We met this wild, mad scientist guy in town awhile back. He was totally into absinthe, and we were like whoa, you mean absinthe, as in Van Gogh cutting off his ear and Verlaine and Rimbaud? And he was like yes exactly. He had three bottles and wanted to do a ritual so we decorated a room all spooky and groovy and brought in some people to party.

Eight of us sat down to a night of the green elixir chased with a beer here and there and, of course, a lovely hashish pipe now and again. As the evening progressed, the Green Fairy overcame us. The strange combination of an alcohol and wormwood buzz reminded us of the classic upper/downer speedball combo. There was something distinct going on with it, and we liked it.

Since then we’ve come across our own supply of absinthe, made with the kindest organic herbs, and cooked in small batches. The exquisite melànge of plant essences goes down smoothe and tingles the brain. Little parties in the woods kick ass with absinthe and flaming sugar cubes. We’re so excited about it that we want to share some of the absinthe story with you.

Absinthe is an alcoholic beverage based on several herbs, the most notable of which are wormwood (Artemesia absinthum), and anise (Pimpinella anisum). Also figuring in different recipes are hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), dittany (Dictamnus albus), sweet flag (Acorus calamus), lemon balm (Melissa Officinalis), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), fennel seed (Foeniculum vulgare), petit wormwood (Artemesia pontica), mint (Mentha spp.), star anise (Illicium anisatum), licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), veronica (Veronica beccabunga), and citron peel (Citrus medica L.).

The wormwood has long been known as the plant responsible for absinthe’s special qualities. The chemical thujone in wormwood is the real culprit. In March 2000, researchers from UC Berkeley and Northwestern University finally described how alpha-thujone works. They established that alpha-thujone is a modulator of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A receptor in the brain. It is a rapid acting and readily detoxified modulator of the GABA-gated chloride channel. Alpha-thujone essentially blocks the action of the GABA type A receptor. GABA moderates the firing of neural synapses, but when thujone is present, it blocks the GABA receptor and allows the synapses to fire more freely. This effect is likely responsible for the sense of elevated mood and inspiration experienced by absinthe drinkers. The study also noted that absinthe has a greater potency (based on ethanol content) than pure ethanol.

Wormwood is one of the most ancient medicinal herbs known. It is referred to in the Bible, in Egyptian papyri, and early Syrian texts. The word absinthe probably comes from the Greek apsinthion, which means undrinkable. Used to treat various ailments, it was soaked in wine or spirits. One of its earliest uses was as a purge and vermifuge (expeller of worms). In the 15th century, it was known as absynce and Rabelais called it absynthe in 1546. The herb had a reputation as protection against the plague and in 16th and 17th century England people put it in their pillows, hung it from the rafters, and burned it to fumigate plague infected houses. By 1559 it was reported that independent distilleries were producing absinthe by steeping dried wormwood leaves in equal parts of malmsey wine and “burning water thrice distilled.”

In addition to wormwood’s psychoactive properties, some of absinthe’s other herbs are also reported to have similar actions. A French scientist who analyzed anise reported that “a strong dose provokes drunkenness, trembling, epileptic convulsions, then like opium, muscle spasms, analgesia and sleep, all the characteristics of stupifiers. The essential oils of hyssop increase alertness and are used as an uplifting and gently relaxing nerve tonic. Calamus, containing asarone and beta-asarone, can cause altered perception and hallucinations in high doses. It is considered stimulating and aphrodisiac. Lemon balm is a medicinal used, among others, to calm the nerves and treat nervous conditions and mood disorders. Coriander seed is a stimulant. Peppermint is a nervine that eases anxiety and tension.

The legend of the invention of modern absinthe begins with the French Dr. Pierre Ordinaire in 1792. Fleeing the French Revolution, He moved to a small Swiss village called Couvet, where during horse rides in the countryside, he discovered wild wormwood plants. Being versed in remedy making and knowledgable of the plant’s ancient uses, he began experimenting. Soon he was turning out batches of 136 proof elixir from his sixteen liter still. It became a popular cure-all and was nicknamed La Fee Verte (the Green Fairy). Upon his death, he supposedly gave the recipe to the Henriod sisters of Couvet, who passed it on to Major Dubied, father-in-law to Henri Loius Pernod, the famous distiller.

Major Dubied began production in 1797. Pernod joined the business and, as profits grew, opened a large factory in 1805. During 1844-47, French troops fighting in Algeria were given rations of absinthe as a fever preventative. Upon returning, they brought their cravings with them and the absinthe custom spread through French society.

In 1874, the French consumed 700,000 liters of absinthe. By 1910, they imbibed a whopping 36,000,000 liters. A few developments seem to be responsible for the increase. One was that a phylloxera plague in the 1870’s had killed off great numbers of wine grapes, and wine and brandy, more traditional French drinks, became more scarce and expensive. Wine spirits were traditionally used in making absinthe, and many producers began using cheaper grain alcohol. This made a glass of absinthe cheaper than a glass of wine.

