The Myth of Absinthe
Can it make you HALLUCINATE?
For as long as I can remember, there has always been quite the stigma on absinthe due to the fact that many believe it is known to have hallucinogenic qualities when ingested. I’ve been told to steer clear of the drink from peers to even parents; so I did a little research for myself to set the record straight.
Photo by Science History Institute
A little history
Absinthe is a strong spirit made with macerated herbs and wormwood (which gives the drink its flavor and green hue). The first recorded production of absinthe was in the early 18th century by a French doctor named Pierre Ordinaire. The drink was said to have properties to prevent Malaria and even cure ailments like anemia (lack of red blood cells in the body). Absinthe was later given to french soldiers as a remedy to several medical diagnoses. As soldiers began returning home and word of this new delicious green drink spread (in addition to a wine shortage), absinthe took France by storm. By 1910, absinthe was France’s number one selling drink, and pretty soon other countries hopped on the train.
Photo by Faded Industry
Hallucinogenic Stigma
Now, before I get into why these rumors spread like wildfire, I’ll clear the air once and for all. True absinthe doesn’t cause hallucinations anymore than that of tequila, or wine for that matter. Due to such a high demand for the up and coming beverage, people began producing “imitation” absinthe with poisons (not necessarily that made you trip but were very bad for you) in order to keep the money flowing at a fraction of the time it took to distill real absinthe. Big wine companies took to the streets with this information to scare folks away from the new number one spirit. These rumors began to seem way more realistic when several doctors even got involved, claiming that drinking too much absinthe would cause absinthism — apparently a disease that caused hallucinations and could even be passed down to one's children (again, zero proof).
Photo by Alandia
Absinthe’s Ban
In August of 1905, it came out that a French man murdered his wife and their two children. The horrific crime was said to have taken place during a night of heavy drinking for the perpetrator, as the man admittedly had two glasses of absinthe prior (in addition to seven glasses of wine and six glasses of cognac). This led to an eruption of protests to ban absinthe entirely and before you knew it, the drink was ultimately made illegal in several countries by 1915. Due to stigmas, lobbying, and the huge myth of absinthe’s properties, the spirit was banned in the US until 2007. Today, absinthe formulas are regulated and free to be purchased all across the globe.
Some Absinth Advocates you may be familiar with: Vincent Van Gogh, Marilyn Manson, Ernest Hemingway, and Oscar Wilde.
So if you haven’t tried absinthe because of all the craziness, I say go grab a bottle and put an end to the longtime fuss around it. That is, if you like the taste of black liquorice!
