Today is Repeal Day, the cork-popping anniversary of the end of that long dry spell from 1920 to 1933 that was Prohibition. To honor the occasion, we’re taking an up-close look at a spirit that, until just last year, had been sentenced to a special ban of its own: Absinthe.
“The Green Fairy” as it’s also sometimes known, has a bad (although irresistibly romantic) reputation as dangerous, hallucinatory stuff. Countless nineteenth-century artists and bohemians were supposed to have become addicted to, driven mad by, or been poisoned by this shady spirit until it was finally pulled off the shelves in 1915. But how much of this is true?
Armed with a recently acquired absinthe spoon, and inspired by a pretty vintage cocktail glass given to me by a friend, I decided to test-drive some of this legendary - and newly-legalized - green liquor at home. I obtained some samples of two of the many brands now available in the U.S.: Pernod and Lucid. I was all set.
But then doubt began to creep in. This stuff was banned for over 90 years. Um, should I be worried?
I scurried over to a big, authoritative website, The Virtual Absinthe Museum, to find out all I could:
Is absinthe dangerous?
Short answer, No. Or at least no more dangerous than any other alcoholic drink. Absinthe has a very high alcohol content (up to a whopping 72 percent), but it’s not meant to be sipped straight. Enjoyed in moderation, it’s safe.
Ok, then. So why was absinthe banned?
It got a lot of really, really bad press. At one time, it was a pricey, aristocratic drink in France, but during the late 19th Century it became mass-produced (and mass-consumed). Some unscrupulous distillers added cheap, unsafe, and untested ingredients to their products. Eccentric artists and political radicals liked to drink it. “Absinthism” was cited in a famous Swiss murder case. Finally, absinthe was scapegoated by those who wanted to ban alcohol altogether.
But what about absinthe’s supposed mind-bending effects?
These have never been proven clinically. The bitter herb wormwood, which contains the chemical compound thujone, is an essential ingredient in absinthe, and often gets blamed for the liquor’s allegedly druggy effects. Taken in extremely high doses, thujone can be toxic - but not to worry, it is only present in FDA-approved absinthe in trace amounts. (Thujone is, incidentally, also present in the common kitchen herb sage, as well as the spirits Chartreuse, vermouth, and Benedictine.)
Ok. My mind was set at ease. It was time to try my first glass of absinthe.
Part of the fun and attraction of absinthe is the ritual that goes into its preparation. Absinthe needs water (to dilute the alcohol and release the aromatic oils). And sugar (to offset the bitterness of the wormwood and to complement the herbal flavors). And it needs to be drunk cold. Here’s the classic technique:
Absinthe
makes one drink
1 ounce absinthe
3-5 ounces ice water (I used 4)
1-3 sugar cubes (I used 2)
Pour absinthe into a glass. Place a slotted absinthe spoon (a tea strainer would work in a pinch) across the rim of the glass and set sugar cubes on top. Slowly trickle the ice water through the sugar until it is dissolved and the mixture turns a milky white. Stir in any remaining sugar with the spoon.
The Verdict?
It was fun to pour the ice water and watch the green liquor magically turn to white (an effect called the “louche”). With its distinctive anise-licorice tang, the flavor of the drink was a little like pastis, but not quite as herbal. Even with two added sugar cubes, I could still taste the bitterness of the wormwood, but not in a bad way. No druggy effects were observed.
Further Reading
Related: Summer Drink: Pastis
Have you ever tried absinthe?
(Images: Nora Maynard)
-Nora
I didn't know Absinthe was legalized in the US....So glad I found out about this just in time for the holidays and new years eve. WOOHOO! LOL
view nickel525's profile
It's a lovely drink. I got a bottle from St. George Spirits (they make Hangar 1 Vodka) and it's delightful. VERY strong. I like mine without sugar but then, I like drinks more bitter than sweet. It's supposed to be good mixed with Champagne, I think it's called Death in the Afternoon.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
Attending a Prohibition Party tonight (in honor of the 75th anniversary of the repeal) and I'm sure there will be absinthe...if only I liked the taste of anise that it's permeated with...
http://embritadesign.blogpspot.com
view EmmieB's profile
I had a sip of my friend's while in Prague. The waitress showed us to drink it a different way -- I believe we dipped the spoon in a little absinthe, and let the sugar cube soak it up. We were given matches, and we lit the cube on fire and dropped it into the glass. We blew it out, then drank the absinthe. I thought it tasted like burning, and was not a fan.
view Amanda H's profile
The "absinthe" in Prague is not, alas, true absinthe. It is really just wormwood vodka. It's horrible stuff, which is promoted as "true" because it has a high thujone content.
