ingrained French predilection for sweet anise flavored drinks, cultivated from childhood
with syrups and cordials. Most Belle Epoque absintheurs added at least one, sometimes two or even three sugar cubes, and some
added gum syrup as well. Today we’re likely to find this far too sweet. I’d suggest using half a sugar cube to start with, and then
adjusting upwards or downwards according to preference.
The correct dose of absinthe is about 30ml – just over an ounce. Add three parts water to one part absinthe and then taste. For
casual drinking ( as opposed to tasting a rare bottle) you might prefer to add a little more water, bringing the ratio up to 4:1 or even to
5:1.
Overall, it’s worth taking the trouble to prepare an absinthe in the traditional way like this. The slowness and care required help put
one in the right frame of mind to appreciate the subtleties of the drink, and it undoubtedly tastes better this way as well.
Origins
There is some debate amongst absinthe historians as to when exactly the traditional absinthe ritual originated. Certainly, there is no
evidence that it was ever normal to drink absinthe neat, without water. Absinthe was drunk with the addition of both water and sugar
from at least the 1850's, and probably earlier. Absinthe was by no means unique in this respect - 19th century drinkers had a far
sweeter tooth when it came to alcohol than we have today, and other drinks and cordials were also regularly sweetened with sugar.
They were usually served with a long cordial spoon or a kind of swizzle stick, to help dissolve the sugar.
The use of a perforated spoon specifically for absinthe was a later development, which appears to have originated in the 1870's and
only became widespread in the 1880's and 1890's. From the 1890's onwards, it seems, on the evidence of existing engravings and
cartoons, almost all absinthes in bars and cafés were served with a perforated spoon.
Variations
A popular alternative to using crystalized sugar (une absinthe au sucre) was to add either gum syrup (une absinthe gommée) or
sweet liqueur d'anis (une absinthe anisée). Neither of these versions of course required a perforated spoon.
It was perfectly acceptable to drink an absinthe without sugar (une absinthe pure), but, based on all the historical evidence this
certainly wasn't the norm, and there is no publicity material extant from any manufacturer that suggests this was the primary method -
it's always referred to, if at all, as an alternative to the sugared version.
Occasionally absinthe was drunk diluted with other lower strength alcohol - white wine (une absinthe de minuit), or cognac (Toulouse
Lautrec's speciality, un tremblement de terre). But these were very unusual methods, which always aroused special comment,
usually disapproving.
Drinking neat absinthe (ie without water), certainly wasn't usual at any stage, and was never socially acceptable. Where it is referred
to, it is always in the context of alcoholism and degradation - in the same way, for instance, as we might refer to someone drinking a
neat triple gin today (the equivalent in alcohol content).
A modern travesty
Today, modern absinthes are often marketed in conjunction with the so-called Bohemian absinthe ritual. This is not a traditional
method, but a modern innovation inspired by the success of flaming sambuca and such like. A shot of absinthe is poured into a
glass, and a teaspoonful of sugar is dipped into it. The alcohol soaked sugar is set alight and allowed to burn until it bubbles and
caramelises. The spoon of melted sugar is then plunged into the absinthe and stirred in, which usually sets the absinthe itself alight.
Ice water is then poured in, dousing the flames. This method, has become increasingly popular, especially since it was shown in the
film “Moulin Rouge”, but is a historical travesty, and would have horrified any Belle Epoque absintheur.
Absinthe Origins
Banned for almost a century until its recent revival, absinthe is something of a “living fossil”, a coelacanth amongst drinks, able to
magically transport us back to the glittering world of Paris and the Belle Epoque, a world of bohemian musicians and writers, of the Moulin
Rouge and the cafes of Montmartre, a world of starving struggling artists and glittering courtesans.
But the origins of the drink lie far from the bright lights of Paris – absinthe was first produced near Couvet in Switzerland, and nearby
Pontarlier in the Doubs region of France. This largely forgotten part of rural France, nestled in the wooded foothills of the Jura mountains,
is still regarded as the true home of absinthe.
Legend has it, that the inventor of the drink was Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, who in 1792, shortly after the French revolution, travelled around the
Val de Travers on his faithfull horse Rocket, and produced the first commercial absinthe, initially as an all-purpose remedy or cure-all. It
was nicknamed "La Fée Verte" - "The Green Fairy" - and this name stuck throughout absinthe's heyday. It was recommended for the
treatment of epilepsy, gout, kidney stones, colic, headaches and worms. Dr. Ordinaire's invention aroused the interest of a gentleman
named Major Dubied, who saw its possibilities not just as a patent medicine, but as an aperitif. Dubied purchased what was reputed to be
Ordinaire’s original formula from two sisters called Henriod at the beginning of the 19th century and began large scale production.
It's likely that this traditional story is considerably embellished - the manufacture of absinthe-like drinks in the Neuchatel region is recorded
from the 1750's or even earlier, and the two Henriod sisters were making the drink even before Dr Ordinaire's arrival in the Val de Travers.
Most probably Dr Ordinaire was simply a doctor who did much to promote the use of absinthe as a herbal tonic and folk remedy in the
region.
