I laughed so hard when he was painting this picturesque scene of a guy waking up in a serene farmhouse and going downstairs to have a cup of coffee, but instead pours a glass of absinthe because “If there’s one thing to remember it’s that he was a violent and raging alcoholic” 😂😂😂
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 I was really expecting someone to have been poisoned with a glass of Absinthe, not for a guy to just pick up a gun and shoot everyone. Like there were several factors there other than the Absinthe that seemed more important.
I come from the region in Switzerland where Absinthe originated from, but it also got banned for quite a while here in Switzerland. But if you knew a guy who knew a guy, you could always get your hands on it. My grandfather still hides his absinthe even though it's legal again.
After my great-aunt passed away we were looking through her glassware and we found a set of four old, strange glasses with a bulb on the bottom. No one else cared about them, but they didn't know what they were. They were original French Absinthe glasses, and we found the "spoon" in a silverware drawer, so I took it as well (my cousin thought it was a small spatula). Apparently there had been a lot more going on in my great aunt's past than her own children knew about. 🤨😆
Moral panics have to be one of the most fascinating aspects of humanity, where everyone in one point in time suddenly gets worked into a collective anxiety attack that this one thing is responsible for most of society's ills, and a few decades later, everyone calms down and goes "Oh, well, I guess absinthe/comic books/booze/video games/movies/jazz/etc isn't all that bad... whew... but wait... MAYBE THIS OTHER THING IS?"
It will be downfall of humanity in my opinion. While I understand that it was an animalistic nature to worry abt things killing you, we just take it wayyyyy too far
I work myself into a personal anxiety attacks over moral panic all the time. I'm convinced the internet is the cause of most of society's ills. It's not collective though, just me probably.
Generally an utter failure of knowing history and believing emotion trumps logic and evidence. Blaming all/most of a society's ills on something means it would be trivial to show how the ills didn't precede the thing.
Hell, in the 70's there was a panic that playing Dungeons and Dragons was turning kids into literal Satanic Cultists. Which if you have ever met a DnD player is one of the most ludicrous things ever
Wormwood is what gives absinthe its name. The scientific name for wormwood is Artemisia absinthium. It's a very hardy and resilient plant that can grow almost anywhere. The Kirlia plush tucked in the back is a nice reference to absinthe's nickname: la fée verte.
_Ackhtually,_ 😜Vermouth _used_ to be made with wormwood until the absinthe trololo, and by that time its wormwood content was discreetly droped and replaced by other ingredients, usually jealously kept secret (my bet is that still wormwood, just not saying it aloud😏). Dunno about the other liquours.
@@notfeedynotlazy Well, pelinkovac is really popular here in the Balkans. Pelin is just the translation of grand wormwood to the local languages (Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin are all really similar and share a ton of words), so pelinkovac is just another liqueur made from it. Have a friend who drank a lot of it in high school. On our 18th birthdays, you could often see him drinking it and he usually had a small pitcher of it next to him for refills. It's often served as an apertiff, usually with a slice of lemon inside, it's actually pretty tasty. It has less alcohol than absinthe, but as far as I know it never earned the infamy for causing people to go nuts. The root of the word vermouth comes from wormwood, it used to be one of the ingredients in it. I'm pretty sure that at the time of the absinthe craze and ban, most vermouth didn't have any wormwood in it. From a quick google, Bäsk also has wormwood in it, but Sweden never banned absinthe or wormwood liqueurs. IDK anything about Génépy, but it's Wikipedia page doesn't even mention the word "ban."
I grew a taste for absinthe when I was stationed in Germany and we would actually get it at the local bar we would frequent. When I got out the Army, living in southern Louisiana, I found that a brewery in New Orleans started making absinthe again and started buying locally made absinthe, instead of imported versions from France and Czech Republic. I quit drinking a few years ago, but if I were to have a drink I'm pretty sure it would be a single glass of absinthe.
@@drunkenslav2334 And I'm French/Swiss living in Austria who drinks Czech absinth because it's much cheaper than French or Swiss stuff imported lol. It is good though, I like Czech absinth.
Melissa leaves (lemon balm) have a mild lemon-mint flavor/smell. I have lots growing in front of our house and it is great to add to water, mixed drinks, tea, etc. I've even made a cake using lemon balm. Just grab one or two leaves and rub them in your fingers to release the oils. They grow like weeds (and come back every year) and are great ground cover.
We grow it too. My sister has a citrus allergy and we use lemon balm to get a hint of lemon into food. I will have to try using it to make a cake. How much do you use? I have it dried as well as in the garden but it is a little early to harvest it.
@@justchevrotainrating That's how I discovered it - I found some "Melissa leaves" at our local health store and was curious. The capsules are expensive, which is ironic because it grows like a weed.
The original did contain herbs that cause you to have hallucinations and wild temper swings. Its a drug, dont be fooled to think it was only because of the alcohol
Thanks for this. As the owner of the Wormwood Society, I've been saying much of the same thing for the past 25 years. It's amazing how many people don't want to believe that what we can obtain now is the same as what was drank during the Bslle Epoque, I stead holding onto these grandiose ideas of tripping or other drug like effects. I like that you added in the description of absinthism, but one thing that I think would have made the dispelling of the myths even strong was the rebuttal by The Lancet right around the same time that Magnan coined the term, which in reality was a description of the DTs and end-stage alcoholism: The Lancet in 1868 - “It is quite clear that a great deal of what has been said [about absinthe] is mere nonsense, and will not bear a moment's investigation. And when one reads carefully even the seemingly authoritative description of the symptoms … it is impossible to fix on any definite peculiarities which clearly distinguish poisoning with absinthe from poisoning with any other concentrated alcohol, taken in small doses repeated with extreme frequency… For our own part, we have never been convinced that there is anything in the symptoms of acute or chronic absinthism as they are described, essentially different from those of acute or chronic alcoholism... We have repeatedly seen the whole train of symptoms, which are now so much talked of, produced by the constant drinking of brandy or rum. As for hallucinations, there is nothing more common [in end-stage alcoholism]…”
I had a friend in college who ordered some "real" absinthe from somewhere in Eastern Europe. He was *so* certain that it was going to make him hallucinate like LSD that he did indeed have a very strange experience (he ran off with my knitting which he said was moving). All that on maybe 2 ounces. All based on the power of suggestion.
@@emilyspector2728 it's pretty authentic. During the Belle Epoque, Pernod Fils was the gold standard of absinthe. Unfortunately they've not pit as much energy into the brand after the ban was lifted, so it's more of a mid-shelf offering now, but it's authentic.
I love absinthe and watching the process. In Australia we have strict rules on wormwood and what wormwood is allowed. A distillery in Queensland created their own Australian version of Absinthe. It’s got the best name. “Moulin Roos”
I'm growing lemon balm right now. It's quite delicious in tea. It sort of reminds me of lemon drop candy but not nearly as sour. It's also supposedly good for anxiety. However, it can supposedly lead to some side effects such as increased appetite. It is part of the mint family, so if you or anyone else is allergic to mint they should talk to their health care practitioner before using it. And it can take over your garden if you aren't careful. I have them in planters at the moment.
Jean Lanfray: (drinks half his weight in various alcohol, especially wine, and shoots his family over unwaxed boots 👢) The people following the trial: It was the absinthe! There is NO other way this could’ve happened! Vineyard owners: 😉 🍷
It's such a staggering amount of alcohol (did he even eat that day?) that I'm surprised he could even see the boots! Not to mention making it through a work day, more or less on his feet... Coffee is some powerful stuff lmao
I definitely prefer my absinthe without sugar. I think at this point I've had about a dozen different traditional and new-style absinthes. Incidentally, enhancing the colour of cheap/fake absinthe using copper sulfate as a colouring was only one of the problems with it. Another was the use of antimony perchloride, another toxic heavy-metal compound to enhance the louche. But the biggest problem, which isn't often mentioned, was the alcohol used for the cheaper stuff. Proper absinthe uses _marc_ as the base for distillation, which is also known as "wine spirits", and is distilled from grape pomace similarly to grappa. The cheap stuff, even when it didn't use toxic heavy metal colourants, was commonly made with industrial ethanol, which was very often contaminated with methanol and other toxic alcohols and distillation byproducts.
