The Absinthe fairy was used on Absinthe label and posters. The film Moulin Rouge was focused on the french Bohemian culture of Montmartre in Paris where the Green Fairy Absinthe 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 was the hey day for Absinthe.
The main content of Absinthe are herbs and essential oils. The basic ingredient of it is the herb wormwood, an extract from the plant wormwood or artemisia absinthium. Absinthe gets it characteristic bitter taste from wormwood and it’s anise flavor from herbs.
Thujone, a chemical found in wormwood oil, was thought to be psychoactive and to give psychedelic effects, cause hallucinations and eventually insanity. In 1915 the loose morals of the drinkers in Montmartre gave prohibition campaigners ammunition to restrict Absinthe in France. Buying or selling Absinthe was not legal. It was also unauthorized in other countries. Spain, where Absinthe was called Absenta, Portugal, the UK and the Czech Republic never restricted the Green Fairy.
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. The another substitute of Absinthe was Ricard.
In most of the countries bootleg absinthe was still available after distillation which focused that Absinthe distillation process has never been disappeared.
Although Absinthe was made legal in many countries in the 1990s but in Switzerland it was legalized in 2005. You can now buy Absinthe and Absinthe essence kits online along with Absinthiana such as glasses, spoons and fountains. The Absinthe preparation ritual is enhanced if it is drunk in a special antique or replica glass with a proper spoon.
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.
For making own bottled Absinthe one can get the real wormwood Absinthe and essences from several websites.com.