| Absinthe History and FAQ III |
FAQ I
What is absinthe?
How is absinthe drunk?
FAQ II
What gives absinthe its “secondary effects”?
What is wormwood? What is thujone?
Which modern drinks are related to absinthe?
What does absinthe taste like? Is it very bitter?
Where does the word "absinthe" come from?
What is absinthe?
How is absinthe drunk?
FAQ II
What gives absinthe its “secondary effects”?
What is wormwood? What is thujone?
Which modern drinks are related to absinthe?
What does absinthe taste like? Is it very bitter?
Where does the word "absinthe" come from?
FAQ III
What is the history of absinthe?
Who invented it?
Which were the best quality absinthes?
What did they cost?
FAQ IV
How did absinthe influence artists like Degas, Manet, van Gogh and Picasso, and writers like
Verlaine, Rimbaud, Wilde and Hemingway?
What is the history of absinthe?
Who invented it?
Which were the best quality absinthes?
What did they cost?
FAQ IV
How did absinthe influence artists like Degas, Manet, van Gogh and Picasso, and writers like
Verlaine, Rimbaud, Wilde and Hemingway?
FAQ V
Why was absinthe banned?
What was absinthism? Who was Dr Valentin Magnan?
FAQ VI
What were the Lanfray murders?
When was absinthe banned?
What happened after the ban?
The modern absinthe revival
Why was absinthe banned?
What was absinthism? Who was Dr Valentin Magnan?
FAQ VI
What were the Lanfray murders?
When was absinthe banned?
What happened after the ban?
The modern absinthe revival
What is the history of absinthe? Who invented it?
Banned for almost a century until its recent revival, absinthe is something of a “living fossil”, a coelacanth amongst drinks, able to
magically transport us back to the glittering world of Paris and the Belle Epoque, a world of bohemian musicians and writers, of the Moulin
Rouge and the cafes of Montmartre, a world of starving struggling artists and glittering courtesans.
But the origins of the drink lie far from the bright lights of Paris – absinthe was first produced near Couvet in Switzerland, and nearby
Pontarlier in the Doubs region of France. This largely forgotten part of rural France, nestled in the wooded foothills of the Jura mountains,
is still regarded as the true home of absinthe.
Legend has it, that the inventor of the drink was Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, who in 1792, shortly after the French revolution, travelled around the
Val de Travers on his faithfull horse Rocket, and produced the first commercial absinthe, initially as an all-purpose remedy or cure-all. It
was nicknamed "La Fée Verte" - "The Green Fairy" - and this name stuck throughout absinthe's heyday. It was recommended for the
treatment of epilepsy, gout, kidney stones, colic, headaches and worms. Dr. Ordinaire's invention aroused the interest of a gentleman
named Major Dubied, who saw its possibilities not just as a patent medicine, but as an aperitif. Dubied purchased what was reputed to be
Ordinaire’s original formula from two sisters called Henriod at the beginning of the 19th century and began large scale production.
It's likely that this traditional story is considerably embellished - the manufacture of absinthe-like drinks in the Neuchatel region is recorded
from the 1750's or even earlier, and the two Henriod sisters were making the drink even before Dr Ordinaire's arrival in the Val de Travers.
Most probably Dr Ordinaire was simply a doctor who did much to promote the use of absinthe as a herbal tonic and folk remedy in the
region.
By 1805, the Pernod Fils absinthe company was set up in Pontarlier in the Doubs region, run by Dubied's son-in-law, Henri-Louis Pernod.
Initially there were just two stills producing only 16 litres of absinthe per day. Shortly afterwards the elder Dubied and his son split from
Pernod to return to their own firm, which was later passed down to a cousin named Fritz Duval.
Pernod Fils went from strength to strength. Henri-Louis's dynamic younger son Louis purchased 36 000 square meters of land on the
outskirts of Pontarlier alongside the Doubs River, and built a factory with a daily production exceeding 400 litres. By 1850, when Louis died,
the factory had 26 stills producing 20 000 liters a day. Louis's sons Fritz and Louis-Alfred took over the reins, and assisted by financing
from the Veil-Picard banking family (and also by a brilliant Swiss engineer Arthur Borel, a close associate of the Pernod's for 3 generations,
who designed most of the factories innovative distilling, bottling and packaging equipment) continued to expand.
Pernod Fils went on to become one of the largest and most successful companies in France, and was a pioneer in the humane and
enlightened treatment of its mostly female workers. As early as 1873 a profit-sharing and pension scheme was introduced, and the
company at its own expense insured its workers against accidents, gave them unemployment compensation and provided medical
benefits.
