Ever read any Baudelaire? How about Oscar Wilde? Admired a Van Gogh or Degas? Most famous artists of the late 19th century can attribute their creative genius to one powerful, mysterious type of alcohol: absinthe.
While you may not be familiar with its literary legacy, everyone seems to know the legendary hallucinogenic properties of absinthe. Recent movies such as Moulin Rouge and Eurotrip have popularized the idea that absinthe causes the imbiber to see visions (“green fairies” being the most popular). But for those who may be considering trying absinthe in the hopes of dancing with green fairies of their own, let me share a secret: it’s not true.
The rumors about absinthe’s hallucinogenic properties usually circulate around one of its key ingredients, wormwood. Absinthe’s unique taste and traditional green color come from the herbs it is steeped with during the distillation process, with wormwood, anise, and fennel being the most concentrated among them. Wormwood contains a chemical compound called thujone that was originally blamed for absinthe’s psychedelic properties.
By injecting lab mice with the compound, it was determined that thujone can cause muscle convulsions and seizures. This discovery has influenced most of the claims, both historic and recent, about absinthe’s, ahem, flair. However, traditional absinthe and its current incarnations contain much less of the chemical than would be required for a human to hallucinate even a small fairy, much less enter full-on convulsions.
This fact did not stop the teetotalism movement of the early 20th century from lobbing propaganda attacks at the drink, attacks that were surprisingly analogous to those used in today’s war on drugs. As absinthe was the drink of choice in most areas of France,and was popular among thirsty citizens of all classes, it was a natural target for slander.
Stories circulating about the drink’s tendency to drive men to become alcoholics, neglect their families, and even commit murder (or maybe just cut an ear off), combined with scant scientific knowledge about wormwood, was enough to make absinthe fall completely out of favor during most of the 20th century. Absinthe was concurrently banned in many countries.
Recently, however, absinthe has experienced a revival—not just in pop culture, but in the liquor store. Many countries (including the U.S. and the members of the E.U.) lifted their bans in the early 2000s with the requirement that wormwood content remain controlled. As a result, it’s becoming more and more common to see absinthe on menus and shelves. There are even bars in D.C., like the Black Squirrel in Adams Morgan, that serve up absinthe using the traditional method: soak a cube of sugar in the drink, position the sugar cube on a spoon above the glass, light the sugar on fire, let burn, and stir. Exciting!
Absinthe may not be the trip you expect it to be, but it can still make for a great addition to any drinking schedule. Although the taste leaves much to be desired, absinthe usually contains at least 50 percent alcohol and can reach levels up to 75 percent. Compared to vodka or beer, absinthe is certainly enough to knock anyone on their back for a night. And although the active ingredient in wormwood doesn’t have any serious effects in low doses, it may still have some mild ones, not to mention possible effects from the chemical properties of the other plants absinthe is steeped with. After all, it did inspire some of the most prolific artists and authors of our time—there must be something to it. Just don’t expect to chat with any tiny men after drinking it.
