Absinthe
Also known as: green fairy
In short
Absinthe is a wormwood spirit with anise and fennel: high proof, wrapped in legends, famous as the green fairy. We explain the history, the thujone myth and the real ritual.
In depth
What is absinthe?
Absinthe is a high proof spirit with wormwood, anise and fennel, the classic trinity. Typically it sits between 45 and 74 percent ABV, and the green classically comes from the herbs of the distillation.
The green hour
Around the turn of the century, Paris drank its absinthe during the green hour. Then came the ban: absinthe was prohibited in the USA in 1912 and in France in 1915. Only decades later did it legally return to the glasses.
The thujone myth
The wormwood substance thujone was blamed for rapture and madness, and the ban followed the tale. Today the story counts as a myth: the levels in legal absinthe are limited, and the magic potion effect was never proven. The legend does not count as evidence, the absinthe stayed anyway.
The ritual
Classically, sugar and water belong to absinthe: a cube on the absinthe spoon, ice water from the fountain, dripped slowly until the drink turns milky. Setting the sugar on fire is a modern invention, not a historical ritual.
Classics with absinthe
The sazerac with its absinthe rinse, the principle is known from our rinse entry. And the drink with champagne is fittingly called death in the afternoon.
Remember this one
"Absinthe brings the ritual, pastis the afternoon, ouzo the evening."
At our lounge
Ask us for a drink with absinthe, the ritual is part of the show.