21 Facts About Absinthe

Absinthe is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium, together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs.

Absinthe is traditionally bottled at a high level of alcohol by volume, but it is normally diluted with water before being consumed.

Absinthe originated in the canton of Neuchatel in Switzerland in the late 18th century.

Absinthe has often been portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen.

Absinthe's popularity grew steadily through the 1840s, when it was given to French troops as a malaria preventive, and the troops brought home their taste for it.

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Absinthe became so popular in bars, bistros, cafes, and cabarets by the 1860s that the hour of 5 p m was called l'heure verte .

Absinthe was exported widely from France and Switzerland and attained some degree of popularity in other countries, including Spain, Great Britain, United States, and the Czech Republic.

Absinthe became associated with violent crimes and social disorder, and one modern writer claims that this trend was spurred by fabricated claims and smear campaigns, which he claims were orchestrated by the temperance movement and the wine industry.

Absinthe makes you crazy and criminal, provokes epilepsy and tuberculosis, and has killed thousands of French people.

Edgar Degas's 1876 painting L'Absinthe can be seen at the Musee d'Orsay epitomising the popular view of absinthe addicts as sodden and benumbed, and Emile Zola described its effects in his novel L'Assommoir.

In 2000, La Fee Absinthe became the first commercial absinthe distilled and bottled in France since the 1914 ban, but it is one of dozens of brands that are produced and sold within France.

Absinthe has never been illegal to import or manufacture in Australia, although importation requires a permit under the Customs Regulation 1956 due to a restriction on importing any product containing "oil of wormwood".

In December 2007, St George Absinthe Verte produced by St George Spirits of Alameda, California became the first brand of American-made absinthe produced in the United States since the ban.

Absinthe is traditionally prepared from a distillation of neutral alcohol, various herbs, spices and water.

Absinthe glasses were typically fashioned with a dose line, bulge, or bubble in the lower portion denoting how much absinthe should be poured.

Absinthe that is artificially coloured or clear is aesthetically stable, and can be bottled in clear glass.

Absinthe intended for decades of storage should be kept in a cool, dry place, away from light and heat.

Absinthe has been frequently and improperly described in modern times as being hallucinogenic.

Absinthe was prohibited in Brazil until 1999 and was brought by entrepreneur Lalo Zanini and legalised in the same year.

Edouard Manet's first major painting The Absinthe Drinker was controversial, and was rejected by the Paris Salon in 1859.

Absinthe imported in violation of these regulations is subject to seizure at the discretion of U S Customs and Border Protection.