The popularity of absinthe spread further as it was used as a fever preventative by French troops fighting in Algeria from 1844 to 1847.
Mixed with wine or water - jokingly referred to as "absinthe soup" - it was believed to kill germs and fend off dysentry (no doubt, this high
alcohol combination also helped to relieve the boredom of barracks life). When the troops of the Bataillon d'Afrique returned to France,
they brought with them their taste for the refreshingly bitter drink, and absinthe became a hit in bars and bistros all over France.
The reign of Napoleon III - from 1852 to his downfall with the Prussian invasion in 1870 - was something of a golden age for absinthe. Still
relatively expensive, it was primarily a drink of the fashionable bourgeoisie. It was supposed to sharpen the appetite for dinner, and in the
early evening, the smell of absinthe wafted over the Parisian boulevards. By the 1870s, it had become common practice to begin a meal
with an aperitif, and of 1500 available liqueurs, absinthe accounted for 90% of the apéritifs drunk.
Licensing laws were relaxed during the 1860's, which resulted in a proliferation of new cabarets and cafés - more than 30,000 existed in
Paris by 1869, and 5 p.m. signified l'Heure Verte - the Green Hour - in almost every one. The cafés were an extremely popular place to
socialize, since most of Paris' citizens were living in cramped apartments, often in squalor and poverty.
Nowhere was this cafe culture more vibrant than in the Parisian district of Montmartre, already by the mid 19th century the favourite haunt
of the bohemian literary and artistic set. Amongst the best known establishments were the Brasserie des Martyrs, a particular favourite of
Baudelaire, the Cafe du Rat Mort, popular with writers by day and a lesbian hangout at night, and most famous of all, the Chat Noir,
founded in 1881 by Theodore Salis, an unsuccessful painter. Erik Satie played the piano here and Alfred Jarry was a regular, as was the
remarkable poet and inventor Charles Cross, who reputedly drank 20 absinthes a night.
In 1860, a young Parisian author, Henri Balesta, wrote Absinthe et Absintheurs, the first book to record the social context of heavy absinthe
drinking. He describes a typical cafe scene:
"In the morning, at lunchtime, the habitués invaded the bistrot. The professors of absinthe were already at their station, yes, the teachers
of absinthe, for it is a science, or rather an art to drink absinthe properly, and certainly to drink it in quantity. They put themselves on the trail
of the novice drinkers, teaching them to raise their elbow high and frequently, to water their absinthe artistically, and when, after the tenth
little glass, the pupil rolled under the table, the master went on to another, always drinking, always holding forth, always steady and
unshakeable at his post."
Banned for almost a century until its recent revival, absinthe is something of a “living fossil”, a coelacanth amongst drinks, able to
magically transport us back to the glittering world of Paris and the Belle Epoque, a world of bohemian musicians and writers, of the Moulin
Rouge and the cafes of Montmartre, a world of starving struggling artists and glittering courtesans.
But the origins of the drink lie far from the bright lights of Paris – absinthe was first produced near Couvet in Switzerland, and nearby
Pontarlier in the Doubs region of France. This largely forgotten part of rural France, nestled in the wooded foothills of the Jura mountains,
is still regarded as the true home of absinthe.
Legend has it, that the inventor of the drink was Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, who in 1792, shortly after the French revolution, travelled around the
Val de Travers on his faithfull horse Rocket, and produced the first commercial absinthe, initially as an all-purpose remedy or cure-all. It
was nicknamed "La Fée Verte" - "The Green Fairy" - and this name stuck throughout absinthe's heyday. It was recommended for the
treatment of epilepsy, gout, kidney stones, colic, headaches and worms. Dr. Ordinaire's invention aroused the interest of a gentleman
named Major Dubied, who saw its possibilities not just as a patent medicine, but as an aperitif. Dubied purchased what was reputed to be
Ordinaire’s original formula from two sisters called Henriod at the beginning of the 19th century and began large scale production.
It's likely that this traditional story is considerably embellished - the manufacture of absinthe-like drinks in the Neuchatel region is recorded
from the 1750's or even earlier, and the two Henriod sisters were making the drink even before Dr Ordinaire's arrival in the Val de Travers.
Most probably Dr Ordinaire was simply a doctor who did much to promote the use of absinthe as a herbal tonic and folk remedy in the
region.