Why Absinthe was formerly banned
Absinthe was originally fairly expensive, and largely a drink of the upper-middle classes. However, by the second half of the nineteenth
century it had fallen dramatically in price, both because of increasing economies of scale in its production, and because most producers
had switched from grape alcohol to far cheaper grain and beet alcohols. At the same time the number of brands exploded, with many
catering for the very cheapest end of the market.
Absinthe became increasingly popular amongst all classes of French society, and began to displace wine as the standard drink of the
French working class. During this period the French wine industry was struggling with the crippling effects of both oidium (a kind of
mildew) and phyloxera (an incurable aphid infestation deadly to vines). Almost all the French national vineyard had to be replanted, a
process that took decades and resulted in a prolonged shortage of wine, and a consequent rise in wine prices.
Increasingly, absinthe was the affordable, and far more alcoholic, alternative to wine. This was both a major reason for its enormous
popularity, and ultimately the root cause of its downfall. When the wine industry began to recover in the last decades of the nineteenth
century, the politically well-connected grape growers, seeking to recover the market share they had lost, began to agitate for the
prohibition of what they termed “unnatural” products like absinthe.
In the 1860's, there was for the first time concern about the results of chronic abuse of absinthe. Chronic use of absinthe was claimed to
produce a syndrome, called absinthism, which was characterized by addiction, hyperexcitability, epileptic fits and hallucinations. This was
first described in a series of influential papers by Dr Valentin Magnan, the chief physician at the asylum of Sainte-Anne in Paris.
Magnan wrote:
"In absinthism, the hallucinating delirium is most active, most terrifying, sometimes provoking reactions of an extremely violent and
dangerous nature. Another more grave syndrome accompanies this: all of a sudden the absinthist cries out, pales, loses consciousness
and falls; the features contract, the jaws clench, the pupils dilate, the eyes roll up, the limbs stiffen, a jet of urine escapes, gas and waste
material are brusquely expulsed. In just a few seconds the face becomes contorted, the limbs twitch, the eyes are strongly convulsed, the
jaws gnash and the tongue projected between the teeth is badly gnawed; a bloody saliva covers the lip, the face grows red, becaomes
purplish, swollen, the eyes are bulging, tearful, the respiration is loud, then the movements cease, the whole body relaxes, the sphincter
releases, the evacuations soil the sick man. Suddenly he lifts his head and casts his eyes around him with a look of bewilderment.
Coming to himself after awhile, he doesn't remember one thing that has happened."
Magnan's research was fundamentally flawed. His experiments involved exposing small animals to large quantities of pure wormwood
essence, rather than to commercially produced absinthe, which contains only a relatively small percentage of actual essence. (In French,
crucially, the same word, absinthe, is used for both the essence and the drink, which meant that extracts from Magnan's and other
scientists works could be quoted directly by anti-absinthe prohibitionists in order to demonize the drink).
A skeptical English scientist writing in The Lancet, in 1869, described how:
"the question whether absinthe exerts any special action other than that of alcohol in general, has been revived by some experiments by
Monsieurs Magnan and Bouchereau in France."
The experiments placed animals such as guinea pigs in tightly sealed glass jars, some with a saucer of pure wormwood essence,
others with one of alcohol. The animals which inhaled wormwood vapours experienced "epileptiform convulsions", those exposed only to
alcohol fumes merely became lively and drunk. The Lancet's anonymous correspondent continued:
"Upon these facts it is sought to establish the conclusion that the effects of excessive absinthe drinking are seriously different from those of
ordinary alcoholic intemperance. It is not the first time that we have had to notice discussions on this subject, and to comment upon the
inadequacy of the evidence produced in order to prove that absinthism, as met with in the Parisian world, is something different in its
nature from chronic alcoholism. We have never denied the possibility of an ultimate discovery of such differences, but we do maintain that
as yet no symptoms of absinthism have been described which are not to be met with in many of the victims of simple alcoholic excess."
He went on to remark that the insomnia, trembling, hallucinations, paralysis and convulsions identified by Magnan as typical of
absinthism were all equally well known symptoms frequently met with in English alcoholics. He correctly pointed out that the fact that
concentrated fumes of wormwood were peculiarly toxic was evidence of little, as wormwood is present in only small proportions in
absinthe, and no absinthe drinker drinks, or inhales, concentrated wormwood.
Magnan, undeterred by this criticism, continued his researches on the same lines. He made much of the undeniably true observation that
many of the most desperate alcoholics encountered in Parisian hospitals were habitual absinthe drinkers. He attributed their
degeneration specifically to the absinthe they were drinking, rather than even considering the alternative and far more likely explanation
that, in common with hard-core alcoholics the world over, they were simply seeking out the cheapest and strongest spirit available to
them. In late nineteenth century France this was absinthe, just as it had been gin from the eighteenth century onwards in England.
Although as we have seen, the science, or pseudo-science behind these anti-absinthe reports was dubious and often obviously
flawed, they were generally accepted in France, and perhaps even more importantly, published as fact in the popular press of the day.