Marc is only one type of base alcohol that works for absinthe. While it is considered the gold standard, it's by far not the only option. GNS, brandies, beet, and even rectified pisco have all worked very well. I do like the character that Marc impresses on an absinthe as it ages though.
See my reply about the copper 'enrichment' possibly causing chronic poisoning. Worst of all would be if one imbibed copper at chronic doses for long periods, without also balancing supplements of manganese and zinc. The three nutrients must be taken in balance with each other, and in commercial or industrial settings this is never addressed, due to the hunger for profit. Much like adding ethylene glycol (antifreeze) to wine...
@@dj1NM3 they wanted to kill it because absinthe had taken all of the wine industry's customers. Many in the government made their fortunes in wine and their families owned vineyards.
Another thing: absinthe turns cloudy when adding water because it's getting diluted and the compounds extracted from the anise by the alcohol become suspended rather than dissolved. And to keep them dissolved, it requires a high amount of alcohol. Absinthe is around 70% alcohol.
Primarily anethole, the oily substance from anise that also gives it that licorice flavor. When you pour water into the solution, the oil comes out in tiny free floating droplets in what is called an emulsion, since it can dissolve in alcohol but not in water. That's why I say anise is the key ingredient, and wormwood is only there as a minor spice.
@@Reddotzebra that's correct. Max mentions that Pernod claims to have changed its recipe when absinthe was banned, but actually it just removed wormwood from the recipe, making the product very similar to a sister drink: pastis.
O Henry wrote a story called “The Fool Killer”, where an absinthe drip is one of the principal characters. He describes it almost as a person, entrancing the narrator with its witchy ways. Good story too.
dutch speaker here (flemish, not from the netherlands), can confirm your pronunciation of Van Gogh is very good! i'd even say it's the best one i've heard from a native english speaker thus far
Great video as always. A famous cocktail with Absinthe is "Death in the Afternoon'" also called Hemingway Champagne. I've had it, and it's definetly one of my favourites. For the recipe, the author can be quoted : "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly."
Pastis is also worth a try. Tastes very similar with an aniseed flavour but already has the sugar added, so less faff. Generally it seems to be more commonly drunk in France today where you can get a carafe of ice water and a glass or small caraf of pastise and sitting in the sun in a cafe sipping away is a great way to pass a summer afternoon.
Welcome back Drinking History!! I've had absinthe in France, I was 15 and my parents weren't around. I did not hallucinate b/c this version had no wormwood in it. I was disappointed at the time, but as an adult, wow, what an idiot I was.
Hallucinations are not on the menu, the only thing absinthe will do is get you absolutely smashed, really quickly. Except for all the preparation time.
i’ve been following this channel for a while and i gotta ask: WHERE do you keep all your pokémon plushes? how many do you have?? every episode you have a _different_ little guy sitting somewhere in frame i’m fascinated by them just as much as the food/drinks you discuss and make
Watch some of the first Ketchup with Max and Jose, they show where the plushes stay on the bed in the guest bedroom... ruclips.net/user/KetchupwithMaxandJose
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Absinthe makes the mind go wander, As I sip this magyck brew I close my eyes and think of you. I love you more than I can say, And shall forever and a day, Love and honor and worship you And to your heart be ever true.
Since Adam Ragusea recently did a video on anise flavors and briefly covered the science of absinthe becoming cloudy, I hoped you would make an episode on absinthe! I love to see the perspective each of you bring to the table for this fascinating drink.
Well, you know what they say, "Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder." 😉 I made my own absinthe once, because I had all the ingredients growing in my herb garden. I hate the taste of licorice, so I left the anise out. It came out really good, and packed a hell of a punch! I made enough to have lots of small bottles made up for my friends, with a little tag on the bottle illustrated with the stamp of a green fairy.
Hell yeah ! Fabulous french pronounciation Max as always ! Pro tip : the absinth fountain with sugar and spoon is a perfect way of getting completely smashed but elegantly and quite slowly, with time between servings, during New Year's Eve ! 20/20 (as we score here), je recommande ✅
This vidéo was awesome ! Pernot also merged with Ricard, which is the first manufacturer of another anis apéritif which is now known as "Ricard" but which is actually pastis. And it is essentially a very very rough version of Absinth, also drunk with ice and water, and turning translucent yellow (hence its nickname, un jaune, 'a yellow'). It is among the most popular beverages in the lower half of France. I hate pastis, but I love absinth - it is fancier and, indeed, sweeter, just like you seem to prefer it ! Cheers to you and your trustworthy pallate !
I once went to a nice restaurant and saw they had absinthe, so I ordered it--they did indeed haul out a gigantic absinthe fountain and everyone was staring at us, lol. Can confirm, great way to get smashed and look fancy while doing it.
@Pauline Racz Comme il est intéressant que votre échelle aille de 0 à 20 au lieu de 0 à 10 ! Ici aux États-Unis, nous avons une expression : "Vous apprenez quelque chose de nouveau chaque jour !" et je dirais que c'est certainement le cas ici avec votre commentaire. Merci!
In the Val de Travers in Switzerland, where Absinthe was invented in the 18th century, Absinthe was always available during the ban, under the counter of course. And near fountains and wells in the woods, oftentimes a bottle was hidden, if you knew where to look.
My grandfather, who lives in Jura bernois, still keeps his absinthe hidden. A habit he picked up when he used to buy it under the counter from the Val de Travers.
Swiss Absinthe tastes great. My mom has a bottle around, and while she never drinks (except when her friend makes her homemade advocaat) she puts it into some of her Jams or Marmalade. I sometimes drink it, but without sugar. Its a nice drink.
absinthe plants grow abundantly in certain regions in Switzerland, there are multiple breweries that make local absinthe as well, theyre all different in they own special way, i really recommend that if you like absinthe (ive found either you love it or you hate it) making a tour of the areas in Switzerland if you can!
I’m thrilled to come across this video! As someone who makes absinthe content regularly (reviews of individual modern brands, pre-ban, and vintage absinthe, as well as educational videos), this video was such a breath of fresh air! Very factual, and I loved the focus on the political implications behind the absinthe ban. Some people will never be convinced that absinthe wasn’t hallucinogenic, and I really appreciate you quashing that misconception in this presentation. Your video was such a breath of fresh air because you didn’t plant any implications or false ideas in the viewers heads like many other people do. If you’re interested in trying some better brands of absinthe, I highly recommend Lucid, La Clandestine, Angélique, and anything by Jade Liqueurs (pricey, yes, but as close to pre-ban absinthe as you’ll get in the modern era). As someone who has had Pre-Ban Pernod made in 1900, I can honestly say that they don’t make it the same way now as they did in the pre-ban era. That was quite the experience that I’ll never forget. I think that the difference between now and then has more to do with the brand owners investing less in making a quality product and more on marketing and relying on their brand’s name and reputation instead of them “taking the magic ingredient out”. Loved the videos! I recommended it to my followers if they want to watch and share it! Santé! 💚🥰
@@be6715 With the modern version of Pernod Fils, it’s pretty clear that they haven’t tasted any pre-ban absinthes. The current product is artificially colored, doesn’t seem to have much wormwood in it (and if it does, it isn’t high quality), the base spirit now isn’t as high quality as it was back then, and they use star anise instead of green anise (they both share the word “anise”, but they’re completely different, and star anise is much lower quality and much cheaper). They can scream about having their “original recipe” all they want, but absinthe lovers who have tasted their pre-ban products know the truth. I actually did a video of tasting pre-ban Pernod Fils from 1900 if you’re interested.
