A Quick Note on Absinthe

First off, I'll try my best to improvise historical accuracy. Afterall, the point of this article is that, for a drink of such history and mystery, few attempt to sort out fact from fiction.

The origins of absinthe ("the green fairy") are strongly associated with its chief ingredient -- the thujone-containing wormwood. (Wormwood's supposed "medicinal use" can be traced back to ancient times, but I won't elaborate 'cause I don't actually know the history.) Thujone is the chemical of controversy for absinthe; specifically thujone's psycho-active properties. No doubt various teas, serums, and other concoctions had been been made over the years, but it was in Switzerland in the late 1700's when a doctor -- Pierre Ordinaire -- first patented the recipe. What began as medecine soon exploded into a mysterious European spirit, especially hip with those who fancied themselves artists. The unmistakably green beverage reached popular status in the mid-1800's, and was a source of inspiration and debauchery throughout France, Spain, and select locations in the United States and the now Czech Republic region. The long and short of it is that absinthe's notoriously high alcohol content combined with the insidious myths about wormwood, created an image of green devilry -- a product sure to make a man into a beast, to render one's brain poisoned, to make a helpless addict out of all who dared to partake! Countless stories of artists turned insane, and madmen who mass-murdered post-green-fairy did nothing to help the case. Thus, by 1915 it was banned in America, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and a handful of other countries, now under the influence of the temperance zeitgeist.

It is interesting to note that although absinthe was banned primarily because of the wormwood factor, another very popular drink, also containing wormwood, has been around throughout the ages without controversy -- vermouth. (German: Vermut, meaning "worm-wood")... Hahaha!

And of course most people now know that some form absinthe can be found in almost every country that alcohol is sold. A few years ago everyone was excited about fancy little absinthe kits being sold at Christmas time. "Absente" was the brand, I think, and along with a nice box, it came with a novelty "absinthe spoon"(traditional preparation up next). But very shortly afterwards, everyone found out this wasn't "real" absinthe. Sure it had the flavour and consistency -- milky, oily, anise-tinged -- but word got around that this one bitched-out on the wormwood factor. Can you believe that they chose southern wormwood (an obsolete relative) in the recipe to get around the legal issues (still in place)? Bastards! Thus began the new trend -- finding "real" absinthe! And soon enough, the big wig arrived -- more or less.

Traditional absinthe is transparent in the bottle, usually with a subtle to strong green hue. The "traditional" method of serving absinthe is by pouring a portion into a glass (preferably an absinthe glass), resting the slotted-spoon on top of the glass, placing one or two sugar cubes on the spoon, and slowly trickling cold water over the spoon. Here the connoisseur will examine the louche (fogging and clouding) as the water and absinthe mix. The louche-effect comes from the natural herbal oils contained in the spirit, which are not soluble in the water. (A similar effect can be observed with ouzo and water.) In my own experience -- consisting of copious drinking and lazy internet researching -- the taste is heavily influenced by the anise (reminiscent of black liquorice), the wormwood (bitterness), and bunch of other more complex sweet and herbal flavors. As well, every good absinthe I've ever tried managed to hide the alcohol flavour altogether. The sensation is smooth, thick, and the drink penetrates your taste buds long after swallowing. The effects are delayed -- so drink cautiously. Even at 136 proof, you'll be well into your second drink before the first begins to hits you. I can't say for certain if there's any distinct psycho-active effects -- the wise truth is that the alcohol will get to you far before any effects linked to the herbs. The point being, and the motivation for this article -- pop-culture in the last few years remarketed absinthe and helped spread lame misconceptions of la fée verte.

Sometime in the 1990's, the Czech Rebuplic began manufacturing and marketing "bohemian-style" absinth (the -e is usually dropped of the spelling on Czech and German brands). The bohemian style is the stuff most marketed as "REAL!" The bottle stands out, as the green is so green that it simply cannot be natural (most aren't) -- it glows, and is almost metallic in its alienness. Bohemian absinthes typically contain little to no anise. In fact, the only real similarities between these varieties and those mentioned earlier are the colour, the wormwood, and the alcohol content. (Mind you, this could very well be an authentic variety of the drink. I am no snob; in fact, I'm quite easy to please. But...) Often times these absinthes are produced simply by infusing high-proof alcohol with wormwood and tweaking the flavour and colour artificially. Oh, and because they aren't full of herby goodness, they don't louche when mixed with water. To compensate for the lack of fun obtained by louching -- (that sounds weird) -- they implemented the oldest marketing trick in the book: FIRE. The "flaming sugar" absinthe ritual -- which, check any sources, is anything but traditional (actually most sources link it to an advertising campaign in the mid-1990's) -- is the one guaranteed to be in the movies. Fire is this poseur-absinthe's equivalent to Corona's lime slice (but at least the lime slice tastes good, and compliments the drink). I cringe when I see the ritual done... They dip the the spoon and sugar cube in the absinthe then light it up, supposedly letting the sugar "caramelize" and drip into the beverage. And that's not enough for some. Some insist on letting the beverage itself burn with that chic blue flame. I cringe because you've payed so much for this beverage -- believe me, you have -- and you're willing sit and watch its precious ethanol content go up in... Invisible vapour!

(Some even ruin the spirit further by "shooting" it, straight up, cringing, suppressing nausea, and exclaiming: "This better make me see shit!" But now I'm just attacking a social group.) D'accord--

Try it straight if you must. Some people prefer it this way, I guess. Try the flame as well, I guarentee you'll be disappointed -- I was. But do yourself, and the drink, the favour of attempting to recreate the tradition. Get yerself a bottle that at least claims to be distilled (the compliment to the dreaded ethanol infused variety) and avoid anything that looks like this:

Instead, try finding one that looks more like this:


In a positive note, it seems that the trendiness is having some sway in the law books. Absinthe is pretty much legal anywhere in Canada now, although it is hard to find a precise and credible breakdown of the details. America supposedly still prohibits it, but it seems readily enough available down there as well. One can find it nearly anywhere in Europe, but here is another case of caveat emptor: The fake absinthe's are more easily sold, for the obvious reasons of looking so strikingly extreme and unique, and thus the shops oriented towards tourists will sell these lower quality brands. (In France, the law appears to be such that one can produce absinthe for export, but that selling the drink within the country is illegal. This made me think twice about what was in those bottles labelled as absinthe in a shop window in Cannes.) If you want to find a good absinthe, I'd recommend going to the liquor store in the supermarket.

Has anyone ever died from drinking absinthe? Considering the alcohol content, I'm gonna guess it has probably played some part. I know with certainty that guinea pigs (or some other poor creature) have been poisened to death from thujone, by scientists demonstrating their point in a very Thomas Edison-like manner, but so long as you don't try to make your own absinthe -- there are myriad internet links showing you how, and sadly only a few warning of the danger of attempting to do so -- you'll probably be safe.

I can tell you though, in all sincerely, that sitting down before an artistic endeavor with the green fairy nearby will take you take you back in time. It may not be the chemicals or the ethanol or the herbs, but somehow you'll become part of a post-impressionist painting, if only for a short time.