Have You Met the Green Fairy? Drink Absinthe and You May!

Absinthe, also known as "the Green Fairy," is an emerald colored strongly alcoholic aperitif with an intriguing history and reputation. Authentic absinthe is made in Europe from alcohol and distilled herbs, including wormwood, green anise, fennel, and hyssop. Very high in alcohol, absinthe is usually in the 55% to 72% range (110 to 144 proof). In comparison, a good whisky is generally around 40% (80 proof). Absinthe is also known for its "secondary effects" that many drinkers liken to a hallucinogenic drug lasting 20-30 minutes. Others say they experience nothing unusual at all beyond the normal buzz produced by the high alcohol content. If you could ask famous artists and writers like Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, Oscar Wilde, and Ernest Hemingway, they would claim it "expanded the mind" and "enhanced creativity and inspiration." They also enjoyed a ritualized method of drinking absinthe using a special slotted spoon topped with a sugar cube, over which iced water was slowly poured. The word absinthe is derived from the Greek word "apsinthion" meaning "bitter." However, when properly distilled, absinthe has a deliciously complex herbal and floral character, with only an underlying bitterness caused by the wormwood, which is related to the daisy family and grows wild in many areas of Europe. Grand and petite wormwood were historically cultivated near Pontarlier in the Doubs region of east France and in the adjoining Val de Travers in Switzerland, the two traditional homes of absinthe.The chemical name for the principle active ingredient in wormwood is thujone (pronounced "thoo-jone" with a soft 'J'), which is famous for giving absinthe its reputed "secondary effects." Thujone is a terpene and is related to menthol, which is known for its healing and restorative qualities. In its chemically pure form, thujone is a colorless liquid with a menthol-like aroma. Thujone is a naturally occurring substance, also found in the bark of the thuja, or white cedar, tree, and in other herbs besides wormwood - including tansy and sage - both commonly used in cooking. Aside from absinthe, other popular liquors, including vermouth, also contain small amounts of thujone. It has been scientifically proven that extremely high doses of thujone are dangerous, but the concentration found in absinthe is many thousands of times lower than anything considered toxic. Thujone's affect on the brain is not fully understood, although certain structural similarities between thujone and tetrahydrocannabinol (the active component in marijuana) led to some speculation in the 1970s that both substances have the same effect in the brain. Other scientific research, however, has completely discredited this idea.As France and many western countries came under pressure in the late 1800s from various temperance movements to curb alcohol consumption, the evidence stacked against thujone's harmful effects eventually led to the ban on absinthe. Wine was seen as "natural" and did not contain the supposedly mind altering ingredient of thujone, whereas absinthe was "unnatural" and led to alcoholism. While there was definitely a correlation between absinthe drinkers and destitute alcoholics during the Belle Epoque (Beautiful Era) in Paris, it wasn't the "secondary effects" of absinthe that caused it, it was because drinking absinthe was the cheapest way to consume strong alcohol. So what is more likely to have caused harm to regular absinthe drinkers is the impurities used in the cheaper varieties.In 2007, after 95 years of prohibition, absinthe was once again made legal in the United States. It's difficult to find authentic absinthes in bars and liquor stores, even though it is completely legal to possess in the United States. If you want to meet the Green Fairy yourself, it is easy to buy genuine Absinthe online from Europe. As with any alcoholic drink, the effect of absinthe will vary from person to person, so please don't drink and drive.

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