Based big tiddied goth girls are the only thing still holding together the US economy. Is there nothing they cant do? They are just holding it down like woah. Where should I go to find a goth gf? What online community should I look into?
@@AdrienneLaVey minor annotation: If I recall correctly, Recette Traditionelle is indeed coloured naturally using sting nettle or spinach. However of course, this isn't traditional, as (I know, you know, just for the others ;-) ) aromatic, medicinal herbs were originally used to colour absinthe, like artemisia pontica, hyssop, mint, or melissa. These added additional flavour to the final product. Spinach or nettle hardly do that (but are probably way cheaper).
While studying I was living with two French guys and they showed the street version of this (they called it Wolf's Milk, if I recall correctly): no sugar, a shot glas of Pernod to a pint glas of ICE COLD water. It's also murky, greenish white and though the alcohol is watered down extremely the flavour is still there and it makes the most refreshing summer drink I know of.
@@hogwashmcturnip8930 Pernod makes both anise liqueur and genuine absinthe. The name Pernod is still associated with the liqueur because that's all they were legally allowed to make for decades, but they absolutely make the real stuff again. I have a bottle myself, and it's what Max uses in this episode.
@@b.johnathanwarriorinagarde7980 Depends where you are. I am not the right person to ask as I don't drink it very often. But Pernod and Ricard are the ones the French seem to go for. In Spain, in the 'Campo' some of it is home made.. As is a lot of the wine sold in the village bars. The wine is a bit like a lottery. Get a good batch and Everyone is happy, hit a bad one and it would be better to use it to clean the sink!
Here in West Switzerland, Absinthe never really disappeared even when it was illegal. Especially in the Jura region, it was known to be continually made on an artisanal level.
Sounds a lot like the Moonshine culture in the southern US. The government may have banned it, but if people want it the governments desires are mostly irrelevant.
Yes in the Valais too. One of the local brands proudly proclaims that they never stopped making it, though exact details are not mentioned. I forget the brand but it's the most known one in the region and its clear not green.
I got to try absinthe for the first time while visiting New Orleans and absolutely loved it! My folks got be a beautiful fountain to go with my art deco style. An absinthe rinsed glass for prosecco is a lovely twist to the classic absinthe drip Thank you for the history lesson!
I love seeing the old advertising posters that show "the green fairy" floating above the drinkers and making them happy. I've tried several brands of absinthe (not at the same sitting) and I find that the eastern European ones (Czech mainly) taste different than the western European and US versions.
the eastern european ones afaik are still allowed to have the wyrmwood in it, whereas the western european and us versions have the general taste of absinthe but without the wyrmwood
@@eflarsen I don't think that's the case because nowadays, all western european absinthe use wormwood. What doesn't have wormood are things like Ricard/Pernod. But I agree that eastern european absinthes are very different from the western ones. From what I've read, two differences are that they are made by maceration instead of distillation and some don't contain anis
@@thibaultwyrsch6888 Different quality ingredients also makes a difference in taste. Eastern brands usually use lower quality ingredients (sadly enough, I wish we caught up on that front).
How long is the piece of string, there are two types of wormwood and in broad terms three types of preparation, distilled, macerated, and flavoured, of things labelled as "Absinthe" in liquor stores. You are most likely to run into the last two (cheaper) in your generic liquor stores. Flavoured, just that, bottom of the quality tree, human consumption grade alcoholic spirit with colours and flavours mixed in, as good as it sounds. Macerated, a step up the quality tree, if you are lucky they start with a wine spirit in which they soak a blend of herbs (macerated) and drain off the resultant liquour (they some times fortify this further to up the alcohol content). Distilled, top of the quality tree, a charge of wine spirits (sometimes beet spirit) and herbs is placed in a specially designed Absinthe still and then distilled, the resultant distillate is the top end product. So the three production types definitely "taste different", this layered with two types of wormwood and then a wide variety of herbs used by the individual producers and you have entered the wonderful world of flavour that is Absinthe. Note also, that the anise acts to cancel the "alcohol burn", so you end up with a delicious drink of very interesting flavours that doesn't taste like it has alcohol in it (which it most definitely does in spades). Further the sugar and wormwood sit across from each other on the palate producing a tension off which flavour notes can be produced or announced. Further still, each glass of Absinthe you drink modifies your palate such that you experience your next Absinthe differently. Back in the day, the Absintheurs would design a round (sequence of different Absinths) as a kind of flavour symphony for your afternoon. This is quite noticeable even cycling between two one (ok), two (ok), then back to one again and it tastes different, so you can find different Absinthes that play well together when drunk in sequence as a medley. Enjoy.
I remember drinking home made absenth in France, in Bretagne's countryside, while it was still officially banned in shops. I drank it pure, not dilluted with water. Not very posh, but effective. Got very drunk that night but didn't have headache or anything next day. Good memories of my absenth experience.
Finally tried absinthe in the big easy last year at ‘the olde absinthe bar’. I really enjoyed it and got an immediate buzz. The bartender lit the sugar cube on fire. The drama of the presentation was really fun!
@@j.murphy4884 Not quite true. You can actually taste the bouquet of herbs because the anise is missing in Czech absinth. Of course there may exist some fake versions.
Was my first and only one try of absinthe and too hard for me at times. I think, water will make it smoother a lot, like others anise based beverages that we ("we", at least french :p) fill with water (ricard/berger...)
A few years ago, my mom got very upset that I brought absinthe home. I had to explain to her that most, if not all, of what she had heard about it was false 😂
As a teen I wanted to try it sooooooooo bad so I was excited when I finally got to try it followed by great disappointment when I tasted it ... I've never felt so let down by somthing I built up in my head it was like Santa all over again
Well, mine believed that having more than two eggs per day would make your liver explode or something and that not waiting three hours between meal and bath in the sea or swimming pool could cause death. All lies spread by prestigious doctors. More recently you may have heard about cholesterol and the niceties of high carb diets, right? Doctors again making up things!
I enjoy black liquorice, so have always enjoyed ouzo and sambuca. Absinthe is just stronger and less sweet. Ice water over the sugar cube gives a great louche and you can better control the sweetness (unlike with the former two). I've also had some certified pre-ban. I didn't detect much difference between that and modern.
this video was so cool, the absinthe having an anise flavor and turning opaque reminds me of a drink we have in lebanon, arak!!! it also turns from clear to cloudy and tastes like anise:]
Very well done! As someone who has drank absinthe for 20 years now, and who knows a lot of its history, I'd say that your video is among the best on the subject. The modern Pernod Absinthe is most likely an oil mix, that is, alcohol is not distilled with the herbs but oils are cold-mixed into the base alcohol instead. That is a historically correct way of making absinthe, but it is not the original method that Pernod used before the ban. Actually, it is more like the Spanish Pernod oil-mix absinthe of the 1960s (absinthe was never banned in Spain) Some producers moved there after the ban in their countries. Today, there are small distillers who make authentic absinthe by batch-distilling anise, fennel and wormwood plus some other herbs per whatever recipe they use and then coloring the product with melissa and Artemisia pontica (Roman wormwood). If you can get Montana or Philippe Lasala, those are IMO "authentic Spanish 1960s oil mixes", quite drinkable. Edit: While it is legal to make your own oil-mixes wherever alcohol is legal, I would advise against it. Essential/aromatherapy oils are not meant for flavoring anything that will be swallowed. And even less would I advise anyone to distill their own absinthe... leave it to trained professionals (or clandestine distillers of Switzerland)!
