Ever since the ad went up here at Blogcritics, that bottle has drawn my eye, the green fairy beckoning from within. Famous for its use by artists and writers in years past, absinthe is back as a forbidden indulgence.
When the video for the Nine Inch Nails song "The Perfect Drug" was released in 1997, talk of absinthe, particularly among the Goth community and other subcultures, helped to bring the drug back into the spotlight. The video had a dark mystique that brought to mind tortured artists and dark poets, something that seems to go hand in hand with certain phases of youth. Since then, absinthe has begun to pop up more often in films, though one could find it there even back in 1943, in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Lately, however, absinthe can pop up anywhere, unsurprisingly in a film such as 2001's From Hell, where the sinister preparation suited the dark atmosphere, and even in the 2004 comedy Eurotrip as a spur for party-time insanity.
The hubbub over absinthe is twofold. First, the drink boasts extraordinarily high alcohol content (as high as 160 proof), and second, absinthe contains thujone, a component of the herb wormwood. In the late 19th century, increasing public outcry brought about bans of the substance in several countries. According to the Vaults of Erowid, absinthe was first banned in Belgium in 1905, and initially banned in the United States in 1912, though additional laws regarding the substance thujone have been passed since. However, the legal issues here in the states are sticky; it is illegal to sell absinthe, and illegal to import it, but not illegal to possess it.
But why? Also from the Vaults of Erowid:
The 1850's saw the beginnings of concern about the results of chronic absinthe use. Chronic use was believed to produce a syndrome, called absinthism, which was characterized by addiction, epileptic attacks, delerium, and hallucinations....it was believed that any traits acquired by absinthists would be passed on to their children.
Further, the upswing in absinthe consumption seems to have coincided with a general increase in alcoholism, as well as in bohemian ideas, both of which were seen as a threat to polite society.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - El Bicho
I had some at a party where we watched Moulin Rouge. Euphoric and slightly hallucinogenic, but it needs to be prepared right.
2 - Eric Berlin
Great job, LM. My one and only run in with absinthe came at a rather bohemian bar known only to locals in Barcelona (I had mentioned this story elsewhere as taking place in Madrid, which I later realized was incorrect -- it was that kind of night!).
Ah... Spain. I fell in love with a girl in Spain, and it's just possible that the absinthe had something to do with it!
3 - alpha
Ever since some novels that included absinthe drinking -- a milky liquid that induced hallucinations and was popular in New Orleans -- it seemed like one more thing less dangerous than smoking and fast food that had been banned for bringing on Bohemianism. It sounded great. Now I can no longer drink and I hear it is back. How sad. I guess I'll read and lick my lips, too.
4 - dabitch
Heh, you'll just have to stop by my house, I always have a good bottle at home.
5 - alienboy
Or swing by my place in Spain, we have some too. I must say, so far I haven't really noticed anything markedly different to other alcohol, but I like it!
6 - Eric Olsen
super job LM, great history and context - thanks!
7 - DrPat
The concerns about absinthe a century ago sound a bit like Marijuana: Threat or Menace? a half-century ago, don't they?
8 - The Searcher
I wish laudanum would make a comeback.
9 - Joanie
When speaking of absinthe, one simply cannot forget the bar scene in EuroTrip
10 - Mark Sahm
Good article, LM. I think it's funny to imagine people out there buying this in hope it will make them "creative" in some romanticized styling. Can you say placebo? :)
You may as well do a Flaming Dr. Pepper shot, because that's just as cool and probably tastes a hell of a lot better. But that's just me.
11 - LegendaryMonkey
Hey Berlin, are you sure she existed, or was that maybe just the absinthe, too? :)
Joanie, the bar scene is the only reason I watched Eurotrip. A good friend was trying to convince me to watch it and I was totally not interested, but he was laughing so hard when he tried to talk about the green fairy guy that I figured I had to see it.
It was surprisingly funny. But for a long time after that, we would just randomly bust the quote from the movie: "This absinthe is bullshit!"
Comedy gold.
Anyway, thanks for the props, guys. The research on this one was interesting. Learned a lot!
12 - Cerulean
Hmm. I live in a highrise with no screens on my plate glass windows so if I started hallucinating . . . So how are you supposed to drink this, poured through ice, through a sugar cube? In a special glass? What's the scoop. How much does it cost?
So I can mail order this legally?
13 - LegendaryMonkey
As I understand it, one of the ways you can do it is pour a shot of absinthe into a glass, dip a sugar cube into the liquid, then place it on a slotted spoon balanced over the glass. Set the cube on fire and let it melt.
I may be missing a step. The ad site was actually pretty informative on that.
14 - Paul Roy
Has anyone tried to import it into the United States? Does Customs confiscate it or will it actually get through, if you buy it over the Internet. I have really been thinking of buying some, but it is an expensive purchase to only get confiscated.
15 - Shark
My nephew buys it all the time; over the internet, I think, and he's never had any problems.
Don't know the details, but I'm sure someone hereabouts does.
mmmmm.. absinthe...
16 - Victor Lana
Legend,
I've done my share of following Hemingway's footsteps around when traveling in Europe (eating and drinking in places like The Select in Paris etc.). Of course, I think the drink absinthe was banned in France and other places because of wormwood, which I think is now gone from the new product.
Another drink that is a literary cousin is Pernod, which I tried because it came up in Hemingway's work. Pernod tastes a bit like licorice and is delicate yet biting. A few of them can get to you. Add a little water (ala Hem) and watch it cloud up to this misty greenish milky haze.
Oh, have some water handy to sip in between. Cheers!
17 - LegendaryMonkey
If there's no wormwood, it's not real absinthe, but just another drink. Still highly alcoholic, but not quite the real thing, as I understand it.
I may have to bite the bullet and try the mail order thing as a Christmas present to myself. Hmm, hmm....
18 - Connie Phillips
Great story, LM, interesting how us "creative types" are always intrigued by the dark side of things.
19 - eyebrow esquire
if you really enjoy the history/culture of absinthe, i recommend Phil Baker's book, The Book of Absinthe. i read it while i was going through my absinthe-minded phase. good book, talks about the rise and fall and re-birth of the Absinthe as well as the bohemian aspect of it. pick it up.
20 - Bob A. Booey
Drugged-out hippies, the whole lot of you.
Shape up, ship out, and join the Marines.
Semper fi.
21 - Victor Lana
Legend,
I remember being told (I believe it was in Barcelona on an otherwise lost night) that "wormwood" is highly toxic, and that is why it was outlawed.
Please let me know if wormwood is still in the new version. Thanks.
Vic
22 - LegendaryMonkey
Yes, real, honest absinthe is still made, I believe, by infusing wormwood with alcohol to leach some of the thujone, the component that helps to make absinthe such a unique drink. Authentic absinthe, even in the modern day, still contains wormwood.
Wormwood can be deadly if one ingests too much -- it can cause renal failure. This is why DIY absinthe kits can be dangerous. If you want to try it, it's best to do so on a trip overseas or to order a bottle from a reputable source.
That's as I understand it from my research, at least.
23 - Temple Stark
ouch my renal.
- temple
24 - Santiago
I hear that real Absinthe is still made with wormwood, only a handful of countries produce it and it is banned in many. The wormwood is found to be fatal, but you would sooner die from an alcohol overdose before the amount of wormwood in your system becomes a problem.
25 - LegendaryMonkey
Right - it only becomes a problem with these DIY kits, when people get a few ounces of wormwood and don't pay attention to what they're doing. Then it can be quite easy to poison yourself.