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Commercial distillation of absinthe in the United States resumed in 2007.

As of February 2008, nearly 200 brands of absinthe were being produced in a dozen countries, most notably in France, Switzerland, Spain, and the Czech Republic. Its psychoactive properties, apart from those of alcohol, have been much exaggerated.Ī revival of absinthe began in the 1990s, when countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale. Although absinthe was vilified, no evidence has shown that it is any more dangerous than ordinary spirits. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States and in most European countries including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Andorra and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The chemical thujone, present in small quantities, was blamed for its alleged harmful effects. Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley, and Alfred Jarry were all notorious “bad men” of that day who were (or were thought to be) devotees of the Green Fairy.Ībsinthe has been portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. Owing in part to its association with bohemian culture, absinthe was opposed by social conservatives and prohibitionists. It achieved great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. Absinthe is unusual among spirits in that it is bottled at a very high proof but is normally diluted with water when consumed.Ībsinthe originated in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as “la fée verte” (the Green Fairy).Īlthough it is sometimes mistakenly called a liqueur, absinthe is not bottled with added sugar and is therefore classified as a spirit. Absinthe traditionally has a natural green colour but can also be colourless.

It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as “grande wormwood”.