And, unlike cognac or whisky/whiskey, absinthe is not a protected name (in the EU at least). You can make pretty much anything and sell it as 'absinthe'. Apologies to Czech drinkers if I sounded harsh in one my comments but that's the way it is. Real, distilled absinthe is not bitter and is not made just by macerating herbs in alcohol. However, that method gives you other kind of nice bitter drinks, like the Swedish Bäska droppar. Absinthe was defined in Switzerland in 2005 at re-legalization so in CH you can only call distilled absinthe 'absinthe'.
Absinthe is my Drink of Choice, and I would suggest adding water to almost the top of the Glass. A good way to measure if you have the balance of water to Absinthe correct is to watch the louche line. As you're louching, the clear absinthe will sit on top of the louched absinthe and get thinner, the moment it disappears it's ready to drink.
Melissa/Lemon Balm tastes like lemon and sage, together. Where I live, we also call it Lemon Sage. It's very easy to grow. And it can easily take over gardens and flower beds.
As a Dutch speaker, cheers to the surprisingly accurate pronunciation of Van Gogh. It's not perfect, but better than most English speakers. You said the gh with an actual Dutch g and that made me happy. If you want to make it perfect, make the a more of an "ah" sound and make the first G the same as the gh, and you've got it.
I don't know why, but for some reason as an English-speaking American I can see the word "gouda" and grasp how the Dutch pronunciation of "g" works. But I see "van Gogh" and it refuses to click into place.
The A in 'van' almost more of a U-like-in-'fun' sound. It's similar to the German 'von'. English-speakers are probably more likely to be familiar with the G and CH sound in Dutch as the sound in the Scottish word "loch" or the Hebrew letter Chet. It's kind of similar to the Spanish pronunciation of the letter J.
Your pronunciation of van Gogh is almost spot on! You nailed the Gogh part that most English speakers struggle with, and the van part is pronounced a bit more like the German Von (as in Von Braun) but a bit harder. As a Dutchman myself it delighted me to hear someone actually pronounce it like this =]
I've been enjoying absinthe for many years started out 18, now 36, I must of gotten through 100s of types/ brands by now and the one I always go back to is Hapsburg Super Deluxe its 85% and comes in a 50cl bottle and often comes with the absinthe spoon attached to the bottle, I have a vintage fountain and glasses
First time I tried Absinthe it was at a Goth club. The bar tender poured the Absinthe first over the cube, then let it on fire before putting it out with the water drip. The fountains were ornate and impressive. I'm not a fan of the flavor, but the aesthetic is magical.
#friendsdontletfriendsburnabsinthe it's an ersatz tradition that was invented in the 1990s to sell fake brands that don't taste anything like real absinthe.
Unfortunately, that style of preparing absinthe, whilst quite popular (mainly due to the Czechs doing it that way and they were one of the first to re-legalize it) is pretty bad for the absinthe since you burn away a lot of the taste. Also they tend to use really cheap absinthes which misses out the herbal notes that's the main appeal.
17:25 "Melissa" is just an alternate name for Lemon Balm. It is a common herb in the mint family with a refreshing lemon-like flavour. It grows wild all over Europe and probably in America too. Makes nice tea.
Thank you for this. My wife is a popular art nouveau artist with multiple absinthe-inspired artworks. We're going to share this video with her fans, because they will enjoy it so much.
I bought a spoon in an antique store once and just thought it was cool. It was over 100 and I bought it for around $1. I didn’t know until later it was an absinthe spoon. One of my friends told me it was considered “drug paraphernalia”…later I found out it’s not. Btw I love the blue walls!!!
Some friends of mine live near Pontarlier, where at least one of the old original absinthe distilleries is still in business. It is a pretty amazing place, and they allow visitors in for free (yes, free) tastings. One of the most hilarious things are some old newspaper stories from just before the ban, when an accident saw one of the main stills rupture and leak it's contents into the local river. Allegedly, the town's fire service and police spent the day using their helmets to scoop up and get drunk off of the now very alcoholic river water.
That's the first time I've heard about dilluting absinthe with water... In Poland and Bohemia it is drunk warm - You put the absinthe spoon over the empty glass, you put on a sugar cube or two, you pour absinthe over it and set it on fire. When the fire starts dying out you pour some more, until all the sugar carmelises and falls into the glass (usually setting the liquid inside aflame as well). Then you cover the glass to put the fire down and you drink before the fumes escape. It's warm, it's nice, it hits hard. Having it any other way feels weird. :) Although I would be interested to try it in a Bunnyhug coctail.
The fire ritual and the Bohemian absinthe are inventions of the 1990s. No evidence has been found that that ritual would have existed in the pre-ban absinthe heyday.
The Bohemian method was made fairly recently, by purveyors of knockoff and inferior "Absinth" It makes it a bigger spectacle, and the burnt sugar masks the taste of the beverage.
Something interesting I discovered, is that after you store an opened bottle of Pernod, the Anissed Taste lessens, and other herbs "appear". However, the Louche seems to lessen as well.
If you don’t have the fountain, just pouring a little amount of water over the sugar at a time works. Just give the water time to soak into the sugar so it dissolves.
Hi Max - I was surprised that you never mentioned the Czechoslovakian link where it was drunk during the first republic and became (and remained) popular from 1989 onward after the revolution. There is a specific type here, which is Absinth without the "e" and also without the anise - making it bitter but much stronger - so it ends up needing the sugar cube. Also the sugar cube was invented in Moravia. Oops - rabbit hole - I'm late I'm late......
Great episode! I haven't bought Absinthe for about 15 years, but when I did, I ordered it from Europe (ship to US) from a shop that is no longer around. I did months of research on Absinthe before I took the plunge and bought several bottles to try. Note, the US laws are strange concerning Absinthe. You could buy Absinthe (mail order) but you could not sell it in a store or bar. In the old La Fee Verte forum, people went apeshit over those who lit their drinks on fire, al la Eurotrip and Johnny Depp in From Hell. Or, fielding questions from people who wanted to "Trip Balz." A few pointers for those who are interested in trying/buying Absinthe. 1. Don't buy Absinthe that was made in a land-locked country (Switzerland is the exception). Czech Absinthe is novelty garbage. Save yourself some money and buy a bottle of Nyquil, instead. When first starting, look for French, Spanish, and Swiss. 2. ABSINTHE. NOT Absente, Absenta, or Absinth. Those are not real Absinthe. They lack Wormwood/Thujone. 3. Don't buy the stuff that's sold in liquor stores in the US. It's not the same as the stuff sold in Europe. It lacks Thujone. 4. Find an online dealer from Europe to buy the real thing. World of Absinthe has a nice selection. I recommend the Absinthe Jade Nouvelle Orleans. It's very smooth. It was one of my favorites. It's expensive and the shipping will get you. I used to make $500 orders to justify the shipping. 5. Before jumping in, find out if you like the taste first. Get a bottle of Pernod Pastis and give it a try. Chances are, if you already like Ouzo, you'll like Absinthe. 6. Try it without sugar, first. Some Absinthes are very sweet and adding sugar will only make it sickeningly sweet. I prefer without. 7. Know your limit! In those days, I could binge drink over 30 beers in 5-6 hours (Just beer. And I'm a woman), but 6 glasses of Absinthe was my limit (no other booze involved). Any more, and I'm power barfing in technicolor. It sneaks up on you. 8. Do your research. 9. I hope this helps someone get their feet wet. 10. Enjoy your Absinthe!
I love the taste of anise, though I’ve never had absinthe. I have had another anise-flavored liquor which is Italian, though, called sambuca, and this also creates a ouzo effect when combined with water. Love your channel, btw!
sambuca is like candy compared to most absinthes... especially sambuca romana. Not saying that in a bad way, a lil anisette and coffee, and especially in cookies is a hard flavor to beat. But a well made absinthe may taste a bit more like italian liqours in the style of Strega or Galliano.
