The Green Fairy

Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic (45%?74% ABV) beverage.?Traite de la Fabrication de Liqueurs et de la Distillation des Alcools?, P. Duplais (1882 3rd Ed, pp 375?381)?Nouveau Traité de la Fabrication des Liqueurs?, J. Fritsch (1926, pp 385?401)?La Fabrication des Liqueurs?, J. De Brevans (1908, pp 251?262)?Nouveau Manuel Complet du Distillateur Liquoriste?, Lebead, de Fontenelle, & Malepeyre (1888, pp 221?224) It is an anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood". Absinthe traditionally has a natural green color but can also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as "la fée verte" (the Green Fairy).

Although it is sometimes mistakenly called a liqueur, absinthe was not bottled with added sugar and is therefore classified as a spirit.'Traite de la Fabrication de Liqueurs et de la Distillation des Alcools' Duplais (1882 3rd Ed, Pg 249) Absinthe is unusual among spirits in that it is bottled at a very high proof but is normally diluted with water when consumed.

Absinthe originated in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It achieved great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. Due in part to its association with bohemian culture, absinthe was opposed by social conservatives and prohibitionists. Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley, and Alfred Jarry were all notorious 'bad men' of that day who were (or were thought to be) devotees of the Green Fairy.[http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080918/ARTICLE/809170246/2406/FEATURES&title=The_Appeal_of__The_Green_Fairy_ The Appeal of 'The Green Fairy'], Sarasota Herald-Tribune, September 18, 2008

Absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. The chemical thujone, present in small quantities, was singled out and blamed for its alleged harmful effects. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States and in most European countries except the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Denmark and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although absinthe was vilified, no evidence has shown it to be any more dangerous than ordinary spirits. Its psychoactive properties, apart from those of alcohol, have been much exaggerated.

A revival of absinthe began in the 1990s, when countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale. As of February 2008, nearly 200 brands of absinthe were being produced in a dozen countries, most notably in France, Switzerland, Spain, and the Czech Republic. Commercial distillation of absinthe in the United States resumed in 2007.