The Absinthe fairy was used on Absinthe label and posters. In the film Moulin Rouge Absinthe, the Green Fairy, was the favorite drink of artists and writers.
Absinthe Fairy Followers
Famous devotees of La Fee Verte, the Green Fairy, were Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Gauguin, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway who created his own Absinthe cocktail “Death in the Afternoon” – a mix of Absinthe and champagne. According to the writers and artists Absinthe gave them their genius and their inspiration and numerous pieces of art of the time feature Absinthe or Absinthe drinkers. The Belle Epoque period of history was the hey day for Absinthe.
Absinthe is prepared from herbs and essential oils. The basic ingredient of it is the herb wormwood, an extract from the plant wormwood or artemisia absinthium. Absinthe gets it characteristic bitter taste from wormwood and it’s anise flavor from herbs.
Thujone, a chemical found in wormwood oil, was thought to be psychoactive and to give psychedelic effects, cause hallucinations and eventually insanity. In 1915 the loose morals of the drinkers in Montmartre gave prohibition campaigners ammunition to restrict Absinthe in France. It was illegal to buy or sell Absinthe. It was banned in many other countries also. The Green Fairy was not banned in Spain, Portugal, the UK and the Czech Republic.
Absinthe Fairy and Prohibition
During the prohibition period, distilleries, such as the Pernod Fils distillery, started producing Absinthe substitutes such as Pernod Pastis to market to the people who were missing the anise flavor of Absinthe. Ricard was also used in place of Absinthe.
Bootleg absinthe was still distilled and sold in many countries which meant that the distilling of Absinthe has never been lost.
Being home of Absinthe Switzerland had to wait until 2005 for Absinthe’s legalization. You can now buy Absinthe and Absinthe essence kits online along with Absinthiana such as glasses, spoons and fountains. Drinking Absinthe out of a special antique or replica glass with a proper spoon is added attraction to the Absinthe preparation ritual.
As per studies the thujone content in Absinthe is very less so it was not restricted in many countries. Absinthe contains more alcohol than other spirits but was never designed to drink neat. One should mix it with iced water to enjoy La Louche – the clouding that happens when the water mixes with the alcohol.
One can prepare his own bottled Absinthe by ordering real wormwood Absinthe and essences from many websites.com.
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