Funnily enough, the Pernod "substitute" for Absinthe with anise is now a very common and well liked drink in France ! It's called "Pastis, and it's the perfect apéritif in summer 😊
Pernod created "Anis Pernod" in 1918 as a woodwormless alternative to absinthe. He is therefore credited as the inventor of Pastis though it didn't have that name yet. The name "Pastis" was given to the drink a bit later by Paul Ricard who created a very similat drink in the early 30s.
I came across a more complicated variant back in my college days, (1960/64). It involved a patient with peculiar "breaking of wind". It sounded for all the world like "HONDA." He sought the advice from an herbalist, who immediately diagnosed the problem as Absenthe, who as everyone knows, makes the fart go HONDA. (I do love triple puns.)
Hi Max, perhaps you could do another absinthe cocktail sometimes called death in the afternoon, it was Hemingways favorite! I love also how composers like Satie and Debussy were Absinthe drinkers haha!
Yes death in the afternoon is such a pleasant drink. And you might like it a little better because you're going to get the sweetness of the grape from the champagne.
I had my first taste of absinthe at the old absenthe house in New Orleans. And in trying to describe absent I've always told people if you word to describe the color green to someone that was blind They needed to try absinthe. Given that I am not fond of black licorice it's not my choice of drink. But it was very cool to be able to try a drink that was that old.
Recently started drinking Absinthe as my spirit of choice after having some at my fathers residence. Tried buying an Absinthe fountain but found that they apparently are backloged for awhile cause the companies that sell them have to leak check them since the spigots usually have something stupid like a 70% chance of leaking if they don't do the check themselves. As a glassblower though I've been entertaining the idea of "well If I can't buy one, I'll make one." and still am trying to design something that not only looks good but is easy to clean. Maybe even throw in some color options while I'm at it. It's intresting seeing the spirit come back to the states.
You don't even need a fountain, though you can use one if you want just for the fun of it, but really you can just mix the liquor with water (and ice if desired) and be done with it, adding some sugar if you really want to, but it's optional. The whole dripping thing is purely for fun.
@@Corrodias I know. Still fun anyways to do it the special way to make it feel special/like a tradition. I usually just run cool water in my sink and tap it closed till it starts dripping and just place the glass underneath it so I'm well aware I don't need one lol.
Yay, the absinth video is here, I love it. And thank you for clarifying once again, that absinth is not more dangerous than other hard liquor because it contains thujone. The real problem is the excessive alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, many people still believe this negative stereotype. And I liked your detailed history portion. I was actually responsible for archiving the documents of the Swiss Alcohol Board when it as disbanded a few years ago and helped to write a book on the history of alcohol in Switzerland. This agency was responsible for taxing hard liquor in Switzerland and enforcing the alcohol laws. Absinth was the only one that was completely outlawed. For all other spirits they made an effort to collaborate with the temperance movements and the agricultural federations to promote slogans like “Eating potatoes is healthier than drinking them”. They also supported research in food preservation methods, such as tinning, freezing and the production of fruit concentrate or potato chips, because in the 19th century, aside from drying and storing, you could only distil your fruits to preserve them for a long time. Of course, there were also some interesting documents concerning absinth. In the Val-de-Travers, a valley which borders France and Switzerland, the birthplace of absinth, there was actually a clandestine brewing tradition starting in 1910. They had hidden distilleries in cellars and hid the bottle in special compartments in wells. Despite the frequent police raids, they even served the French president François Mitterrand a desert laced with clandestine absinth in 1983 when he visited the region. My family still has a bottle of illegal stuff in the liquor cabinet that my father got from a co-worker. Fun fact, because of this clandestine brewing tradition, Swiss absinth is brewed to make it look clear instead of green, so that it is not distinguishable from other spirits. It is less bitter than the French Version, so usually you don’t add sugar but it still turns cloudy with the water. And if you are ever in the Val-de-Travers, there is an absinth hicking trail where you can learn about the history of absinth and also get wasted in the woods.
I've also found a couple of bottles from during the prohibition in my parents' house in Neuchâtel and it was very interesting to sample. There was one from the 70s and one from the 80s and they were both very different and also very different from the ones you find nowadays. Definitely worth tasting the one from your family side by side with a modern one if you get the chance!
My uncle showed me a trick where you would pour the absent over the sugar cube first, so it would absorb a little bit of the alcohol, light it on fire, so it would start to caramelize, and then finished dissolving it with water, generally, I hate the taste of black licorice, but that was delicious
I about had a heart attack when you said you were going to try absinthe!!! The part of Canada that my family comes from would not touch the stuff as the belief was that it causes blindness! I am nearly fifty and i would not touch the stuff!!! You are a braver soul than i, good sir! Thank you for the additional history! 💜
EphemeralTao’s comment has a good explanation of where that belief came from. And you’d be 100% right to not touch anything that fit the description that this reputation came from (such as a lot of moonshine), because it’s true.
@Mandalor Fortytwo Did you listen to the video at all? There is rampant information about how this silly rumor (that absinthe is dangerous) got started. Maybe don't be so histrionic and simply gather the information, take it in, and lead your life accordingly. Or, continue to hide under the bed. More absinthe for the rest of us!
@@lisahinton9682 In fact, yes, I did listen to the entire program and I enjoyed it. My message was to the author of the program and did not require your input nor rudeness. Period Absinthe made by inferior means had copper added to improve the hue. I've read that too much copper intake affects the brain. Perhaps you prefer the inferior brands and that is why you are acting this way? ...seek help.
I first had it on a return to key west in the mid 2000's. The reputation was still going around in whispers but since I didn't have any "vivid dreams" as a result I paid them no heed. Occasionally I would get a bottle at my local specialty liquor / wine store. I probably should buy another bottle, one of these days.
Max, thanks for researching and presenting this interesting history of Absinthe! I’m intrigued and may try it for myself. Love the Absinthe fountain and the new look of your bar!
Your pronunciation of van Gogh is one of the best i've heard outside of Dutch speaking areas!. Just use the sound you make at the end "gh" at the beginnning aswell "G", and I think you'll be spot on! I remember when I was little absinthe being illegal, and the common idea being that there was something poisonous in there. The ban was only lifted back in 2004, and for a while absinthe bars where all the rage here in the Netherlands. Thanks for the content and I like the new set!
Reminds me of conversation I had on the topic: A friend of mine: "Modern absinthe is safe. It does not contain the stuff that makes you go insanely murderous" My reply: "So you're saying there's no alcohol in it?"
I remember that, too! Lived in Germany and Sweden during the time when absinth came back and it was wild watching fellow foreign students talk about their countries stance on absinth!
I have had some delicious absinthe about 20 years ago. I was barely able to drink legally and was intimidated by it's supposed danger so I drank very little but didn't want to pass up the chance lo. It was still illegal and someone had brought it back from Germany. I enjoy learning more of the history.
I always wondered why there's such a fascination with absinthe in the Goth community, Alchemy Gothic (a brand that's been around since the 1970s and who make really pretty things with which to adorn yourself or your home) have made various absinthe related things over the years, and bands I listen to have written songs about it. I'm more than happy with gin, although that too has a dark history. I'm going to try proper absinthe eventually, I don't think the bright green concoction I had a few years ago was the real thing.
First, love the new set. Second, I was SO afraid of trying Absinthe for the longest time. Then I did. Instantly became one of my favorite spirits. The Pernod is good, but if you get a chance, see if you can locate the Oregon Spirit absinthe. It's my favorite I've tried so far. I've also found (and this may just be personal preference) that a Demerara sugar cube adds a bit of complexity to the cocktail, so I recommend giving that a try as well.
Perhaps one of the green drinks was chartreuse? It’s also a really beautiful green drink but the flavor profile is wildly different. We always just drank it straight from the bottle, but we were also little heathens.