By 1805, the Pernod Fils absinthe company was set up in Pontarlier in the Doubs region, run by Dubied's son-in-law, Henri-Louis Pernod.
Initially there were just two stills producing only 16 litres of absinthe per day. Shortly afterwards the elder Dubied and his son split from
Pernod to return to their own firm, which was later passed down to a cousin named Fritz Duval.
Pernod Fils went from strength to strength. Henri-Louis's dynamic younger son Louis purchased 36 000 square meters of land on the
outskirts of Pontarlier alongside the Doubs River, and built a factory with a daily production exceeding 400 litres. By 1850, when Louis died,
the factory had 26 stills producing 20 000 liters a day. Louis's sons Fritz and Louis-Alfred took over the reins, and assisted by financing
from the Veil-Picard banking family (and also by a brilliant Swiss engineer Arthur Borel, a close associate of the Pernod's for 3 generations,
who designed most of the factories innovative distilling, bottling and packaging equipment) continued to expand.
Pernod Fils went on to become one of the largest and most successful companies in France, and was a pioneer in the humane and
enlightened treatment of its mostly female workers. As early as 1873 a profit-sharing and pension scheme was introduced, and the
company at its own expense insured its workers against accidents, gave them unemployment compensation and provided medical
benefits.
The popularity of absinthe spread further as it was used as a fever preventative by French troops fighting in Algeria from 1844 to 1847.
Mixed with wine or water - jokingly referred to as "absinthe soup" - it was believed to kill germs and fend off dysentry (no doubt, this high
alcohol combination also helped to relieve the boredom of barracks life). When the troops of the Bataillon d'Afrique returned to France,
they brought with them their taste for the refreshingly bitter drink, and absinthe became a hit in bars and bistros all over France.
The reign of Napoleon III - from 1852 to his downfall with the Prussian invasion in 1870 - was something of a golden age for absinthe. Still
relatively expensive, it was primarily a drink of the fashionable bourgeoisie. It was supposed to sharpen the appetite for dinner, and in the
early evening, the smell of absinthe wafted over the Parisian boulevards. By the 1870s, it had become common practice to begin a meal
with an aperitif, and of 1500 available liqueurs, absinthe accounted for 90% of the apéritifs drunk.
Licensing laws were relaxed during the 1860's, which resulted in a proliferation of new cabarets and cafés - more than 30,000 existed in
Paris by 1869, and 5 p.m. signified l'Heure Verte - the Green Hour - in almost every one. The cafés were an extremely popular place to
socialize, since most of Paris' citizens were living in cramped apartments, often in squalor and poverty.
Nowhere was this cafe culture more vibrant than in the Parisian district of Montmartre, already by the mid 19th century the favourite haunt
of the bohemian literary and artistic set. Amongst the best known establishments were the Brasserie des Martyrs, a particular favourite of
Baudelaire, the Cafe du Rat Mort, popular with writers by day and a lesbian hangout at night, and most famous of all, the Chat Noir,
founded in 1881 by Theodore Salis, an unsuccessful painter. Erik Satie played the piano here and Alfred Jarry was a regular, as was the
remarkable poet and inventor Charles Cross, who reputedly drank 20 absinthes a night.
In 1860, a young Parisian author, Henri Balesta, wrote Absinthe et Absintheurs, the first book to record the social context of heavy absinthe
drinking. He describes a typical cafe scene:
"In the morning, at lunchtime, the habitués invaded the bistrot. The professors of absinthe were already at their station, yes, the teachers
of absinthe, for it is a science, or rather an art to drink absinthe properly, and certainly to drink it in quantity. They put themselves on the trail
of the novice drinkers, teaching them to raise their elbow high and frequently, to water their absinthe artistically, and when, after the tenth
little glass, the pupil rolled under the table, the master went on to another, always drinking, always holding forth, always steady and
unshakeable at his post."
Absinthe hit its peak during the years from 1880-1910, when it fell dramatically in price, becoming accessible to all parts of society and
rivalling wine as the most popular drink in France. By then EVERYONE drank absinthe – society ladies, gentlemen-about-town,
businessmen and politicians, artists, musicians, ordinary working-men. In 1874, France consumed 700,000 litres of absinthe, but by
1910, the figure had exploded to 36,000,000 litres of absinthe per year. It was a quintessential part of Belle Epoque French society.
Riding the crest of this wave the Pernod company boomed, continually expanding production. By 1896 production was up to 125 000 liters
per day.A devastating fire in August 1901 destroyed much of the factory (and resulted in millions of liters of absinthe being discharged
into the Doubs River, which turned cloudy with anise for miles downstream), but the shrewd Pernod's collected almost 4 million francs in
insurance payouts and rebuilt the plant with fireproofing and the very latest technical machinery.
