Absinthe takes its name from Artemisia absinthium, the scientific name for the bitter herb commonly known as wormwood, or in French, 'Grande absinthe'. This key ingredient, for the liquor absinthe, also contains a chemical constituent called thujone. It is thujone that is credited as being the source for alleged mind-altering properties of absinthe. Wormwood infusions had been known and used as medicinal preparations as far back as the classical Greek period. However, it was not until around 1792 that the alcoholic elixir, that became ”absinthe”, was supposedly created. Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor living in Switzerland, distilled the wormwood plant in alcohol with anise, hyssop, lemon balm, and other local herbs. According to popular legend, Ordinaire actually obtained his recipe from the local Henriod sisters, who had been making what the called 'elixir d'absynthe' to treat local illnesses for years. The tonic, quite powerful at around 72% alcohol, was locally heralded as a medical cure-all. The recipe was in turn passed on to a Major Dubied, whose son-in-law was Henri-Louis Pernod. Whatever the truth behind its origins, absinthe stopped being a local curiosity and started on its route to becoming an international phenomenon in 1797 with the foundation of their distillery in Couvet, Switzerland. In 1805, the famous Pernod Fils distillery expanded and opened in Pontarlier, France to avoid customs taxes between Switzerland and France. By 1905, there were hundreds of distilleries in all corners of France producing absinthe, with over 40 distilleries operating across the Swiss border in the French Jura region, 22 of which were located within the town of Pontarlier, producing 7,000,000 liters a year from 151 stills. The success of the highly regarded Pontarlier brands attracted many imitators and profiteers who introduced cheaper, adulterated and even poisonous imitations into the absinthe market. It was these unscrupulous manufacturers and their cheap products that were partially responsible for the reputation that credited absinthe with causing delirium and madness in those who drank it.

Originally, absinthe gained its popularity from its use in North Africa during the French campaigns of the 1840s as a disease preventative and water purifier. The French soldiers brought their taste for the herbal beverage back to the cafés of Paris. Here it became a fashionable drink of the bourgeoisie, so much so that the time between 5.00 pm and 7.00 pm became known as "l'heure verte" (the Green Hour), and absinthe soon became the most popular aperitif in France. From the mid 19th century onwards absinthe became associated with bohemian Paris and was frequently represented in the paintings of such artists as Manet, Van Gogh and Picasso. When they were not painting it, they were drinking it in large quantities, joined by contemporary poets such as Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Verlaine - who practically made a career out of it. Absinthe production grew so much that it became cheaper than wine. Between 1876 and 1900 the annual consumption in France had rocketed from 1,000,000 liters to 21,000,000 liters. It is no exaggeration to compare the impact of banning absinthe to being similar in effect to banning Scotch whisky in Scotland.

If absinthe was so popular, why was it banned? There were a number of reasons. As a high proof spirit, absinthe became an obvious target of the temperance movement that was sweeping Europe at the beginning of the 20th century and absinthe became the scapegoat for all alcohol. Another weapon used to vilify absinthe was the results of studies that were published showing that thujone was a neurotoxin in extremely large quantities (albeit more than was found in even 150 glasses of absinthe!), which caused convulsions and death in laboratory animals. Pressure also came from the wine producers who saw absinthe’s popularity as a threat to wine sales, which had been devastated by the spread of the phylloxera louse that destroyed most of France's vineyards by 1890. In 1905, another nail was driven into absinthe’s coffin as a result of the “Absinthe Murder”, which took place in Switzerland when Mr. Lanfray shot his entire family after drinking absinthe. The prohibitionists conveniently overlooked the fact that he had also consumed several liters of wine and a considerable amount of brandy. However, misinformation and the temperance movement had worked their magic and absinthe was banned in Switzerland by 1910. The constant bad press from across the Atlantic and a fictional anti-absinthe novel titled "Wormwood, a Drama of Paris" penned by Marie Corelli (who was the Belle Époque equivalent of a Danielle Steele-type novelist), caused a furor in the United States. Absinthe was mostly consumed in 'cosmopolitan' cities like San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago and New York and the scandalous stories that spread across the American heartland prompted its US ban in 1912. It took the early days of World War I, in 1915, when absinthe was finally banned in France, but it took a military order to do it. Contrary to popular belief, absinthe was never banned in the United Kingdom, Spain, or Portugal.

Curiously enough, the French government passed a decree over 15 years ago (Décret n° 88-1024 du 2 novembre 1988) that in effect, re-legalized absinthe under a modified name ('spiriteux' or 'amer aux plantes d'absinthe'). Absinthe sold in France must follow certain labeling guidelines and a chemical analysis of the final product must be conducted. Although a modern historical break-through for legal absinthe in modern France, the change in the law went unnoticed until more than 10 years later! These regulations have since been harmonized within the European Union regulations, although the use of the name “Absinthe” outside of France has been tolerated and sometimes abused. Unfortunately, few modern producers have been able to capture the flavor and complexity of original absinthes.

Recent analytical studies of samples, from unopened vintage absinthe bottles, have concluded that the modern regulations would not prevent the development of absinthes that are virtually identical in every aspect to the best absinthes of the Belle Époque. Similar to the best absinthes of the past, modern absinthes require the best distilling equipment, techniques and ingredients be used to produce a superior product.