Loved the new feel and no problems with echo at all Artemisia absinthium (wormwood) contains thujone (an hallucinogenic). As my chemistry teacher was fond of telling us, the difference between a potion and a poison is the quantity. You would have to take in a very large quantity of Absinthe to even feel anything. On a side note, wormwood is so called due to being used as a de-worming agent and 'silverleaf' (artemisia afra) is still used as a herbal treatment today. It is used for de-worming, as a decongestant and a general anti-flu medication. The secret is when it is harvested though
A paper I wrote for University (I studied History, of course, lol) was about male hysteria, a very interesting phenomena, which was mostly written about by French doctors, expecially a famous one called, I believe, Champillion (I'm too lazy to look him up and it hase been a couple of decades), who described 'hysteria patients' who exhibited exactly the kind of 'symptoms' as described in 'absintism'. Now, it's possible that there was something going on (such as the poisoning of food or wallpaper or whatever) that was ascribed to 'hysteria', but there is also a very well-known and well-documented phenomena of impressionable patients subconsciously (or even consciously because surely monsieur le doctor knew best) displaying the exact symptoms the doctor wanted. Anyhow, while Champillion's other work was translated into English, his writing on male hysteria was not, probably because the English found this 'froggy' notion that men could be so 'effeminate' to have hysteria ludicrous. And then WWI happened and the men that survived suffered from shellshock and well, that put an end, for the most part, to much of the prevailing male hysteria theories. But the absinth 'madness' theories remained in vogue for nearly a century, which is not so strange if one understands that the whole 'madness' narrative was concocted to destroy the drink's popularity by industry rivals. Still, it's interesting to me how the original story about absinte madness fitted so very neatly in then current beliefs about 'hysteria'.
I’ve seen theories/speculations about the witch trials in the US where some think part of the initial hysteria may have been from some sort of poisonous spoors in bread.
Absinthe has a long history in the Czech Republic too. In Prague there’s a café called Café Slavia where all the famous Czech philosophers, authors, and artists during the 1880s would gather to drink absinthe and discuss things. Plus, supposedly the fire-ritual of dipping a sugar cube in absinthe and setting in on fire, before dropping it in and waiting for the fire to die out, or extinguishing it by just diluting it with water, originated in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic)
A gas lighting doctor, this sounds pretty familiar...le sigh I hadn't read about the quack involved, but that just filled in so many holes I had about absinthe. I was looking at absinthe from a herbalist view via the ingredients and was so confused because yeah you'd have to drink *so* much. Thanks!
I actually really like the taste of black licorice, so absinthe is one of my favorite drinks. It is pretty strong, so I can't have more than a glass at a time, but absinthe is a wonderful treat. I also enjoy lemon balm/Melissa. It tastes similar to lemongrass, or a lemon-mint flavor. I add it to teas or dry it to put in tea bags in my dresser drawers so my clothes smell like lemon.
As someone who Drinks absinthe regularly, I appreciate you. I'm seeing TikTok creators trying it straight, and hating it. The "ritual" needs to be shared. Thank you
Ted Breaux is my hero, because he’s the one who proved by A and B that the thujone fear was unsound thus clearing the way for the absinthe market, and because he makes the Jade absinthe’s, which are the best on the market, replicas of historically significant products (Pernod, Berger and Cusenier, among others).
Growing up in Germany, (in the 70's and 80's) a friends father was a big drinker of Pernod. I'd heard that it was a hallucinogen, but I didn't mind the taste. I actually grew up with black licorice as a treat so it was not a new taste. As the years went by, her father would also walk to the basement to retrieve a couple of cool beers for us to enjoy together. Something that my friend had never seen with other house guests. Yes, she really was just a friend and still is today. Unlike America, refrigeration was not that common in Europe. We still cooked with wood or coal, we still used root and wood cellars to store foods, we bought meats fresh each day or two. I didn't see or experience my first air conditioner until I joined the US Army in 1989. Maybe we were just poor, but I didn't see it that way.
A few good years ago a friend of mine took a trip to Europe and brought back two bottles of Absinthe. I went (I made a mistake) to taste it neat at its mere 89% alcohol content, I thought I was swallowing fire instead of the drink. The hangover from the other day would make a new text with some sordid details that I prefer to forget.
If ever you go to the rural Spanish/Portuguese borders avoid AguaFuerte/Aguadente (?) It is basically Moonshine or Poteen. My friends kept going on an on about this stuff, but I was not going to buy an entire bottle in case I didn't like it. I am a wine drinker, not spirits. And bars don't sell it, because while it is not Illegal, it is not Exactly legal either. Tax issues. You Can buy watered down version in supermarkets, but it is expensive and you are better off with a decent vodka. Anyway I went to a Christmas Craft fair in a church hall in a tiny village. A woman was selling it, in all kinds of flavours. You could get a sample for 60 cents. So away I went. Now I understand why Dragons breath fire! NASA could have used the stuff to power the Space Missions! This was around the same proof as your absinthe. The commercial stuff is about 20!
I see the kirila plush in the background 👀 Want to say you chose it for today's video because of the green color 🤔 But also kirila and gardevoir are fancy pokemon like the drink for this video is pretty fancy 👀 In Pokémon Go, have a top hat kirila and gardevoir and when I have them as my buddy pokemon, I make my character dress up fancy also with a top hat 🤓🎩
Used to drink it in Canada, just across the way/river. A coffeeshop sold it and had a few types, including Pernod, and you could mix/put out the sugar cube fire with water or... Pop. Absinthe with ginger ale is surprisingly great.
I love your content! I am a huge history dork and I am a caterer, between your recipes and drinks you will make my Dungeons and Dragons group very happy. Thank you so much!
Год назад+6
Absinthe, Vermouth and Anisettes were the drink of choice of my elder relatives as it is sweet and gentle in flavour and can be watered down, so allegedly you wouldn't get drunk with it. I say "allegedly" because... you know, if you drink enough aperitifs before eating, you'll get tipsy alright. Still, it was considered a civilised drink to have before lunch or dinner. I don't know if it had any wormwood in it. On a side note, all the artemisia family have poisons in them from very mild to strong depending on the species. It's the reason why many of them were used as vermicide, and sometimes as homemade abortive. Disclaimer: I'm from Europe.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Hope everyone likes the new set for Drinking History! Still a work in progress, but then aren’t we all?
Looks amazing! Can't wait for the finished version.
We're developing and maturing like wonderful wines and sensational cheeses 😊
Auwww the main tale is so sad. This was a brilliant episode, Max. The new set looks lovely. Though now you have a Sherlock Holmes vibe.
It’s gonna be great, I’m sure! Having watched this channel grow is super inspiring :)
Indeed! You never disappoint! You are a master of the culinary beverage Macabre SIR!
I laughed so hard when he was painting this picturesque scene of a guy waking up in a serene farmhouse and going downstairs to have a cup of coffee, but instead pours a glass of absinthe because “If there’s one thing to remember it’s that he was a violent and raging alcoholic” 😂😂😂
I know, it would work great in a novella 😂
It sounds like a Hemingway short story to be honest
The title "The Absinthe Murder" conjured the idea of, like, an Agatha Christie story or something. Definitely wasn't expecting that.
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 I was really expecting someone to have been poisoned with a glass of Absinthe, not for a guy to just pick up a gun and shoot everyone. Like there were several factors there other than the Absinthe that seemed more important.
@@hedgehog3180 he forgot that he drank some liters of wine and maybe those caffeine and another alcoholic beverages
I come from the region in Switzerland where Absinthe originated from, but it also got banned for quite a while here in Switzerland. But if you knew a guy who knew a guy, you could always get your hands on it. My grandfather still hides his absinthe even though it's legal again.
