AbsintheSince its introduction to the drinking community, absinthe has had the most fascinating history of all liqueurs. The drink, nicknamed the Green Fairy, gained popularity in the artistic social circle. Among his devotees were Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Dowson, Edgar Allen Poe, Verlaine and Vincent Van Gough. Over time, absinthe grew in popularity, reaching the common working-class man. In 1910, French refiners produced thirty-six million liters of absinthe per year (Kiffel). As the drink became more and more popular, questions regarding its safety arose, leading to its banning by almost all European countries between the years 1912 and 1915. Although its reign was short, absinthe represented the counterculture of the early 20th century, leading people to call it “the drink of Parisian abandon” (Walsh). The two main components of absinthe were alcohol and thujone, a substance similar to THC. It was made from a combination of anise, fennel, hyssop and lemon balm along with lesser amounts of angelica, star anise, dittany, juniper, nutmeg and speedwell (Baggot). These ingredients were mixed with wormwood plants and water. The mixture was then distilled. Dried herbs, including more wormwood, were added to the distillate, which was then diluted with alcohol to give it a concentration of seventy-five percent alcohol by volume (Walsh). If done correctly, the finished product had a soft green color and an extremely bitter taste. In 1792, Pierre Ordinaire concocted absinthe as a panacea. The potion remained in relative obscurity until Major Dubied purchased the rites of the elixir. In ten years, he created the absinthe company Perrod-Fils. In 1844, the French army purchased an immense quantity of paper and posed a threat to European culture. Starting in Sweden in 1912, absinthe was banned in almost every country, ending with France in 1915. Works Cited Walsh, Don. “Absinthe & Thuyone”. www.chem.ox.ac.uk/mom/absinthe/absinthe.html. This source provided information on the chemical composition of wormwood. He also discussed the reasons for its ban and the possible health effects of the drink.Kiffel, James. "Absinthe". www.sepulchritude.com/chapelperilous/absinthe.html. (1997). This source provided a good historical view of the drink and its relationship to the era in which it was popular. Baggot, Mathew. “Absinthe Facts.” www.sepulchritude.com/chapelperilous/absinthe/absinthe-faq.html. (1943). This source provided general information about absinthe, such as its main components, how it was drunk, and its relationship to other alcoholic beverages..