ABSINTHE: DEATH IN A BOTTLE (PART 2)

In some ways, this article from the Fall 2023 issue of AMERICAN HISTORY, mirrors the article posted yesterday from over fifty years ago. But the focus here is the effects absinthe had on the society of America during the same period and how it has been resurrected as a kind of boutique cocktail.

ABSINTHE: DEATH IN A BOTTLE (PART 1)

Myths and legends have grown up around the liquor known as absinthe. Popular in the late 1800's, tales of murder and madness forced it to be banned in many countries. The claim that it turned men into monsters lies largely in the fact of its high alcohol content, as well as the mental predisposition of the individual. Still, its mystique persists and "The Green Fairy" has become increasingly available again over the past few years, albeit with a lower alcohol content and less of the herb, wormwood, a distilling agent maligned for its cause of the malicious syndrome.

The June 1971 issue of PLAYBOY ran an article that describes the history of the dangerous drink, and includes author Ernest Hemingway's thoughts on the potent stuff.

NOTE: Image above is the painting by Edouard Manet titled, "The Absinthe Drinker".