I still hide my Harry Potter books too when I visit Europe just to be safe.
@@oddish2253 Wait I don't get it, Harry Potter is pretty popular in most of Europe too?
The inquisition is no joke.
@@oddish2253 and never expected, to be fair.
@MichiruEll Maybe it's the old absinthe, the one who is toxic
Greetings from Geneva
After my great-aunt passed away we were looking through her glassware and we found a set of four old, strange glasses with a bulb on the bottom. No one else cared about them, but they didn't know what they were. They were original French Absinthe glasses, and we found the "spoon" in a silverware drawer, so I took it as well (my cousin thought it was a small spatula). Apparently there had been a lot more going on in my great aunt's past than her own children knew about. 🤨😆
take good care of that set! and sorry for your loss man
Always nice to have a person with a flavour arround. I am sure she was wonderfull.
That's the way it should be!
Ha! Great-aunts are best aunts.
she sounds cooler than most hipsters today that jump onto every trend without doing their homework.
Moral panics have to be one of the most fascinating aspects of humanity, where everyone in one point in time suddenly gets worked into a collective anxiety attack that this one thing is responsible for most of society's ills, and a few decades later, everyone calms down and goes "Oh, well, I guess absinthe/comic books/booze/video games/movies/jazz/etc isn't all that bad... whew... but wait... MAYBE THIS OTHER THING IS?"
that's the trouble with naturalistic observation, it attempts to infer causation from correlation without controlling for confounding variables.
It will be downfall of humanity in my opinion. While I understand that it was an animalistic nature to worry abt things killing you, we just take it wayyyyy too far
I work myself into a personal anxiety attacks over moral panic all the time. I'm convinced the internet is the cause of most of society's ills. It's not collective though, just me probably.
Generally an utter failure of knowing history and believing emotion trumps logic and evidence. Blaming all/most of a society's ills on something means it would be trivial to show how the ills didn't precede the thing.
Hell, in the 70's there was a panic that playing Dungeons and Dragons was turning kids into literal Satanic Cultists. Which if you have ever met a DnD player is one of the most ludicrous things ever
Wormwood is what gives absinthe its name. The scientific name for wormwood is Artemisia absinthium. It's a very hardy and resilient plant that can grow almost anywhere. The Kirlia plush tucked in the back is a nice reference to absinthe's nickname: la fée verte.
Or simply, Wormwood is called "absinthe" in France ^^
I've always known it as the green fairy
It is a great ground cover for under trees. Very pretty.
I believe the word "vermouth" also comes from wormwood, although I could be wrong about that
@@TheNodrokov yep. Vermut is German for wormwood. WW is a key ingredient vermouth.
The funny thing about absinthe, is that other things that contain wormwood didn't got prohibited like Vermouth, Bäsk, Pelinkovac, Génépy, etc.
_Ackhtually,_ 😜Vermouth _used_ to be made with wormwood until the absinthe trololo, and by that time its wormwood content was discreetly droped and replaced by other ingredients, usually jealously kept secret (my bet is that still wormwood, just not saying it aloud😏). Dunno about the other liquours.
@@notfeedynotlazy Well, pelinkovac is really popular here in the Balkans. Pelin is just the translation of grand wormwood to the local languages (Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin are all really similar and share a ton of words), so pelinkovac is just another liqueur made from it.
Have a friend who drank a lot of it in high school. On our 18th birthdays, you could often see him drinking it and he usually had a small pitcher of it next to him for refills. It's often served as an apertiff, usually with a slice of lemon inside, it's actually pretty tasty.
It has less alcohol than absinthe, but as far as I know it never earned the infamy for causing people to go nuts.
The root of the word vermouth comes from wormwood, it used to be one of the ingredients in it. I'm pretty sure that at the time of the absinthe craze and ban, most vermouth didn't have any wormwood in it.
From a quick google, Bäsk also has wormwood in it, but Sweden never banned absinthe or wormwood liqueurs. IDK anything about Génépy, but it's Wikipedia page doesn't even mention the word "ban."
Interesting.
My dyslexic brain reading “The Absent Mother”, like wow, Max, hitting too close to home
Oh no! 😆
I mean technically you weren't wrong
Never had absinthe, but the moral panic around it has always fascinated me.
Such an interesting subject
History doesn't actually repeat, but it does rhyme...
Witness, the moral panic around marijuana. "Reefer Madness," anyone?
@@scladoffle2472 which pretty much describes where we are with Absinthe, as well.
I recently drank absinthe for the first time, didn't like it... imagine licorice plus alcohol
@@brokenglassshimmerlikestar3407 just remembered I saw absinthe for sale at the liquor store last week for the first time..... time to go back
I grew a taste for absinthe when I was stationed in Germany and we would actually get it at the local bar we would frequent. When I got out the Army, living in southern Louisiana, I found that a brewery in New Orleans started making absinthe again and started buying locally made absinthe, instead of imported versions from France and Czech Republic. I quit drinking a few years ago, but if I were to have a drink I'm pretty sure it would be a single glass of absinthe.
im actually czech and im hoping to import new orleans absinthe for myself! how the tables turn eh?
@@drunkenslav2334 And I'm French/Swiss living in Austria who drinks Czech absinth because it's much cheaper than French or Swiss stuff imported lol. It is good though, I like Czech absinth.
@@221b-l3t that makes me patriotic :D, i personally like the absinthe from Jelínek not gonna lie!
Congratulations on going sober by the way
The history part is my favorite. This series really is extraordinary, I can’t believe its free content.
Thank you, Joel!
Same
Melissa leaves (lemon balm) have a mild lemon-mint flavor/smell. I have lots growing in front of our house and it is great to add to water, mixed drinks, tea, etc. I've even made a cake using lemon balm. Just grab one or two leaves and rub them in your fingers to release the oils. They grow like weeds (and come back every year) and are great ground cover.
i love that your name is melissa and you're commenting on lemon balm.
We grow it too. My sister has a citrus allergy and we use lemon balm to get a hint of lemon into food. I will have to try using it to make a cake. How much do you use? I have it dried as well as in the garden but it is a little early to harvest it.
@@justchevrotainrating That's how I discovered it - I found some "Melissa leaves" at our local health store and was curious. The capsules are expensive, which is ironic because it grows like a weed.
@@melissajanulis6645 it really does. i planted some in my parent's yard over a decade ago and they are still mowing it.
The lemon balm outside my front door now has a name.
When I was a kid everyone thought absinth was some illegal psychedelic drug because of that bad teen movie
Me too!
Wait, what movie? The only one I can think of is Moulin Rouge 🤔
The original did contain herbs that cause you to have hallucinations and wild temper swings. Its a drug, dont be fooled to think it was only because of the alcohol
@@ilooliI think they might mean Eurotrip :)
I think I first heard about Absinthe in 92 because of Bram Stokers Dracula
Thanks for this. As the owner of the Wormwood Society, I've been saying much of the same thing for the past 25 years. It's amazing how many people don't want to believe that what we can obtain now is the same as what was drank during the Bslle Epoque, I stead holding onto these grandiose ideas of tripping or other drug like effects. I like that you added in the description of absinthism, but one thing that I think would have made the dispelling of the myths even strong was the rebuttal by The Lancet right around the same time that Magnan coined the term, which in reality was a description of the DTs and end-stage alcoholism:
The Lancet in 1868 -
“It is quite clear that a great deal of what has been said [about absinthe] is mere nonsense, and will not bear a moment's investigation. And when one reads carefully even the seemingly authoritative description of the symptoms … it is impossible to fix on any definite peculiarities which clearly distinguish poisoning with absinthe from poisoning with any other concentrated alcohol, taken in small doses repeated with extreme frequency…
For our own part, we have never been convinced that there is anything in the symptoms of acute or chronic absinthism as they are described, essentially different from those of acute or chronic alcoholism...
