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Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder

A hundred years ago the most popular aperitif in Europe was absinthe. It acquired a bad reputation because of its supposed hallucinatory effects and was often used by famous artists and writers such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Oscar Wilde. Stalin was said to greatly enjoy it.

Absinthe is made from wormwood and other herbs in a distilled base. It has a green colour which turns milky when water is added. It often had a very high alcohol content and it was probably for this reason that it was believed to cause blindness, epilepsy, delirium tremens, addiction and insanity. Some makers used pure quality impure alcohol and this probably contributed to the adverse effects.

Absinthe was traditionally sipped from a special perforated spoon that contained a sugar lump.

Absinthe was banned in France 60 years ago but not in the UK, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic or Switzerland. These countries are now once again making absinthe. In France absinthe was replaced by Pastis which has a similar anise flavour but does not contain wormwood. Similar anise drinks are popular in other Mediterranean countries. The Greeks make Ouzo and in many Arabic countries Arak is the aperitif of choice.

Real absinthe is available now in the UK. Some of it is very powerful. For example Hill’s absinthe made in the Czech Republic is based on an old French formula and contains 70% alcohol but a quite modest mount of thujone, the active ingredient from wormwood.

Try it yourself but beware! Dilute it with water and you should be ok!    

By George Leslie