Further aggravating matters was the then widely held belief in scientific circles that not just the consequences of alcoholism were
hereditary - fetal alcohol syndrome, mental retardation and birth defects - but alcoholism itself. In other words, an alcoholic father would
sire alcoholic children and grandchildren, with each generation sinking deeper into despair and depravity. Absinthism was regarded as
the most dangerous and virulent form of alcoholism, and the most likely to be passed down from father to son.
It now seems clear that the symptoms of “absinthism” were due primarily to the effects of the alcohol itself, and also perhaps to the many
sometimes extremely dangerous chemical adulterants used in cheap absinthes of the time. Well-made absinthes used chlorophylic
colouration from herbs to achieve their characteristic green colour. This however was an expensive and difficult to control process, so
unscrupulous low cost producers substituted chemicals such as copper sulphate to achieve the same effect. Antimony chloride – another
highly poisonous substance - was also used to help the drink become cloudy when water was added.
The adulteration of spirits was a huge problem worldwide from the middle of the eighteenth century when industrially made drinks like gin
were first developed in England, right up to the implementation of accurate scientific testing and regulation at the beginning of the
twentieth century.
During the late 19th & early 20th centuries France, together with many western countries, was under pressure from various temperance
movements and their constituents to curb alcohol consumption on a governmental level, as it was seen to morally corrupt its citizens. In
the midst of this prohibitionist excitement, fanned by the chief French temperance organisation, the Ligue National Contre L'Alcoolisme
(or the Croix Bleue as it was colloquially known), the word "absinthism" came to lose its specific meaning. Absinthism and alcoholism
were confused, and an alcoholic was simply deemed an "absinthe drinker.
Absinthe was originally fairly expensive, and largely a drink of the upper-middle classes. However, by the second half of the nineteenth
century it had fallen dramatically in price, both because of increasing economies of scale in its production, and because most producers
had switched from grape alcohol to far cheaper grain and beet alcohols. At the same time the number of brands exploded, with many
catering for the very cheapest end of the market.
Absinthe became increasingly popular amongst all classes of French society, and began to displace wine as the standard drink of the
French working class. During this period the French wine industry was struggling with the crippling effects of both oidium (a kind of
mildew) and phyloxera (an incurable aphid infestation deadly to vines). Almost all the French national vineyard had to be replanted, a
process that took decades and resulted in a prolonged shortage of wine, and a consequent rise in wine prices.
Increasingly, absinthe was the affordable, and far more alcoholic, alternative to wine. This was both a major reason for its enormous
popularity, and ultimately the root cause of its downfall. When the wine industry began to recover in the last decades of the nineteenth
century, the politically well-connected grape growers, seeking to recover the market share they had lost, began to agitate for the
prohibition of what they termed “unnatural” products like absinthe.
In the 1860's, there was for the first time concern about the results of chronic abuse of absinthe. Chronic use of absinthe was claimed to
produce a syndrome, called absinthism, which was characterized by addiction, hyperexcitability, epileptic fits and hallucinations. This was
first described in a series of influential papers by Dr Valentin Magnan, the chief physician at the asylum of Sainte-Anne in Paris.
Magnan wrote:
"In absinthism, the hallucinating delirium is most active, most terrifying, sometimes provoking reactions of an extremely violent and
dangerous nature. Another more grave syndrome accompanies this: all of a sudden the absinthist cries out, pales, loses consciousness
and falls; the features contract, the jaws clench, the pupils dilate, the eyes roll up, the limbs stiffen, a jet of urine escapes, gas and waste
material are brusquely expulsed. In just a few seconds the face becomes contorted, the limbs twitch, the eyes are strongly convulsed, the
jaws gnash and the tongue projected between the teeth is badly gnawed; a bloody saliva covers the lip, the face grows red, becaomes
purplish, swollen, the eyes are bulging, tearful, the respiration is loud, then the movements cease, the whole body relaxes, the sphincter
releases, the evacuations soil the sick man. Suddenly he lifts his head and casts his eyes around him with a look of bewilderment.
Coming to himself after awhile, he doesn't remember one thing that has happened."
Magnan's research was fundamentally flawed. His experiments involved exposing small animals to large quantities of pure wormwood
essence, rather than to commercially produced absinthe, which contains only a relatively small percentage of actual essence. (In French,
crucially, the same word, absinthe, is used for both the essence and the drink, which meant that extracts from Magnan's and other
scientists works could be quoted directly by anti-absinthe prohibitionists in order to demonize the drink).
A skeptical English scientist writing in The Lancet, in 1869, described how:
"the question whether absinthe exerts any special action other than that of alcohol in general, has been revived by some experiments by
Monsieurs Magnan and Bouchereau in France."
The experiments placed animals such as guinea pigs in tightly sealed glass jars, some with a saucer of pure wormwood essence,
others with one of alcohol. The animals which inhaled wormwood vapours experienced "epileptiform convulsions", those exposed only to
alcohol fumes merely became lively and drunk. The Lancet's anonymous correspondent continued:
"Upon these facts it is sought to establish the conclusion that the effects of excessive absinthe drinking are seriously different from those of
ordinary alcoholic intemperance. It is not the first time that we have had to notice discussions on this subject, and to comment upon the
inadequacy of the evidence produced in order to prove that absinthism, as met with in the Parisian world, is something different in its
nature from chronic alcoholism. We have never denied the possibility of an ultimate discovery of such differences, but we do maintain that
as yet no symptoms of absinthism have been described which are not to be met with in many of the victims of simple alcoholic excess."
