Absinthe

Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit made from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of grand wormwood, green anise, sweet fennel, and other herbs used in medicine and cooking. Historically considered a very strong alcoholic drink, it ranges from 45 to 74 percent alcohol by volume, or 90 to 148 proof in the United States.

It usually has a natural green color but can also be clear. Though sometimes called a liqueur, absinthe is not traditionally bottled with added sugar or sweeteners. It is bottled at a high alcohol content but is normally diluted with water before drinking.

The drink was created in the late 18th century in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel by French physician Pierre Ordinaire. It became very popular in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, especially among Parisian artists and writers. Social conservatives and prohibitionists opposed its use, partly because of its link to bohemian culture. Famous drinkers included Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Lewis Carroll, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Absinthe has often been shown as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen, leading to the term "absinthism." The chemical thujone, present in trace amounts, was blamed for these supposed effects. By 1915, it was banned in the United States and much of Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria-Hungary, though it has not been proven to be more dangerous than ordinary spirits. Recent studies show that its psychoactive properties, beyond those from alcohol, have been exaggerated.

The revival of absinthe began in the 1990s after modern European Union food and beverage laws removed long-standing barriers to its production and sale. By the early 21st century, nearly 200 brands were being made in a dozen countries, most notably France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the Czech Republic.