Absinthe: The Myth and the Reality
By Heather Stimmler-Hall
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| After almost a century of being banned, absinthe is again legal in France. |
If you've heard of absinthe at all, you've probably heard that it is a strong, hallucinogenic liqueur banned for causing insanity in those who drink it. The reputation of this green-tinted aniseed drink has long-suffered from misunderstandings and misconceptions about both its defaults as well as its qualities.
Originally used in the mid-1800s by the French army in North Africa as a health tonic to prevent disease and purify water, soldiers brought the taste back to the cafés of Belle Epoque Paris. It soon became the most popular aperitif in France, particularly among the bourgeoisie, who referred to their pre-dinner glass of absinthe as L'Heure Verte (the Green Hour).
Absinthe became a mythical part of bohemian Paris in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hyped by such writers as Verlaine and immortalized in the paintings of artists like Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec who referred to their liquid inspiration as the Fée Verte (Green Fairy) because they believed it gave them hallucinogenic visions.
Absinthe gets its name from the bitter herb Artemisia absinthium, known commonly as wormwood and a substance that supposedly drives people mad with delirium. According to legend Van Gogh was suffering under the effects of wormwood when he cut off his ear. But as the temperance movement gained momentum in the early 1900s, absinthe became an easy target, and was soon banned in Switzerland, the United States, and finally in France.
Modern historians seem to agree that the effects of absinthe were greatly overrated and that any toxic effects produced by the wormwood would have been overshadowed by the elevated alcohol content of the drink (72%). The drink's popularity at the time also resulted in a lot of cheaply made, poisonous imitations that no doubt caused serious medical problems. It didn't help, either, that the powerful wine industry was whole-heartedly behind the ban, since it obviously felt its own market threatened.
After nearly a century of illegality, France quietly lifted the ban on absinthe production in 1988, and it has returned to the market with much fanfare. Despite the fanciful descriptions of visions and enhanced mental clarity, absinthe is nothing more than a strong alcoholic aperitif with a sweet aniseed flavor that can be enjoyed for its taste alone – in moderation, of course!
As for drinking absinthe in Paris today, there aren't actually many places that serve it, partly because preparation requires some elaborate equipment and many French people still assume that it is illegal. You can easily find it for purchase in liquor stores and Duty Free shops. For sitting down and imbibing, try the following:
The Hôtel Royal Fromentin (11 rue Fromentin, 75009 Paris, tel. 01 42 81 02 33) serves absinthe at their historic bar, a former cabaret at the foot of Montmartre. Visit in the evening for a presentation by the staff of the history of Absinthe.
The Musée de l'Absinthe (44 rue Alphonse Callé, 95430 Auvers-sur-Oise, tel. 01 30 36 83 26, about fifteen minutes outside Paris) is open on the weekends and holidays and sports all sorts of memorabilia and paraphernalia from absinthe's heyday. The train from Gare du Nord goes directly to the town.
Heather Stimmler-Hall is an American journalist living in Paris who leads the Paris Transect orientation walk for Context:Paris and other didactic walks of her favorite neighborhoods. Her "Paris & Ile-de-France Adventure Guide" was published in 2004 by Hunter.