Absinthe – The Green Fairy’s Connection to Art Nouveau

Mention absinthe in casual conversation and you are likely to receive varied reactions – some might talk of hallucinations; while others might claim it’s dangerous and leads to drunken madness. Unfortunately, however, the reality of absinthe is more nuanced: as a green herbal liquor it has been blamed for everything from silly drunkenness and murder – hence its ban in several countries for over 100 years.

To craft the traditional beverage of absinthe, dried fennel, anise and grand wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) were steeped overnight in 85% ethanol before boiling, cooling, distilling and straining to reach whatever proof absinthe is prescribed by regional laws. Terpenoids, essential oils and bitterness from herbs were concentrated and separated from alcohol before pouring the green liquid into an absinthe glass to be allowed to cool slowly; this process, known as louching caused its clouded appearance when high proof alcohol was mixed with cold water–producing its characteristic clouded and clouded yellow appearance as high-proof alcohol was mixed with cold water-proof alcohol content increased.

Sugar cubes were then immersed in absinthe and set ablaze, dissolving into it through flame. As it burned, its colorful hue changed as more sugar dissolved into it; its sweet aroma wafting into the air. For drinking absinthe, special glasses with special spoons were created. A small amount of cold water would then drip slowly onto an absinthe spoon with the sugar cube on it until slowly dissolving into absinthe through drip. This method was known as dripping; another variation involves pre-soaking a sugar cube in absinthe before setting it aflame before setting it off on fire before setting off flames.