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.)
Wormwood is the main herb used to make absinthe. (It was also used in the original recipe for vermouth, which means "wormwood" in German.)
Wormwood is a wild bush native to Europe that also grows in North America. Oil extracted from the aromatic, bitter herb was originally used for medicinal purposes. But wormwood oil is believed to be poisonous and addictive in high doses and was demonized in the early 20th century when it was blamed for causing absinthe drinkers to go mad.
Absinthe was banned in the early 20th century, but never completely, and absinthe has come back into fashion in recent years.
Reference: What is absinthe? (Cookthink)
Reference: What is Mansinthe? (Cookthink)
Reference: What is vermouth? (Cookthink)
Mansinthe is the official absinthe of Marilyn Manson, the outrageous, gender- and genre-bending rocker with a thing for the Green Fairy.
Following the re-emergence of absinthe in the 1990s, Manson was reported to have become a fan, apparently enjoying an adult dose of the wormwood-laced liqueur before shows.
Last year, Manson paired up with a Swiss distiller to produce his own authentic absinthe. Critics are mixed on the result. In April 2008, Mansinthe won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. A tasting panel at Epicurious thought otherwise; one reviewer compared its aroma to "sewage water or swamp mud."
Reference: What is absinthe? (Cookthink)
Reference: What is wormwood? (Cookthink)
