Several readers have written to inquire whether it is possible to purchase absinthe here or abroad. At the height of its popularity in the 19th century, this liqueur was traditionally made by flavoring distilled wine with wormwood (Artemisia apsinthium) and other herbs. When water was added, the extract turned a milky greenish-yellow. It was probably that color that gave absinthe its favored names "Green Goddess" and "The Green Fairy". Sipped through a perforated spoon that contained a lump of sugar, the drink had a high alcohol content and the strong taste of anise or licorice. The most popular aperitif in Europe prior to the First World War, some of the better known adherents of the liqueur in this century were Oscar Wilde, Baudelair, Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh, Manet, Picasso, Anais Nin, Sigmund Freud and Joseph Stalin.

What is largely unknown is that absinthe was not a 19th century invention, having first been made in ancient Greece where it was said to stimulate creativity, to act as a curative for illnesses as vaying in character as gout and tuberculosis. It probably did not hurt sales that the beverage also was said to be an aphrodisiac. What has widely become known as "the age of absinthe" began in the 1840s during the Algerian War when French soldiers were issued absinthe in the belief that it would prevent malaria and other fever causing diseases. When those soldiers returned to France they brought their taste for absinthe with them, some actually having become addicted to the beverage.

Because the wormwood in absinthe was said said to be a hallucinatory that could cause many aberrations, including blindness, sterility, addiction, epileptic attacks, delirium and insanity, the liqueur eventually acquired a bad name and the production of absinthe was banned in France nearly sixty years ago. Although it remained available in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, the drink was outlawed in nearly every other country in the world, most people concurring that the dangers inherent to the beverage were simply not worth any possible pleasures. Although small amounts of absinthe made in the old way continued to be made illegally in France, most of those were truly dangerous because the distillers, mostly boot-leg operations were singularly unconcerned with quality control and most drinkers became to content to restrict themselves to pastis, ouzo or arak, all of which are similar in flavor and aroma to absinthe although they do not have their "enchanting effects" and are not based on the dangerous wormwood herb. Absinthe itself, became reviled for much like heroin, it had indeed become a drug-related scene, the devoted absintheur adding water slowly to the liquor, pouring it over a sugar cube, and sipping it through an elaborate slotted spoon with a ritualistic dedication that today calls to mind images of junkies shooting up heroin.

Today we know that much of the reaction to absinthe was a form of hysteria. Largely because it was so heavily associated with artists, painters, poets and other members of the bohemian crowd, people the French began to assume that the use of absinthe had attained epidemic proportions. The truth is, however, that it never accounted for more than 3% of the alcohol consumed in France.

None of which is to say that absinthe did not cause problems, but it may well be that social reformers, lacking adequate research methodology, looked in the wrong places. Most absinthe, for example was bottled at 144 proof (72% alcohol content) and, because serious devotees hated to dilute their absinthe with much water, the high level of alcohol could account for much of the damage. More than this, many tended to blame thujone, a component of the wormwood on the negative influences of absinthe. Today we know that an excess input of anise can be bad for you. In fact, nearly all of the ingredients in absinthe and other medicinal liqueurs are harmful when taken in excess.

Absinthe Makes a Comeback

Because the law, as Mr. Bumble reminded us, "is a ass", about five years ago a few enterprising companies came to realize that even though everyone had thought that absinthe had been banned in the United Kingdom and Holland, no laws had ever been passed to that effect. Several companies, some in Holland, other in the Czech Republic and still others in Great Britain itself began producing what they have said is a newer, more modern version of the Green Goddess, claiming that there is a "cleaner version of the absinthe produced in 19th century France".

Today, absinthe is once again available in many European countries as well as in the United States, Great Britain, Canada and even Israel. Some are attracted to it by its threat of danger but more seem to find it appealing because of its association with the bohemians of the early to mid 20th century, and still others find romance in it because Manet, Degas, Picasso all painted pictures of people sipping it. Some even find that the ritual of mixing the absinthe and then sipping it slowly calls to mind languorous days
in Paris cafes.

The simple truth of the matter is that drinking enough of any alcoholic beverage will eventually lead to hallucinations and worse. On the other hand, when consumed in moderation, the absinthe being produced today will cause no more harm than any other alcoholic beverage. Following are reviews of several of the absinthe liqueurs I have recently sampled (and with a smile, I must add that I am looking forward to neither addiction or hallucinations and I completely ignore the manufacturers' claims that this beverage is an aprhodisiac).

Absinthe Original: Made in the Czech Republic and based on an old Swiss forumla, this is probably the best absinthe available today. Powerful but smooth and with rich aromas and deep flavors. 70% alcohol and 10 mg./kilogram of thujone. 75 cl. bottles cost about $75.00

Absinthe King: Made from a Swiss forumla and free of artificial colorings and preservatives, this is a delicate and gentle drink, with a marked flavor of anise and an attractive pale green color when mixed with water. Smooth and with pleasing aromas and flavors. 70 alcohol content and 10 milligrams per kilogram of thujone. About $85 for a 70 cl. bottle

Absinthe Sebor: In its triangular bottle meant to be a collector's item, but with flavors that are a bit too marked this Chezch produced liqueur has an unwanted coarseness that tends to burn the throat. 55% alcohol and 2 mg./kg of thujone. About $40 for a 70 cl. bottle.

Hill's Absinthe: Powerful but smooth and with rich flavors this traditionally emerald green beverage has distinctly bitter herbal flavors that are moderate nicely by being poured over a sugar cube. Produced according to a French forumla in the Czech Republic since 1920. 70% alcohol and 1.5 mg/kg of thujone. 70 cl. bottles cost about $60.

Absinthe Pilsner: A smooth drinking but particularly potent liqueur, the main herb used being wormwood. Emerald green in color in the bottle (due to no small part to color additives), but with good flavors and depth. 70% alcohol, 9 mg/kg of thujone. About $55 for a 70 cl. bottle.

Absinthe Schulz: Powerful, deep emerald green in color, with a distinctive bitter flavor but smooth to drink and with rich anise flavors. Czech made, the liqueur has 60% alcohol content and 2.7 mg/kg of thujone. 70 cl. bottles cost about $45.

© Daniel Rogov