He went on to remark that the insomnia, trembling, hallucinations, paralysis and convulsions identified by Magnan as typical of
absinthism were all equally well known symptoms frequently met with in English alcoholics. He correctly pointed out that the fact that
concentrated fumes of wormwood were peculiarly toxic was evidence of little, as wormwood is present in only small proportions in
absinthe, and no absinthe drinker drinks, or inhales, concentrated wormwood.
Magnan, undeterred by this criticism, continued his researches on the same lines. He made much of the undeniably true observation that
many of the most desperate alcoholics encountered in Parisian hospitals were habitual absinthe drinkers. He attributed their
degeneration specifically to the absinthe they were drinking, rather than even considering the alternative and far more likely explanation
that, in common with hard-core alcoholics the world over, they were simply seeking out the cheapest and strongest spirit available to
them. In late nineteenth century France this was absinthe, just as it had been gin from the eighteenth century onwards in England.
Although as we have seen, the science, or pseudo-science behind these anti-absinthe reports was dubious and often obviously
flawed, they were generally accepted in France, and perhaps even more importantly, published as fact in the popular press of the day.
Further aggravating matters was the then widely held belief in scientific circles that not just the consequences of alcoholism were
hereditary - fetal alcohol syndrome, mental retardation and birth defects - but alcoholism itself. In other words, an alcoholic father would
sire alcoholic children and grandchildren, with each generation sinking deeper into despair and depravity. Absinthism was regarded as
the most dangerous and virulent form of alcoholism, and the most likely to be passed down from father to son.
It now seems clear that the symptoms of “absinthism” were due primarily to the effects of the alcohol itself, and also perhaps to the many
sometimes extremely dangerous chemical adulterants used in cheap absinthes of the time. Well-made absinthes used chlorophylic
colouration from herbs to achieve their characteristic green colour. This however was an expensive and difficult to control process, so
unscrupulous low cost producers substituted chemicals such as copper sulphate to achieve the same effect. Antimony chloride – another
highly poisonous substance - was also used to help the drink become cloudy when water was added.
The adulteration of spirits was a huge problem worldwide from the middle of the eighteenth century when industrially made drinks like gin
were first developed in England, right up to the implementation of accurate scientific testing and regulation at the beginning of the
twentieth century.
During the late 19th & early 20th centuries France, together with many western countries, was under pressure from various temperance
movements and their constituents to curb alcohol consumption on a governmental level, as it was seen to morally corrupt its citizens. In
the midst of this prohibitionist excitement, fanned by the chief French temperance organisation, the Ligue National Contre L'Alcoolisme
(or the Croix Bleue as it was colloquially known), the word "absinthism" came to lose its specific meaning. Absinthism and alcoholism
were confused, and an alcoholic was simply deemed an "absinthe drinker.
How did Absinthe influence artists like Degas,
Manet, van Gogh and Picasso, and writers like
Verlaine,Rimbaud, Wilde and Hemingway?
Absinthe – because of its beautiful and ever-changing green colour, its air of danger and seduction, and above all because of its allegedly
psychoactive properties - was romanticized and captured in artwork and writings by countless artists, playwrights and authors. The
surrealist Alfred Jarry, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Toulouse Lautrec, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allen Poe, Picasso,
Hemingway and many others all featured it prominently in their works. All these artists were celebrated not just for their work, but also for
their often outrageously bohemian lifestyles. Some even went mad, or at least behaved as if they were (facts that would later be used by
prohibitionists as proof of absinthe's evils).
Degas' groundbreaking L'Absinthe (1876) pictures two forlorn-looking café patrons staring out beyond their milky-green drinks. Although
the people pictured were merely actors, this painting later roused intense comment for its unprecedented gritty realism. Edouard Manet,
took this even further by daring to paint an actual drunkard with absinthe, titled The Absinthe Drinker (1859).
Perhaps the most famous of all absinthe drinkers was Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh painted many of his works in ochres and pale greens,
which are the colours of absinthe. Many of these paintings also depict the bar in which Van Gogh drank absinthe, and himself with glasses
of the apéritif. It's widely, but almost certainly incorrectly believed, that Van Gogh went mad from absinthe poisoning. As is often the case,
the truth is more complex.
Van Gogh was throughout his life an outcast and a depressive who suffered from epileptic fits and bouts of psychotic attacks. He also
drank a lot of absinthe while living in Arles with Paul Gauguin, and was prone to deeply eccentric behaviour – such as painting outside at
night with candles hooked to his hat. He was sent to a sanitorium in 1888 after he was forced out by a petition from people in his town who
were frightened by his bizarre ways. He never acted violently, excepting when he sliced off his own ear during a psychotic fit.
Van Gogh certainly drank excessive amounts of absinthe, and he did suffer from mental deterioration - however, the one does not
necessarily follow the other. Van Gogh's family had a history of mental illness, and van Gogh not only drank absinthe, but also turpentine
on several occasions (it's interesting to note that thujone, the active ingredient in wormwood, is a terpene). He committed suicide in 1890,
clearly deeply disturbed over and above the consequences of his absinthe drinking.
