A Brief History
On March 5, 2023, Americans celebrate yet another of those strange “National Days” that you may not be aware of, this time, honoring that fabled alcoholic beverage, Absinthe, known as “The Green Fairey.”
Digging Deeper
Created by French doctor Pierre Ordinaire in the late 18th Century and made with wormwood, anise, fennel, other herbs, and of course, plenty of alcohol, the libation was first intended as a medicinal elixir. Containing a trace amount of a chemical called thujone, Absinthe was reputed to be hallucinogenic, and was banned in the US and most of Europe by 1915.
Not technically a liqueur, as it does not contain sugar, the drink is actually classed as a spirit, although drinkers often add sugar themselves. By the late 20th Century, many Western countries had once again made Absinthe legal, and today there are over 200 brands of the potent potable, with an alcohol rating of 90 to 148 proof.
Extracts of wormwood had been used medicinally since 1500 BC, and during the 1840s the French army used Absinthe as an anti-malarial drug! (Sadly, it did not work.)
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Baker, Phil. The Book of Absinthe: A Cultural History. Grove Press, 2003.
Conrad, Barnaby III. Absinthe: History in a Bottle. Chronicle Books, 1997.
The featured image in this article, a painting by Viktor Oliva (1861–1928) of The Absinthe Drinker, is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: The author died in 1928, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 80 years or fewer.
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