Absinthe Origin: The most important facts in a nutshell
- The beginnings of absinthe date back to the 18th century.
- At the beginning of the 20th century, the Green Fairy was banned in almost all countries worldwide.
- Absinthe was re-legalized in the early 1990s. Since then, the Green Fairy has been experiencing a true renaissance!
General information about Absinthe
The name "Absinthe" comes from the Latin word "Absinthium" and means wormwood. Wormwood, in turn, is the characteristic ingredient of this high-proof spirit. Furthermore, the basic ingredients of an original absinthe are green anise and fennel. Depending on the recipe, other herbs are used. The initially clear absinthe is colored with herbs after distillation and is therefore typically green, which is why it also has the nickname "Green Fairy" (La Fée Verte).
Absinthe Origin: The Beginnings
1769 The first known advertisement for a wormwood-based elixir called "Bon Extrait d'Absinthe" appears in a newspaper in Neuchâtel (Switzerland).
1792 Dr. Ordinaire, the inventor of "modern" absinthe, develops a recipe consisting of 8 plants. These included wormwood, anise, hyssop, and fennel, combined with 68 percent alcohol, which became the traditional alcohol content for real absinthe.
1797 The recipe is sold to the French Major Dubied, who, together with his son and son-in-law (H.L. Pernod), builds the first absinthe factory in Switzerland (Couvet) and markets absinthe as a luxury good, in contrast to a purely medicinal use.
The Rise of Absinthe!
1844 - 1847 During the war of conquest in Algeria in 1830, the French army utilized the disinfectant properties of absinthe. The alcohol rations were primarily intended for disinfecting contaminated water. However, mainly due to its intoxicating side effects and, of course, its excellent taste, absinthe was loved by the troops. After their return home, they did not want to do without their beloved glass of absinthe, so nothing stood in the way of absinthe's triumph for the time being.
Meanwhile: Many great works of art owe their existence to the secret of the "Green Fairy." Great names like Charles Baudelaire, Edouard Manet, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Oscar Wilde, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh, Gauguin, and Picasso are among these early passionate admirers of absinthe.
The Absinthe ban..
1910 Switzerland was the first country to ban absinthe. The ban is partly due to the high alcohol consumption in society and partly to the increasing pressure from the French wine lobby, which feared the competition of the new drink and deliberately campaigned for a ban on the Green Fairy. The alleged toxic effect of absinthe, attributed to the active ingredient thujone contained in wormwood, was used as an argument.
1915 France bans absinthe.
1923 Germany not only banned the sale of the drink but also the distribution of the recipe.
The end of the Green Fairy Until 1920, most European countries banned the use and sale of absinthe, except for Spain, Portugal, and England. The manufacturer Pernod Fils exploited the legal loophole and produced absinthe in Tarragona, Spain, until the 1970s. However, the drink increasingly fell into oblivion and was replaced by "Pastis"; an absinthe without wormwood ("pastiche" French for "imitation").
The Comeback of the Green Fairy
1981 Germany lifts the absinthe ban, but the use of wormwood oil / thujone in food products remains prohibited, which effectively continues to ban the drink.
1991 Recent research agrees that the toxic effect of thujone is practically ineffective due to its vanishingly small occurrence in absinthe. The European Union amends the legal limit for thujone in spirits with an alcohol content of up to 25%, set at 5 mg/kg. In addition, 10 mg/kg applies to spirits with up to 25% and 35 mg/kg for bitters. Real absinthe can now be legally offered again.
2001 Hollywood releases the movie Moulin Rouge with Kylie Minogue as the "Green Fairy."
The rebirth of the Green Fairy: Not least thanks to films like Moulin Rouge or From Hell with Johnny Depp, the cult surrounding the drink has experienced a true renaissance and allows the world to immerse itself once again in the euphoria of the 19th century.
2005 Switzerland legalizes absinthe after almost 100 years of prohibition. Buying absinthe is now legal again.
2007 The United States legalizes absinthe, but with different limits compared to the EU. Only 10 mg/kg of thujone is allowed.
New Studies on Absinthe and Thujone
2008 An article appears in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry with the latest scientific research on the thujone content of historic absinthe. The analyses show that old absinthes before the ban did not contain more thujone than today's varieties (maximum 35 mg/kg).
2017-now In the wake of the craft spirits movement, absinthe also experiences another upswing. The Green Fairy is back more than ever!
Absinthe: There is still much to discover!
We hope you enjoyed this article on the origin of absinthe. If it has sparked your interest, you will find many more articles about the history of absinthe here on our blog. If you would now like to try absinthe after all this information, we look forward to your visit to our absinthe store. There we offer an exclusive selection of particularly original absinthe varieties for purchase.
Green greetings from the world of absinthe,
Mike from the ALANDIA Team
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe
D. Nathan-Maister (2009), The Absinthe Encyclopedia, Oxygenee Ltd.
J. Baptiste Debourge (1864), Le Buveur: Son présent et son avenir, Humbert, Paris
https://www.alandia.de/docs/absinthe-ewg-1988-richtlinie-88-388.pdf
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf703568f
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf803975m