Absinthe Green Fairy
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If there ever was a item steeped in controversy, it was the famous emerald drink Absinthe. During the great collective binge era in France (1880-1914), the drink became a symbol of inspiration and courage as pertaining to the artistic lifestyle.
Such famous artists as Van Gogh, Manet and Picasso featured absinthe green fairy in their paintings and great poets such as Rimbaud, Verlaine and Baudelaire made it the subject of literary works.
The shady history of absinthe began in Switzerland during the late 1700's. a French Dr. Pierre Ordinaire invented a licorice flavored tonic to administer to his patients. Dr. Ordinaire sold the recipe to the Pernod family who went on to make the first absinthe distillery. The drink was such a success that the Pernod family went on to open the most famous Maison Pernod Fils distillery in France.
The next few decades absinthe became increasingly popular and not just for it's medicinal benefits. The Green Fairy slowly evolved from being the beneficial emerald tonic to the seductive green goddess of artistic inspiration, visions and dreams. When the 1860's arrived absinthe had elevated to such a popularity that the hours between 5:00 and 7:00 became known as "l'heure verte" or the green hour. People would gather at their local hangouts to get a buzz before dinner. Many think this is the origins of our modern happy hour.
Absinthe's Controversy
At the very height of absinthe's popularity, it was pegged as a dangerously addictive, psychoactive drug due to it's thujone content. Thujone is a chemical similar in composition to THC, the active ingredient in Marijuana. Thujone is found in the herbs mugwort, sage and wormwood, grand wormwood being one of the key ingredients in absinthe. By 1915 it was banned in many European countries and the United States, even though there was no evidence that is was no more dangerous than normal alcohol.
An Absinthe Resurgence
Due to the popularity of movies such as Moulin Rouge, Interview with a Vampire, and Van Helsing that have feature the emerald drink absinthe, It is making a comeback. Stars such as Johnny Depp, Tommy Lee, Marilyn Manson are adding to it's popularity by openly discussing a love for the Green Goddess. Also it is a very popular item in the gothic community due to it's Renaissance allure.
What does absinthe taste like?
Absinthe is made by distilling alcohol steeped in various herbs, namely grand wormwood, green anise, fennel seeds, veronica, hyssop and a few others. The drink has a taste similar to black licorice due to the anise and fennel and slightly bitter due to the absinthin content. It is green in color because of the chlorophyl content in the herbs.
Absinthe History
Absinthe hit its peak during the years from 1880-1910, when it fell dramatically in price, becoming accessible to all parts of society and
rivalling wine as the most popular drink in France. By then EVERYONE drank absinthe – society ladies, gentlemen-about-town,
businessmen and politicians, artists, musicians, ordinary working-men. In 1874, France consumed 700,000 litres of absinthe, but by
1910, the figure had exploded to 36,000,000 litres of absinthe per year. It was a quintessential part of Belle Epoque French society.
Riding the crest of this wave the Pernod company boomed, continually expanding production. By 1896 production was up to 125 000 liters
per day.A devastating fire in August 1901 destroyed much of the factory (and resulted in millions of liters of absinthe being discharged
into the Doubs River, which turned cloudy with anise for miles downstream), but the shrewd Pernod's collected almost 4 million francs in
insurance payouts and rebuilt the plant with fireproofing and the very latest technical machinery.
So successful did Pernod Fils become that it spawned a host of copycat brands – there was an Edouard Pernod, a Gempp Pernod, a
Legler Pernod, Jules Pernod, Jules Pernot, Perrenod et Cie, Emile Pernot, Pierrot, Père Noë and many similar. The constant legal battles
that Pernod Fils waged to protect its name laid the foundation for some of modern French copyright law.
A particularly cheeky brand was called “La Meme”, which means “the same” in French:
...waiter! another absinthe!
'la même?'
OUI! the same!
...but maybe NOT the same one he was drinking.…
Pernod Fils (and some of its larger competitiors such as Berger and Edouard Pernod) exported worldwide. The French colonies -
especially Algeria, Vietnam, Madagascar and Tahiti - were all significant markets, as were South American countries like Argentina
and Chile. Naturally, absinthe soon found its way to the "Little Paris" of North America, New Orleans, where it quickly became extremely
popular, particularly as an ingredient in cocktails such as the Absinthe Frappé. The “Old Absinthe House”, with its beautiful and timeworn
green marble absinthe fountain, is one of New Orlean’s most famous sights. Aleister Crowley, the mystical writer and occult magician
wrote his famous and often quoted tract "Absinthe - The Green Goddess" in the Old Absinthe House in 1916 while waiting for a woman
friend. It was first published two years later in the socialist journal "The International". After the end of prohibition, the New Orleans-based
Legendre Company launched Herbsaint, an absinthe-like pastis, which is still made today.
