As the (over-age adults of the) world celebrate International Absinthe Day, we’re taking a look at the history and present popularity of the emerald-coloured drink.
Depicted in works of Impressionist painters, blamed for acts of brazen insanity, and now resurging in bars across the continent, absinthe is one of the most mysterious beverages to hit bar shelves.
Absinthe is a spirit made from distilling a combination of wormwood, green anise and fennel. The resulting drink is known for its green tint, aniseed flavour, and high alcohol content – some bottles are as strong as 90% alcohol.
Market research has shown that the absinthe market is, much like the drink, going from strength to strength. After suffering from nearly a century of bans in Europe, the global market is set to reach $44.3 billion (€41.2 billion) by 2026.
Part of absinthe’s resurgence is down to the popularity of its mythos among bartenders. Everyone loves a good story, and few spirits come with one as strong as absinthe.
Whether it’s the complex flavour profile or the desire to drink like a modernist poet, absinthe is once again the talk of the town.
History of the green fairy
The origin of the drink is a little mysterious. We know that artemisia absinthium – otherwise known as wormwood – was used medicinally as early as ancient Egypt over 3,000 years ago. There’s also evidence that the ancient Greeks drank something called “absinthites oinos”, a wormwood-flavoured wine.
It’s not until Switzerland in the late 18th century that the current recipe of absinthe was established. French doctor Pierre Ordinaire developed the recipe and it started being mass manufactured in 1797 by Pernod Fils.
Absinthe hit French shelves in 1840 and was quickly a big influence on culture. By the mid-century, 10 million litres of absinthe was being produced by French distilleries annually.
Impressionist painter Édouard Manet was introduced onto the art scene through his first major work, ‘The Absinthe Drinker’ in 1859. Manet wasn’t alone in depicting absinthe and its influence. Edgar Degas’s 1876 painting ‘L’Absinthe’ also added to the drink’s myth, while writers including Émile Zola, Arthur Rimbaud, and Oscar Wilde all opined on it in their works.
Why did absinthe get such a foothold in the belle époque? It’s all from the myth of the green fairy. Due to the drink’s medicinal origins and sky-high proof, there’s long been the belief that absinthe has a hallucinogenic effect. Those who have imbibed more than their fair share are said to be visited by the “green fairy”.
Today, we know absinthe doesn’t have hallucinogenic properties. But the belief that a visit from the green fairy could turn someone mad was prevalent across Europe in the 19th century.
Tales of the green fairy reached hysteria levels in 1905 when a Swiss farmer murdered his family. Although Jean Lanfray was an alcoholic and had multiple other drinks that day, the killings were blamed almost entirely on the two glasses of absinthe he had consumed.
The murders sparked a national campaign to ban absinthe. In 1908, Switzerland voted to ban its sale. Belgium, Brazil, the Netherlands, the US and France all followed suit.
While absinthe continued to be legal in other countries, it declined in popularity and fell out of fashion over the 20th century. However, the drink enjoyed a resurgence when importers started bringing it to the UK, where it had never been formally banned.
Alongside a slow growth in UK interest, EU food and beverage regulations in 1988 had technically made it legal once again, although countries like France maintained a ban. As absinthe became more popular, the countries in which it was outlawed reversed their decisions.
How to enjoy absinthe?
Although many 21st century consumers first encounter absinthe as a shot dared to be downed, it’s not intended to be drunk neat.
The classic way to prepare the drink is with a slitted absinthe spoon, that is balanced on the glass with a sugar cube on top. Then, ice water is dripped slowly over the sugar cube until the sugar, water and absinthe are mixed at a ratio diluting the alcohol by around 4:1. Other variations include setting the cube on fire once it has been dosed with bitters.
If you want an absinthe cocktail, the most famous one is the Sazerac. Invented in New Orleans during the height of the spirit’s popularity, a Sazerac is a twist on an Old Fashioned cocktail with a glass rinsed in the potent verdant drink.
