Absinthe: A once forbidden drink.

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Absinthe or nicknamed "La fée verte" (“the green fairy”) by nineteenth-century absinthe drinkers, is a distilled spirit wich the principal ingredients in a bottle are wormwood oil, fennel, hyssop, and anise. The toxic properties of wormwood oil gave absinthe its famous reputation for hallucinogenic effects and its vibrant green color derives from the chlorophyll found in the various herbs used during the distilling process. Absinthe has an alcohol content of 45–74 percent (90–148 proof), so it usually gets diluted before consumption, either with sweetened water or in a cocktail. Primarily tastes of aniseseed, with the same sharp, floral qualities of fennel and licorice but its inherent bitterness comes from wormwood.

Absinthe is not hallucinogenic, though the myth that the thujone it contains can cause erratic behavior persists. Though thujone is a GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) inhibitor that can affect the brain and have negative effects when consumed in large quantities, the amount of the chemical in correctly-distilled absinthe is negligible. The liquor’s reputation more likely stems from its high alcohol content. Whereas vodka typically contains 40 percent alcohol, absinthe can contain up to 75 percent. Though most associated with Europe’s Belle Époque period of the late nineteenth century, absinthe was first patented as a medicine in eighteenth-century Couvet, Switzerland—either by Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor, or two local sisters who sold the elixir to various Swiss pharmacies. In 1797, Major Dubied acquired the recipe, who along with his son-in-law, Henri-Louis Pernod, would become the biggest name in absinthe production: Pernod et Fils. (After a ban on absinthe took effect, Pernod created a similar anise-flavored liquor to fill the cultural void: pastis.)

Traditional absinthe rituals —the slow, purposeful preparation of absinthe using a spoon or absinthe fountain— were first popularized in France. The addition of sugar tames the drink’s overpowering bitterness, and water dilutes its strength to a more palatable level. To prepare a glass of absinthe, place a sugar cube onto a flat absinthe spoon (alternatively, you can use a slotted spoon or a fork) and set or hold the spoon over half an ounce to one ounce of absinthe in a short, stemmed cocktail glass. Slowly pour three to five ounces of cold water over the sugar cube, allowing the sugar to dissolve and permeate the absinthe drop by drop, resulting in the cloudy white reaction known as “the louche". How much water you use is a matter of personal preference.

Reference: Masterclass. (2021). What Is Absinthe? Ingredients, History, and How to Drink Absinth. Retrieved from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-absinthe.