Absinthe Prices
As one would expect absinthe was produced in many different grades and was sold at widely varying prices, to cater for all parts of the
market - from the elegant boulevardier down to the ordinary working man and below him even, the desperate alcoholic scraping his last
few sous together to feed his addiction. At the top of the quality pyramid stood Pernod Fils and Cusenier's Oxygénée, which commanded
a wholesale price of around 2 francs per litre (this equated to a retail price of 5 francs).. Below them, the other grande marques: Berger,
Edouard Pernod, Premier Fils, Junod, Terminus, at around 1.60. Then lesser but still very reputable brands like Parrot, Bazinet and Vichet
at 1.30, and reliable house brands at about a franc per litre bottle. Below this, an unregulated mass of crudely produced and often
adulterated rotgut, some selling for as little as 60 centimes per litre.
At an expensive and fashionable cabaret like the Moulin Rouge, a glass of Pernod Fils cost between 50 and 65 centimes (still, relatively
speaking, cheap: about half the price of a whisky, and little more than draught beer). At an ordinary bistrot or cafe, the house brand would
run at about 25c, while at a rough standing-room only tavern on the outskirts of the city, a glass of inferior absinthe might be as little as 5c.
All high quality absinthes were distilled, naturally coloured, and in the case of the very best brands like Pernod Fils, made from a base of
grape alcohol. Cheap brands were made from herbal essences, usually artificially coloured, and used cheaper grain or beet alcohols.
High quality absinthes were usually aged in large oak vats for at least 6 months, and sometimes as long as several years. Because of the
cost of tying up capital in stocks, some manufacturers experimented with various accelerated ageing techniques, including devices that
forced oxygen into the absinthe under high pressure.
There was no legislated industry-wide standard terminology, but generally the top designation was "Absinthe Suisse", which denoted a
quality level, not a geographic origin. Then came "Absinthe Superieure", followed by "Absinthe Fine" or "Demi-Fine" and lastly "Absinthe
Ordinaire". An Absinthe Suisse had an alcohol content of between 65% and 72%, an Absinthe Fine was around 55% while an Absinthe
Ordinaire would be only 45% alcohol.
As one would expect absinthe was produced in many different grades and was sold at widely varying prices, to cater for all parts of the
market - from the elegant boulevardier down to the ordinary working man and below him even, the desperate alcoholic scraping his last
few sous together to feed his addiction. At the top of the quality pyramid stood Pernod Fils and Cusenier's Oxygénée, which commanded
a wholesale price of around 2 francs per litre (this equated to a retail price of 5 francs).. Below them, the other grande marques: Berger,
Edouard Pernod, Premier Fils, Junod, Terminus, at around 1.60. Then lesser but still very reputable brands like Parrot, Bazinet and Vichet
at 1.30, and reliable house brands at about a franc per litre bottle. Below this, an unregulated mass of crudely produced and often
adulterated rotgut, some selling for as little as 60 centimes per litre.
At an expensive and fashionable cabaret like the Moulin Rouge, a glass of Pernod Fils cost between 50 and 65 centimes (still, relatively
speaking, cheap: about half the price of a whisky, and little more than draught beer). At an ordinary bistrot or cafe, the house brand would
run at about 25c, while at a rough standing-room only tavern on the outskirts of the city, a glass of inferior absinthe might be as little as 5c.
All high quality absinthes were distilled, naturally coloured, and in the case of the very best brands like Pernod Fils, made from a base of
grape alcohol. Cheap brands were made from herbal essences, usually artificially coloured, and used cheaper grain or beet alcohols.
High quality absinthes were usually aged in large oak vats for at least 6 months, and sometimes as long as several years. Because of the
cost of tying up capital in stocks, some manufacturers experimented with various accelerated ageing techniques, including devices that
forced oxygen into the absinthe under high pressure.
There was no legislated industry-wide standard terminology, but generally the top designation was "Absinthe Suisse", which denoted a
quality level, not a geographic origin. Then came "Absinthe Superieure", followed by "Absinthe Fine" or "Demi-Fine" and lastly "Absinthe
Ordinaire". An Absinthe Suisse had an alcohol content of between 65% and 72%, an Absinthe Fine was around 55% while an Absinthe
Ordinaire would be only 45% alcohol.
What is Absinthe ?
Absinthe is a strongly alcoholic aperitif made from alcohol and distilled herbs or herbal extracts, chief amongst them grand wormwood
(Artemisia absinthium) and green anise, but also almost always including 3 other herbs: petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica, aka
Roman wormwood), fennel, and hyssop. Some regionally authentic recipes also call for additional herbs like star anise (badiane), sweet
flag (aka calamus), melissa (aka lemonbalm or citronnelle), angelica (both root and seed), dittany (a type of oregano grown in Crete),
coriander, veronica (aka speedwell), marjoram or peppermint.
Grand and petite wormwood were historically cultivated near Pontarlier in the Doubs region of east France and in the adjoining Val de
Travers in Switzerland, the two traditional homes of absinthe, while the other herbs were shipped in: fennel from the Gard region of France
and even from Italy, the anise from the Tarn region or from Andalusia.
