Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit that was invented by the Swiss and made infamous by the French.

It is drunk in a ritual that involves pouring absinthe and water into a glass over a sugar cube placed on a slotted silver spoon.

Absinthe developed a nickname -- The Green Fairy -- because of its magical effects on famous artists and bohemians in late 19th century and early 20th century Paris. Hemingway invented an absinthe-and-Champagne cocktail called Death in the Afternoon. And painters like Degas immortalized the drink in famous works of art.

But absinthe also developed a dangerous reputation -- mostly because its principal ingredient wormwood was believed to be poisonous and drive men to madness -- and The Green Fairy was banned in several countries including France in the early 20th century.

Manufacturers removed the offending wormwood and boosted its anise and sugar content to create what is now known as pastis, a liqueur popular in southern France.

But absinthe was never banned completely, and since its revival in the 1990s, the drink has developed a 21st-century cult following. One of its most outspoken advocates, the singer Marilyn Manson, has his own official absinthe, Mansinthe.

(Image courtesy of The Absinthe Kit.)