Absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir, used in a similar capacity as patent medicine would be used later in the United States. In its heyday, the most popular brand of absinthe worldwide was Pernod Fils. By 1915, it was banned in a number of European countries and the USA. Even though it was vilified, no evidence shows it to be any more dangerous or psychoactive than ordinary alcohol. A modern absinthe revival began in the 1990s, as countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale.

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. 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.Even though we are past this revival, there is still a lot of interest in this drink due to the legends surrounding it. This alcoholic beverage is among the most debated over; this is why we are attempting to educate anyone who wishes to enter the wonderful world of mysterious Absinthe. There have been a number of famous absinthe drinkers throughout time, most notably among artists and other creatives in the 19th century. You have been brought here because you have an interest in seeking the decadent and intoxicating journey that is Absinthe. You’ve arrived at the right place because we are hoping to guide you while you explore this exciting world. In the age of the original absinthe fever, the drink was always diluted with water and sweetened with sugar before consumption. First, a cube of sugar was placed on a perforated spoon resting on the top of a glass of neat absinthe. Then, chilled water was slowly poured over the sugar until it dissolved and the required level of dilution was achieved. Special absinthe fountains — decorated containers that dispensed iced water — had their firm place in most drinking establishments of that time. 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.

Absinthe enthusiasts know that it originated from Switzerland and the drink was extremely popular among French writers and artists around the 19th century. This is also when Absinthe was given the moniker of "the Green Fairy". In the past decade, the alcohol industry saw a revival of sorts all across the world. The laws around Absinthe were somewhat loosened which made it easy for producers to manufacture and distribute it. Now the industry consists of about 200 brands that are producing Absinthe and most of these are situated across Europe. If you are exploring Absinthe for pure enjoyment, then as the French pour goes, you are in for some jolly mental and physical effects. The experience can be described as a revelatory and calming one. The way you pour it is just the beginning of this enjoyable experience. You may know a lot about Absinthe but experiencing this liquor might still be a mystery to you. Indulge yourself in the experience of preparing, pouring, and sipping Absinthe. Once you’ve done this, you will be able to speak in the extravagant Green language and you may just have The Green Fairy Absinthe to talk to. Share Your Experiences The morbidness of the modern French mind is well-known and universally admitted ... the open atheism, heartlessness, flippancy, and flagrant immorality of the whole modern French school of thought is unquestioned."

A few variations on the traditional drinking ritual have popped up since. One recent method how to drink absinthe involves pouring absinthe itself — rather than water — over the cube of sugar, then setting fire to the absinthe-soaked cube. Purists and absinthe snobs condemn this method and resolutely declare that one should never drink absinthe like that. But that hasn’t stopped some drinkers taking the “fire ritual” further still: the sugar cube goes out of the metaphorical window, and the emerald liquor itself is set on fire. The color of the distillate is clear and is often bottled this way in a style known as Blanche or la Bleue or as a bright green. The coloring is added, either through the chlorophyll from steeping herbs like hyssop, melissa and petite wormwood in the liquor or adding artificial coloring. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as “ la fée verte” (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 Curse overtook Absinthe Green Fairy when this spirit was outlawed in most of the Western world due to its reputation as a powerful hallucinogen. This liquor managed to attract even more people towards it as there was still quite a lot of curiosity around it due to its psychoactive ingredients. 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. The Tequila Sazerac has a nice strong citrus smell, with a rounded mouth feel. The tequila really plays well with the citrus, and for us is a modern classic. The rage that Degas's L'Absinthe caused in England was an expression of a pre-existing nervous fear that the decadent ways of the Continent might reach the shores of the British Isles, too. Two years previously, Marie Corelli, the English author of "Wormwood: A Drama of Paris", wrote: 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?

Absinthe, also known as The Green Goddess, The Green Fairy, or The Green Lady, has long been a popular drink for artists and creative types. Absinthe influenced bohemian artists and writers such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Oscar Wilde. This divisive beverage was once a favorite of painters and writers due to its purported capacity to aid their creative flow. The abrupt end came in the second decade of the twentieth century when the Belgians, then the Swiss and the French banned absinthe. By that time, the Green Fairy had prompted a generation of artists to produce countless works dedicated to, or inspired by, the curious creature with green wings. What a slut," declared George Moore, a British art critic, when, in 1893, he first set his eyes on Edgar Degas's painting L'Absinthe. The "slut" in the picture was not the Green Fairy, but a French actress portrayed drinking absinthe in a Parisian cafe. She was one Ellen Andree, the painter's friend, shown in a reflective moment in a cafe called La Nouvelle-Athenes. If you think all the hallucinogenic effects are just rumors, then you should know that Absinthe DOES consist of psychoactive ingredients. Thujone is a psychoactive byproduct of a herb called wormwood; if you’re having Absinthe with wormwood, then you better get ready for some surreal visuals. It must also be remembered that in the many French cafes and restaurants which have recently sprung up in London, Absinthe is always to be obtained at its customary low price -- French habits, French fashions, French books, French pictures, are particularly favoured by the English, and who can predict that French drug-taking shall not also become a la mode in Britain?"