In modern Spanish absinthes star anise (badiane) is sometimes substituted wholly or partly for the green anise, but this tends to give a
very one dimensional liquorice-like taste. Badiane was used only very sparingly if at all in traditional Swiss or French manufacture. So
called Czech or German "absinths" sometimes omit the anise entirely, but these are not true absinthes and are best avoided. Home
"absinthe-making kits" widely advertised on the internet, and based on adding dried herbs or essences to vodka or Everclear, do not
produce even a rough approximation of the real drink - and the results, apart from being very unpleasant tasting, may be actively harmful.
High quality absinthes are always distilled rather than produced from herbal essences, and have a deliciously complex herbal and floral
character, with an underlying bitterness caused by the wormwood. The classic green absinthe verte is produced by a 3-step process: first
maceration of the herbal mixture in a base alcohol, then distillation of the resultant liquid and finally chlorophyllic coloration by gentle
heating of a further herbal infusion.
The absinthe distillation process was summarised by J. de Brevans in his 1908 La Fabrication des Liqueurs as follows:
Absinthe is made in accordance with a great number of recipes which are all based upon the following plants: grand wormwood, petite
wormwood, anise, fennel, and hyssop. In general these different plants are mixed together for distillation; but a few manufacturers prefer to
treat wormwood, anise and fennel separately, to later mix the scented spirits in the desired proportions.
The raw ingredients are placed into a steam-heated still, ...with the desired quantity of alcohol and half the volume of water needed for
distillation; the plants are allowed to macerate 12 to 24 hours or even longer; the rest of the water is added and distillation is started. ...This
operation is stopped as soon as the first spurt of distillate marks 60% (alcohol): rectification is thereby avoided.
The first part of the tails is collected separately and used to make absinthes ordinaire; only the heart is used to prepare fine absinthes. The
milky liquid which distills at the end is added to subsequent macerations.
Absinthe scented-spirit is colorless. To color it, a mixture of petite wormwood and hyssop is macerated; a colorator, a special apparatus
heated by steam or hot water circulation, is useful for this purpose; the process takes 12 hours.
Absinthe is put into barrels for aging, then reduced to desired proof before delivering for consumption.
Each herb adds its own subtle character to the blend - grand wormwood has both woody and bitter notes; petite wormwood is aromatic but
less bitter (and also useful for coloration); green anise gives its characteristic scent and rich smooth mouth-feel (which fennel also
enhances); the dried hyssop flowers contributes to the classic absinthe feuille morte (dead leaf) colour.
Well made absinthes are generally pale green, but louche, or turn milky, when water is added. This is caused by the essential oils
precipitating out of the solution, as the alcohol is diluted. Absinthes with a high percentage of star anise (or badiane as it is known in
France), such as those made in Spain, tend to have a very dramatic and opaque louche, while the louche in more traditionally made
absinthes develops slowly, and is more subtly translucent. Traditionally made absinthes are never a bright emerald green - those that are,
have artificial colouring added.
Clear absinthes - are made without the final colouring step,
and may also differ slightly in herbal composition (sometimes for instance containing génépi, which is not otherwise usually found in
absinthe). A red absinthe (originally probably coloured with paprika) has been made under the name Serpis for several decades in Spain,
but this is an isolated oddity.
The traditional strength is 55% - 72% alcohol, or 110º - 144º proof. Historically the best absinthes, including those from Pernod Fils, were
made from a base of grape alcohol, although cheaper grain or beet alcohols were also widely used.
Almost from its inception, absinthe has been known as “La Fée Verte” or “The Green Fairy”, a tribute to its reputedly seductive and
intoxicating powers.
How is absinthe drunk?
All true absinthes are bitter to some degree (due to the presence of absinthin, extracted from the wormwood) and are therefore usually
served with the addition of sugar. This not only counters the bitterness, but in well made absinthes seems also to subtly improve the
herbal flavour-profile of the drink.
The classic French absinthe ritual involves placing a sugar cube on a flat perforated spoon, which rests on the rim of the glass containing
a measure or “dose” of absinthe. Iced water is then very slowly dripped on to the sugar cube, which gradually dissolves and drips, along
with the water, into the absinthe, causing the green liquor to louche (“loosh”) into an opaque opalescent white as the essential oils
precipitate out of the alcoholic solution. Usually three to four parts water are added to one part of 68% absinthe. Historically, true
absintheurs used to take great care in adding the water, letting it fall drop by single drop onto the sugar cube, and then watching each
individual drip cut a milky swathe through the peridot-green absinthe below. Seeing the drink gradually change colour was part of its
ritualistic attraction.
One of the most evocative of all descriptions of the absinthe ritual is in Marcel Pagnol's The Time of Secrets:
"The poet's eyes suddenly gleamed.
Then, in deep silence, began a kind of ceremony.
He set the glass - a very big one - before him, after inspecting its cleanliness. Then he took the bottle, uncorked it, sniffed it, and poured out
an amber coloured liquid with green glints to it. He seemed to measure the dose with suspicious attention for, after a careful check and
some reflection, he added a few drops.
He next took up from the tray a kind of small silver shovel, long and narrow, in which patterned perforations had been cut.
He placed this contrivance on the rim of the glass like a bridge, and loaded it with two lumps of sugar.
