Know About Absinthe Fairy
The Absinthe fairy was used on Absinthe label and posters. The film Moulin Rouge was based on the french Bohemian culture of Montmartre in Paris where Absinthe, the Green Fairy, was the favorite drink of artists and writers.
Absinthe Fairy Followers
Famous devotees of La Fee Verte, the Green Fairy, were Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Gauguin, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway who created his own Absinthe cocktail “Death in the Afternoon” – a mix of Absinthe and champagne. According to the writers and artists Absinthe gave them their genius and their inspiration and numerous pieces of art of the time feature Absinthe or Absinthe drinkers. The Belle Epoque period of history is known as the hey day for Absinthe.
Absinthe is prepared from herbs and essential oils. Its vital ingredient is the herb wormwood, an extract from the plant wormwood or artemisia absinthium. Wormwood is used to give Absinthe it’s characteristic bitter taste and herbs like aniseed, anise and fennel to give it’s anise flavor.
Thujone, a chemical found in wormwood oil, was thought to be psychoactive and to give psychedelic effects, cause hallucinations and eventually insanity. Absinthe was banned in France in 1915 due to the loose morals of the drinkers in Montmartre. One had no right to buy or sell Absinthe. Most of the countries banned it. It was not illegal to sell Absinthe in Spain, Portugal, the UK and the Czech Republic.
Absinthe Fairy and Prohibition
During the prohibition period, distilleries, such as the Pernod Fils distillery, started producing Absinthe substitutes such as Pernod Pastis to market to the people who were missing the anise flavor of Absinthe. Ricard was one of the substitute of Absinthe.
In most of the countries bootleg absinthe was still available after distillation which focused that Absinthe distillation process has never been disappeared.
In the 1990s Absinthe was made legal in many countries, although Switzerland, home of Absinthe, had to wait until 2005 for legalization. You can now buy Absinthe and Absinthe essence kits online along with Absinthiana such as glasses, spoons and fountains. A special antique or replica glass with a proper spoon really adds to the Absinthe preparation ritual.
Absinthe was legalized because studies showed that the liquor only contained minute quantities of thujone and that it was just as safe as drinking other strong spirits. Absinthe is much higher in alcohol than other spirits such as whisky and vodka but was never designed to drink neat. It should be mixed with iced water which allows you to enjoy La Louche – the clouding that happens when the water mixes with the alcohol.
The real wormwood Absinthe and the essences are available on the sites to make own bottled Absinthe.com.