So successful did Pernod Fils become that it spawned a host of copycat brands – there was an Edouard Pernod, a Gempp Pernod, a
Legler Pernod, Jules Pernod, Jules Pernot, Perrenod et Cie, Emile Pernot, Pierrot, Père Noë and many similar. The constant legal battles
that Pernod Fils waged to protect its name laid the foundation for some of modern French copyright law.
A particularly cheeky brand was called “La Meme”, which means “the same” in French:
...waiter! another absinthe!
'la même?'
OUI! the same!
...but maybe NOT the same one he was drinking.…
Pernod Fils (and some of its larger competitiors such as Berger and Edouard Pernod) exported worldwide. The French colonies -
especially Algeria, Vietnam, Madagascar and Tahiti - were all significant markets, as were South American countries like Argentina
and Chile. Naturally, absinthe soon found its way to the "Little Paris" of North America, New Orleans, where it quickly became extremely
popular, particularly as an ingredient in cocktails such as the Absinthe Frappé. The “Old Absinthe House”, with its beautiful and timeworn
green marble absinthe fountain, is one of New Orlean’s most famous sights. Aleister Crowley, the mystical writer and occult magician
wrote his famous and often quoted tract "Absinthe - The Green Goddess" in the Old Absinthe House in 1916 while waiting for a woman
friend. It was first published two years later in the socialist journal "The International". After the end of prohibition, the New Orleans-based
Legendre Company launched Herbsaint, an absinthe-like pastis, which is still made today.
Which were the best quality absinthes? What did they cost?
As one would expect absinthe was produced in many different grades and was sold at widely varying prices, to cater for all parts of the
market - from the elegant boulevardier down to the ordinary working man and below him even, the desperate alcoholic scraping his last
few sous together to feed his addiction. At the top of the quality pyramid stood Pernod Fils and Cusenier's Oxygénée, which commanded
a wholesale price of around 2 francs per litre (this equated to a retail price of 5 francs).. Below them, the other grande marques: Berger,
Edouard Pernod, Premier Fils, Junod, Terminus, at around 1.60. Then lesser but still very reputable brands like Parrot, Bazinet and Vichet
at 1.30, and reliable house brands at about a franc per litre bottle. Below this, an unregulated mass of crudely produced and often
adulterated rotgut, some selling for as little as 60 centimes per litre.
At an expensive and fashionable cabaret like the Moulin Rouge, a glass of Pernod Fils cost between 50 and 65 centimes (still, relatively
speaking, cheap: about half the price of a whisky, and little more than draught beer). At an ordinary bistrot or cafe, the house brand would
run at about 25c, while at a rough standing-room only tavern on the outskirts of the city, a glass of inferior absinthe might be as little as 5c.
All high quality absinthes were distilled, naturally coloured, and in the case of the very best brands like Pernod Fils, made from a base of
grape alcohol. Cheap brands were made from herbal essences, usually artificially coloured, and used cheaper grain or beet alcohols.
High quality absinthes were usually aged in large oak vats for at least 6 months, and sometimes as long as several years. Because of the
cost of tying up capital in stocks, some manufacturers experimented with various accelerated ageing techniques, including devices that
forced oxygen into the absinthe under high pressure.
There was no legislated industry-wide standard terminology, but generally the top designation was "Absinthe Suisse", which denoted a
quality level, not a geographic origin. Then came "Absinthe Superieure", followed by "Absinthe Fine" or "Demi-Fine" and lastly "Absinthe
Ordinaire". An Absinthe Suisse had an alcohol content of between 65% and 72%, an Absinthe Fine was around 55% while an Absinthe
Ordinaire would be only 45% alcohol.
rivalling wine as the most popular drink in France. By then EVERYONE drank absinthe – society ladies, gentlemen-about-town,
businessmen and politicians, artists, musicians, ordinary working-men. In 1874, France consumed 700,000 litres of absinthe, but by
1910, the figure had exploded to 36,000,000 litres of absinthe per year. It was a quintessential part of Belle Epoque French society.
Riding the crest of this wave the Pernod company boomed, continually expanding production. By 1896 production was up to 125 000 liters
per day.A devastating fire in August 1901 destroyed much of the factory (and resulted in millions of liters of absinthe being discharged
into the Doubs River, which turned cloudy with anise for miles downstream), but the shrewd Pernod's collected almost 4 million francs in
insurance payouts and rebuilt the plant with fireproofing and the very latest technical machinery.