Then he turned towards his wife: she was already holding the handle of a 'guggler', that is to say a porous earthenware pitcher in the shape
of a cock, and he said:
'Your turn, my Infanta!'
Placing one hand on her hip with a graceful curve of her arm, the Infanta lifted the pitcher rather high, then, with infallible skill, she let a very
thin jet of cool water - that came out of the fowls beak - fall on to the lumps of sugar which slowly began to disintegrate.
The poet, his chin almost touching the table between his two hands placed flat on it, was watching this operation very closely. The pouring
Infanta was as motionless as a fountain, and Isabelle did not breathe.
In the liquid, whose level was slowly rising, I could see a milky mist forming in swirls which eventually joined up, while a pungent smell of
aniseed deliciously refreshed my nostrils.
Twice over, by raising his hand, the master of ceremonies interrupted the fall of the liquid, which he doubtless considered too brutal or too
abundant: after examining the beverage with an uneasy manner that gave way to reassurance he signalled, by a mere look, for the
operation to be resumed.
Suddenly he quivered and, with an imperative gesture, definitely stopped the flow of water, as if a single drop more might have instantly
degraded the sacred potion."
Antique perforated spoons for use with absinthe are prized collectors items. There are hundreds of variants, some issued to
commemorate historic events like the opening of the Eiffel Tower in 1889, some representing intertwined absinthe leaves, others with
engraved advertising for one of the famous brands of the day. Almost all have been exhaustively catalogued by Marie Claude Delahaye, the
leading French authority on absinthe and absinthiana, and the author of numerous books on the subject.
A more unusual and labour-saving alternative to the perforated spoon was the absinthe brouilleur, a mixer that sat on top of the glass and
held both water and sugar, allowing the sugared water to automatically drip slowly into the glass. Also avidly collected are glasses, carafes
, ceramic pitchers and water fountains made specifically for use with the absinthe ritual.
There is some debate amongst absinthe historians as to when exactly the traditional absinthe ritual originated. Certainly, there is no
evidence that it was ever normal to drink absinthe neat, without water. Absinthe was drunk with the addition of both water and sugar from at
least the 1850's, and probably earlier. Absinthe was by no means unique in this respect - 19th century drinkers had a far sweeter tooth
when it came to alcohol than we have today, and other drinks and cordials were also regularly sweetened with sugar. They were usually
served with a long cordial spoon or a kind of swizzle stick, to help dissolve the sugar.
The use of a perforated spoon specifically for absinthe was a later development, which appears to have originated in the 1870's and only
became widespread in the 1880's and 1890's. From the 1890's onwards, it seems, on the evidence of existing engravings and cartoons,
that almost all absinthes in bars and cafés were served with a perforated spoon. However most satirical journals and such like reflected
specifically the Parisian scene, and it's possible that in far flung regions of rural France, the use of special spoons wasn't widespread. But
they certainly were used, to some extent, throughout France and Switzerland, which is why the are found in their thousands throughout the
region. The testimony of two elderly Pontissalienne ladies quoted in Benoit Noel's book "L'Absinthe Un Mythe Toujours Vert" to the effect
that the use of absinthe spoons wasn't ever common in Pontarlier should be seen in this context, and taken with a grain of salt. Dozens,
probably hundreds, of posters and advertising cartons produced in Pontarlier and Couvet show absinthe being served with a perforated
spoon. My guess, is that these two old ladies, who would have been small children at the time of the ban, never entered a bar or café - they
would only have seen absinthe being drunk at home, where certainly perforated spoons were seldom used.
A popular alternative to using crystalized sugar (une absinthe au sucre) was to add either gum syrup (une absinthe gommée) or liqueur
d'anis (une absinthe anisée). Neither of these versions of course required a perforated spoon.
It was perfectly acceptable to drink an absinthe without sugar (une absinthe pure), but, based on all the historical evidence this certainly
wasn't the norm, and there is no publicity material extant from any manufacturer that suggests this was the primary method - it's always
referred to, if at all, as an alternative to the sugared version.
Occasionally absinthe was drunk diluted with other lower strength alcohol - white wine (une absinthe de minuit), or cognac (Toulouse
Lautrec's speciality, un tremblement de terre). But these were very unusual methods, which always aroused special comment, usually
disapproving.
Drinking neat absinthe (ie without water), certainly wasn't usual at any stage, and was never socially acceptable. Where it is referred to, it is
always in the context of alcoholism and degradation - in the same way, for instance, as we might refer to someone drinking a neat triple
gin today (the equivalent in alcohol content).
Today, modern absinthes are often marketed in conjunction with the so-called Bohemian absinthe ritual. This is not a traditional method,
but a modern innovation inspired by the success of flaming sambuca and such like. A shot of absinthe is poured into a glass, and a
teaspoonful of sugar is dipped into it. The alcohol soaked sugar is set alight and allowed to burn until it bubbles and caramelises. The
spoon of melted sugar is then plunged into the absinthe and stirred in, which usually sets the absinthe itself alight. Ice water is then
poured in, dousing the flames. This method, has become increasingly popular, especially since it was shown in the film “Moulin Rouge”,
but is a historical travesty, and would have horrified any Belle Epoque absintheur
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