The Absinthe Drinkers Chasing the Green Fairy from past to present

ABSINTHE, a liqueur or aromatised spirit prepared by pounding the leaves and flowering tops of various species of wormwood chiefly Artemisia Absinthium, along with angelica root (Archangelica officinalis), sweet flag root (?cornis Calamus), the leaves of dittany of Crete (Origanum Didamnus), star anise fruit (lllicium anisatum), and other aromatice and macerating these in alcohol. After soaking for about eight days the compound is distilled ,yielding an emerald coloured liquor, to which a proportion of an essential oil, usually that of anise is added.

Absinthe, or wormwood, has long been known as a medicinal plant of value in cases of fever but it was only at the end of the 18th century that it was first used at Couvet in Switzerland for the preparation of a spirituous jiqueur As usually sold it is a spirit containing as much as 72 per cent of alcohol though some varieties contain only 57 per cent On account of the deadly ravages it caused among those addicted to it absinthe is prohibited in Switzerland and France.

The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge

The distillation of absinthe is only an unimportant feature of the industry at Nyons but its production and use in the form of liqueur are so rapidly increasing and with such unfortunate results in certain quarters that the subject may fitly be included in the present topic. There are two species of the absinthe plant the large and small which are used respectively in the manufacture of absinthe liqueurs and vermouth The larger of these Artemisia absinthium otherwise known as wormwood grows abundantly in various districts of Central Europe notably in Jura and French Alps.

French Inn Sign

Close to Fontainebleau on the road leading from that town to the Pont de Valvins and not far from Los Basses Loges there is a public house newly established I think which bears the quaint sign Au grain de sel indissoluble Underneath may be read lie deluge a perdu nos p6res I Absinthe Pernod ie perd nos fils A 15 centimes le verre It is difficult to imagine how this sign came to be arrived at The Absinthe Pernod fils is considered to be the best

F. Chance
Sydenham Hill

Notes and Queries

Uncle Sam Forbids Absinthe

How Switzerland Indemnified All Connected With the Absinthe Traffic

ABSINTHE

DRUG SELLING BY BARKEEPERS

A barkeeper at the Richelieu one of the leading Chicago hotels said in a recent interview in reply to the question whether there was much drug selling by barkeepers:

They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, the road to finding good absinthe related items on Ebay is paved with terrible murderers waiting to kill you at every turn. Let's short list the pitfalls of buying on Ebay:

It's been a long time in the making and a lot of it still isn't here but damn if it wasn't about time to start in again. Really, it's the old story. Things happen, people get busy, hobbies get put on the back burner. But no excuses!

Absinthe is our business and we're late for work!