So successful did Pernod Fils become that it spawned a host of copycat brands – there was an Edouard Pernod, a Gempp Pernod, a
Legler Pernod, Jules Pernod, Jules Pernot, Perrenod et Cie, Emile Pernot, Pierrot, Père Noë and many similar. The constant legal battles
that Pernod Fils waged to protect its name laid the foundation for some of modern French copyright law.
A particularly cheeky brand was called “La Meme”, which means “the same” in French:
...waiter! another absinthe!
'la même?'
OUI! the same!
...but maybe NOT the same one he was drinking.…
Pernod Fils (and some of its larger competitiors such as Berger and Edouard Pernod) exported worldwide. The French colonies -
especially Algeria, Vietnam, Madagascar and Tahiti - were all significant markets, as were South American countries like Argentina
and Chile. Naturally, absinthe soon found its way to the "Little Paris" of North America, New Orleans, where it quickly became extremely
popular, particularly as an ingredient in cocktails such as the Absinthe Frappé. The “Old Absinthe House”, with its beautiful and timeworn
green marble absinthe fountain, is one of New Orlean’s most famous sights. Aleister Crowley, the mystical writer and occult magician
wrote his famous and often quoted tract "Absinthe - The Green Goddess" in the Old Absinthe House in 1916 while waiting for a woman
friend. It was first published two years later in the socialist journal "The International". After the end of prohibition, the New Orleans-based
Legendre Company launched Herbsaint, an absinthe-like pastis, which is still made today.
Which were the best quality absinthes? What did they cost?
As one would expect absinthe was produced in many different grades and was sold at widely varying prices, to cater for all parts of the
market - from the elegant boulevardier down to the ordinary working man and below him even, the desperate alcoholic scraping his last
few sous together to feed his addiction. At the top of the quality pyramid stood Pernod Fils and Cusenier's Oxygénée, which commanded
a wholesale price of around 2 francs per litre (this equated to a retail price of 5 francs).. Below them, the other grande marques: Berger,
Edouard Pernod, Premier Fils, Junod, Terminus, at around 1.60. Then lesser but still very reputable brands like Parrot, Bazinet and Vichet
at 1.30, and reliable house brands at about a franc per litre bottle. Below this, an unregulated mass of crudely produced and often
adulterated rotgut, some selling for as little as 60 centimes per litre.
At an expensive and fashionable cabaret like the Moulin Rouge, a glass of Pernod Fils cost between 50 and 65 centimes (still, relatively
speaking, cheap: about half the price of a whisky, and little more than draught beer). At an ordinary bistrot or cafe, the house brand would
run at about 25c, while at a rough standing-room only tavern on the outskirts of the city, a glass of inferior absinthe might be as little as 5c.
All high quality absinthes were distilled, naturally coloured, and in the case of the very best brands like Pernod Fils, made from a base of
grape alcohol. Cheap brands were made from herbal essences, usually artificially coloured, and used cheaper grain or beet alcohols.
High quality absinthes were usually aged in large oak vats for at least 6 months, and sometimes as long as several years. Because of the
cost of tying up capital in stocks, some manufacturers experimented with various accelerated ageing techniques, including devices that
forced oxygen into the absinthe under high pressure.
There was no legislated industry-wide standard terminology, but generally the top designation was "Absinthe Suisse", which denoted a
quality level, not a geographic origin. Then came "Absinthe Superieure", followed by "Absinthe Fine" or "Demi-Fine" and lastly "Absinthe
Ordinaire". An Absinthe Suisse had an alcohol content of between 65% and 72%, an Absinthe Fine was around 55% while an Absinthe
Ordinaire would be only 45% alcohol.
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Click on the Adobe icon to download and view the complete text
of Aleister Crowley's "Absinthe - The Green Goddess".
of Aleister Crowley's "Absinthe - The Green Goddess".
Click on the Adobe icon to view a 1944 promotional booklet for Legendre Herbsaint, with numerous cocktail
recipes including the Absinthe Frappé, and a brief history of the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans. (1.76MB)
This document is in landscape format: to orientate it correctly, click on "Rotate View Clockwise" in the Adobe icon menu.
recipes including the Absinthe Frappé, and a brief history of the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans. (1.76MB)
This document is in landscape format: to orientate it correctly, click on "Rotate View Clockwise" in the Adobe icon menu.
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