By 1900 France was, per capita, the largest consumer of alcohol in the world. As early as 1869, cases were being made against alcoholism in general and absinthe specifically. Often these early researchers would build a case against absinthe by giving animals doses of pure wormwood oil and watch them convulse violently before dying. The temperance movement grew in power and by the early 1900’s absinthe was in danger. On August 28, 1905, what could be called absinthe’s September 11th, occurred in western Switzerland. A drunken farmer murdered his pregnant wife and two children. He had been drinking all day, copious amounts of wine and brandy and a couple of absinthes in the morning. But the story was published in newspapers throughout Europe as an “absinthe murder”. It was outlawed in Switzerland in 1910. Belgium had outlawed absinthe in 1905, Holland in 1910 and the U.S. in 1912. France banned the Green Fairy in 1915. It was never banned in England, where disdain for things French, and distaste for anise flavored drinks kept its consumption low. Likewise, Spain never banned it either (although for different reasons), and many brands of absinthe have enjoyed uninterrupted production through the 20th century and into the 21st.

In Switzerland, as soon as absinthe was banned, bootleggers went to work to produce the drink for local consumption. Known as La Bleues, they are one of the most sought after absinthes today, with production hovering around 50,000 liters a year.
In the U.S., absinthe was popular in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York, but was famed in the French Quarter of New Orleans at the Old Absinthe House. There the infamous Aleister Crowley penned his essay on the Green Fairy. But in 1912 the Department of Agriculture banned absinthe in America.

Throughout the 20th century, absinthe lived a generally obscure life. It was enjoyed by socialites in England, who liked a “spot’ in their cocktails. It was sipped legally in Spain, where the Spanish have enjoyed it in moderation. Elsewhere, availability of the clandestine distillate depended upon one’s connections.

The current resurgence of absinthe in Europe and America really began in 1996. The internet has played an enormous role in the movement. A cursory search with any search engine will yield many sources from Europe and Canada. There are numerous brands from the Czech Republic (which is reputed to be horrible), Denmark, Germany, and Spain. For some reason absinthe has never lost its mysterious allure. Its connection to artists and writers lures many with Bohemian bents. It is interesting to ponder that in the age of techno-reason and science, an alcoholic based drink made with well-known common herbs still holds sway over the popular imagination. And with good reason, for if you have tasted an ice cold absinthe with friends and slipped into opaline reverie, you know what we mean. If you haven’t, you would do well to find out for yourself.

The absinthe ritual begins with a glass and a shot of absinthe. An absinthe spoon, which resembles a small pie server with holes, is set upon the glass, and a sugar cube is placed on the spoon. Ice water is then trickled over the cube, which slowly dissolves and drips with the water into the glass. You will notice, upon close observation, that the first few drops strike the absinthe and cause a frantic turbulence in the liquid. Added slowly, successive squirts of water then cause a cloudiness, the beloved “louche”, the signature opalescence of poetic homage to the drink. As the water mixes with the alcohol, it causes the oils in the absinthe to fall out of suspension and precipitate in the glass, becoming a milky haze. If this is done slowly, the first opalescence will sink to the bottom, and viewed from the side, forms two layers, milky on bottom and green on top. As you continue adding water, the entire glass will become and remain louched, which means unclear, ambiguous or suspicious in French.

A modern eastern European variation on the ritual has the sugar cube dipped in the absinthe first, then set afire, until it bubbles and carmelizes, when it is finally dropped into the glass and stirred in. An even better flame is achieved by administering pure grain alcohol to the cube with a dropper. this admittedly adds some fun to the ritual, and from an alchemical perspective, brings in the power Neof fire. But do be careful.

The special paraphernalia adds to the uniqueness of the ritual. First, there is the absinthe glass, round footed on a fat bead with a flared cup like an ice cream glass. Some absinthe glasses are similar to shot glasses, tapering outward toward the top, with thick bottoms. Then you have the spoons, which come in numerous designs. In days of old, many bars had special fountains to dispense ice cold water in fine rivulets. The Old Absinthe House in New Orleans had a stunning fountain made of green marble. The fountains had numerous spouts from which drinks could be made simultaneously.

Here are a few absinthe recipes for your enjoyment.

Absinthe au sucre-The standard drink, with water and sugar.
Wharf Rat-one part absinthe, one part white rum, one part grenadine, one part apricot brandy, three parts orange juice. Mix with crushed ice.
Tremblement de terre-The Earthquake, made with equal parts of absinthe and brandy. This was the favorite of Toulouse-Lautrec, who had a special hollow cane filled with this blend.