Alas, it is a tourist rip-off (I'm from Prague; I know).
The Czechs never had an absinthe culture, rather, it was the Swiss who developed absinthe, in the Val-de-Travers in the 1860s. True absinthe is complex and herbal, and makes pastis seem quite crude or rough in comparison. (Pastis, of which Pernod is the most famous brand, was developed in reaction to absinthe being banned).
Of course every brand is different, and you need to find the one which appeals most to you. My husband, who is a real absinthe afficionado, prefers Kubler brand absinthe above all others he has tasted.
http://kublerabsinthe.com/StoryOfKubler.aspx
view mschatelaine's profile
Pernod is not absinthe. It is an anise flavored liquor, but it does not contain wormwood, the key ingredient that makes absinthe "hallucinatory". Wormwood contains a chemical called thujone, which was alternately vilified and demonized by the medical community. Commercial absinthe does not contain enough thujone to have a harmful effect.
If you want reviews of absinthe varieties and more info, go to htp://www.feeverte.net
view Minerva of the Airship's profile
Sorry, http://feeverte.net
view Minerva of the Airship's profile
Minerva of the Airship,
I just wanted to clarify a little on the Pernod issue.
Pernod (the pastis-style liqueur) is indeed an anise-flavored spirit made without wormwood. But Pernod (the company) has a long history of making absinthe. After the American ban was lifted last year, Pernod re-relaunched its own brand of absinthe, made according to its old, previously illegal formula (containing wormwood).
So there are now two Pernods available on the American market: Pernod (the pastis-style liqueur) and Pernod Absinthe.
Cheers!
Nora
view nora's profile
Minerva, Pernod is the name of a distillery; it's a company, not a drink. You are confusing it with pastis, which is the anise-flavored liqueur they started making when absinthe was banned.
Pernod was THE original maker of absinthe in Switzerland (yes, Pernod is originally Swiss, not French):
"Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor living in Switzerland, distilled the wormwood plant in alcohol with anise, hyssop, lemon balm, and other local herbs. According to popular legend, Ordinaire actually obtained his recipe from the local Henriod sisters, who had been making an 'elixir d'absynthe' to treat illnesses for years.The tonic, quite powerful at around 72% alcohol, was locally heralded as a medical cure-all. The recipe was in turn passed on to a Major Dubied, whose son-in-law was Henri-Louis Pernod. Whatever the truth behind its origins, absinthe stopped being a local curiosity and started on its route to becoming an international phenomenon in 1797 with the foundation of their distillery in Couvet, Switzerland. In 1805, the famous Pernod Fils distillery expanded and opened in Pontarlier, France to avoid customs taxes between Switzerland and France. "
view mschatelaine's profile
I had some a few years back that my (now) husband had brought back from a trip to Spain. It tasted like burning, but we were drinking it straight.
view Teacher A's profile
Thanks for your commentary! I've been wondering what it's like, but haven't gotten around to trying it yet.
Emily
view Emily Sneds's profile
"The Czechs never had an absinthe culture, rather, it was the Swiss who developed absinthe, in the Val-de-Travers in the 1860s"
LOL. Ever been to Cafe Slavia, Miss "Czech-Expert" Hint: look at that big picture called Piják absintu by Oliva. Also:
Emil Filla : Still Life with Absinthe & Fan
Bedřich Stefan: Girl with Absinth, 1924
Slíva Jiří (1947)
Ever heard of Josef Čapek? Probably not. He did a rather famous print celebrating Czech cafe absinth drinking.
Here is another reference for you:
Poručil jsem si dvojitou sklenku absintu, který právě je v módě. Je to takový zelený dryák. Jako rozpuštěné ještěrky. A vypil jsem to do dna. Potom mi bylo dobre.
I ordered a double glass of absinthe which is in fashion right now. It’s a kind of green “dryák”. Like dissolved lizards. I drunk it all. Then I felt good.
Pražské nokturno - Page 310 by František Kubka ( 1943)
Also the Swiss did not develop absinthe in 1860 - nearly 100 years out on that one as well.
Before offering opinion it is nice if you know what you are talking about and you don't. But you do "live in Prague" so I suppose you consider yourself an expert!
view RaRa's profile