Absinthe is now not only sold in Switzerland, but is once again distilled in its Val-de-Travers birthplace. The ban was written into ordinary law instead. In Switzerland, the constitutional ban on absinthe was removed in 2000 during an overhaul of the national constitution. In July 2004 it became legal to make absinthe again. In the Netherlands, the old law banning absinthe was successfully challenged by the Amsterdam wine seller Menno Boorsma. Thujone is the chemical which was thought to cause the hallucinatory (bad dream) effect of absinthe. This bans only drinks that call themselves 'absinthe' and drinks that do not meet with European Union laws on thujone. It has never been banned in Spain or Portugal, where it continues to be made. This was a Bohemian-style absinthe, which started a rebirth in absinthe's popularity. Hill's Liquere, a Czech Republic distillery founded in 1920, began manufacturing Hill's Absinth. In the 1990s an importer discovered that there was no UK law banning the sale of absinthe. Modern revival įennel, one of the three main herbs used in production of absinthe After the absinthe prohibition, wine and whiskey makers had a big increase in sales. Around the same time, Australia banned the liquor too. The Netherlands banned absinthe in 1909, followed by the United States in 1912 and France in 1915. The banning of absinthe was even written into the constitution in 1907, following a popular initiative. In 1900 absinthe was banned in Switzerland. Journalists blamed absinthe for many social problems. Wine makers groups often publicized problems with absinthe. Combined with hard liquor use and the low price, absinthe became a social problem in France. By 1910 the French were drinking 36 million litres of absinthe per year.Ībsinthe was often linked with violent crimes supposedly committed under its influence. By the 1880s the price had dropped a lot, the market got bigger, and absinthe soon became the drink of France. After the 1860s absinthe had become so popular that it was for sale in most cafés and cabarets. When the troops returned home, they started to drink absinthe with water.

In the 1840s absinthe was given to French soldiers as a malaria treatment. In 1805 Pernod built a second distillery in Pontarlier, France,Ībsinthe's popularity grew slowly. In 1797, Henry-Louis Pernod, opened the first absinthe distillery, called 'Dubied Père et Fils', in Couvet. Wormwood has been in medical use since 1500 BC. The precise origin of absinthe is unknown. By the early 21st century, nearly 200 brands of absinthe were being produced in a dozen countries, most notably in France, Switzerland, Australia, Spain, and the Czech Republic. A revival of absinthe began in the 1990s, after modern European Union food and beverage laws removed barriers to its production and sale. Recent studies have shown that absinthe's psychoactive effects (apart from the alcohol) have been exaggerated. However, it has not been shown to be any more dangerous than ordinary spirits. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States and in much of Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria-Hungary. The chemical compound thujone, although present in the spirit in only trace amounts, was blamed for its alleged harmful effects. Ībsinthe has often been thought a dangerous addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen. Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley, Erik Satie and Alfred Jarry were all known absinthe drinkers. By 1910 this had increased to 36 million litres. At the end of 1900 the French were drinking over 2 million litres of absinthe a year. The romantic associations with the drink still lingers in popular culture. It was very popular in late 19th and early 20th century France.

Ībsinthe is bottled at a high level of alcohol, but it is usually diluted with water before it is drunk.Ībsinthe came from Val-de-Travers, Switzerland. It is not a liqueur, because it is not traditionally bottled with added sugar therefore it is a spirit. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as ' la fée verte' (the green fairy). Ībsinthe has a natural green colour but may also be colourless. The herbs including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium ('grand wormwood'), together with green anise, sweet fennel. It is an anise-flavoured spirit won from herbs. Beside it is an absinthe spoon.Ībsinthe is a distilled highly alcoholic drink. A glass filled with a naturally-colored verte.

Absinthe legal in us