We have repeatedly seen the whole train of symptoms, which are now so much talked of, produced by the constant drinking of brandy or rum. As for hallucinations, there is nothing more common [in end-stage alcoholism]…”
I had a friend in college who ordered some "real" absinthe from somewhere in Eastern Europe. He was *so* certain that it was going to make him hallucinate like LSD that he did indeed have a very strange experience (he ran off with my knitting which he said was moving). All that on maybe 2 ounces. All based on the power of suggestion.
@@margotmolander5083 never underestimate the power of the mind!
I would love to buy a bottle that is AUTHENTIC. I think the one Max is using is close to the actual recipe.
@@emilyspector2728 it's pretty authentic. During the Belle Epoque, Pernod Fils was the gold standard of absinthe. Unfortunately they've not pit as much energy into the brand after the ban was lifted, so it's more of a mid-shelf offering now, but it's authentic.
@@havenrugger To your view who has the most authentic recipe currently made?
Wow, he actually went out and bought an absinthe fountain for this episode. The absolute madlad!
The madness hit me!
The magic of 1.25 million subscribers.
Here, in Exhibit 'A,' we see the pernicious impact of Absinthe on the mind of the absinthist...
Count Dankula's newest video: "The Chef That Taste Tested History - Absolute Madlads"
And he doesn’t even particularly like the taste of anise. So that’s commitment.
I love how much effort he puts into pronouncing things correctly
He even almost had van Gogh right!! The first G should sound like the last, then it would be perfect. But well done even so!
Pronounced "vun koch" In English
@@leifiverson8549wrong. In English we pronounce it Van Go
if this had come out sooner I would've shown this along with my absinthe presentation I held in art history class!!
Next time
I love absinthe and watching the process. In Australia we have strict rules on wormwood and what wormwood is allowed. A distillery in Queensland created their own Australian version of Absinthe. It’s got the best name. “Moulin Roos”
I love this.
Its also pretty good! You can get it at a select few places around the country
Wormwood grows everywhere here in SA🇿🇦 and is used on many traditional cultural African practices and ceremonies.
I'm growing lemon balm right now. It's quite delicious in tea. It sort of reminds me of lemon drop candy but not nearly as sour. It's also supposedly good for anxiety. However, it can supposedly lead to some side effects such as increased appetite.
It is part of the mint family, so if you or anyone else is allergic to mint they should talk to their health care practitioner before using it. And it can take over your garden if you aren't careful. I have them in planters at the moment.
I have a lemonbalm plant. It's a perennial so after it dies off, just prune the dead branches and watch the magic every spring.
Jean Lanfray: (drinks half his weight in various alcohol, especially wine, and shoots his family over unwaxed boots 👢)
The people following the trial: It was the absinthe! There is NO other way this could’ve happened!
Vineyard owners: 😉 🍷
More like the newspapers, Max pointed that the court is actually the only instance that did not believed it was absinthe XD
@@krankarvolund7771 True. There was that “expert” witness, but he didn’t seem to be too convincing to the rest of the court. Made an edit.
Now they'd blame his xbox.
It's such a staggering amount of alcohol (did he even eat that day?) that I'm surprised he could even see the boots! Not to mention making it through a work day, more or less on his feet... Coffee is some powerful stuff lmao
They say women are emotional🙄
It's a funny thing, Max. I despise anise and other licorice flavorings, yet love absinthe almost as much as I love red wine. Lovely stuff.
I definitely prefer my absinthe without sugar. I think at this point I've had about a dozen different traditional and new-style absinthes.
Incidentally, enhancing the colour of cheap/fake absinthe using copper sulfate as a colouring was only one of the problems with it. Another was the use of antimony perchloride, another toxic heavy-metal compound to enhance the louche. But the biggest problem, which isn't often mentioned, was the alcohol used for the cheaper stuff. Proper absinthe uses _marc_ as the base for distillation, which is also known as "wine spirits", and is distilled from grape pomace similarly to grappa. The cheap stuff, even when it didn't use toxic heavy metal colourants, was commonly made with industrial ethanol, which was very often contaminated with methanol and other toxic alcohols and distillation byproducts.
Oooooh this makes sense
Marc is only one type of base alcohol that works for absinthe. While it is considered the gold standard, it's by far not the only option. GNS, brandies, beet, and even rectified pisco have all worked very well. I do like the character that Marc impresses on an absinthe as it ages though.
See my reply about the copper 'enrichment' possibly causing chronic poisoning. Worst of all would be if one imbibed copper at chronic doses for long periods, without also balancing supplements of manganese and zinc. The three nutrients must be taken in balance with each other, and in commercial or industrial settings this is never addressed, due to the hunger for profit. Much like adding ethylene glycol (antifreeze) to wine...
So rather than do FDA style regulation to punish poisoners, they just killed an entire style of alcohol.
@@dj1NM3 they wanted to kill it because absinthe had taken all of the wine industry's customers. Many in the government made their fortunes in wine and their families owned vineyards.
Another thing: absinthe turns cloudy when adding water because it's getting diluted and the compounds extracted from the anise by the alcohol become suspended rather than dissolved. And to keep them dissolved, it requires a high amount of alcohol. Absinthe is around 70% alcohol.
Primarily anethole, the oily substance from anise that also gives it that licorice flavor. When you pour water into the solution, the oil comes out in tiny free floating droplets in what is called an emulsion, since it can dissolve in alcohol but not in water. That's why I say anise is the key ingredient, and wormwood is only there as a minor spice.
@@Reddotzebra that's correct. Max mentions that Pernod claims to have changed its recipe when absinthe was banned, but actually it just removed wormwood from the recipe, making the product very similar to a sister drink: pastis.
I knew someone who would drink neat absinthe. He claimed that it was all right for him to do it, because he was Polish.
Adam Ragusea released a video on anethole the other day explaining this LOL.
I was looking for this comment. :-) I love when science can explain food.
O Henry wrote a story called “The Fool Killer”, where an absinthe drip is one of the principal characters. He describes it almost as a person, entrancing the narrator with its witchy ways. Good story too.
That's not an uncommon practice of humanity. There's numerous psychoactive substances that were outright considered spiritual entities.
dutch speaker here (flemish, not from the netherlands), can confirm your pronunciation of Van Gogh is very good! i'd even say it's the best one i've heard from a native english speaker thus far
Thank you! I always struggle with Dutch.
You didn't quite get the hard G, but otherwise perfect! And yes, Dutch is a horrible language :D
Van Gogh probably didn't have a hard G himself. As he was from Brabant
@@barbaraoxford Good point!
As a dutch-speaking Belgian, you'd just fit right in, perfect pronounciation!
Great video as always. A famous cocktail with Absinthe is "Death in the Afternoon'" also called Hemingway Champagne. I've had it, and it's definetly one of my favourites. For the recipe, the author can be quoted :
"Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly."
3 to 5? Okey doke!!
Pastis is also worth a try. Tastes very similar with an aniseed flavour but already has the sugar added, so less faff. Generally it seems to be more commonly drunk in France today where you can get a carafe of ice water and a glass or small caraf of pastise and sitting in the sun in a cafe sipping away is a great way to pass a summer afternoon.
“Mine only has 2”
As if owning one is not enough of a flex
Welcome back Drinking History!! I've had absinthe in France, I was 15 and my parents weren't around. I did not hallucinate b/c this version had no wormwood in it. I was disappointed at the time, but as an adult, wow, what an idiot I was.
If it makes you feel better, we all do stupid things at 15 :)
at least you grew out of it 😅
Thujone is a nervine narcotic. Dw, it's a myth to hallucinate. You didn't miss a bad time lol
Absinthe with no wormwood is called Pastis, it's very popular in southern France ^^
Hallucinations are not on the menu, the only thing absinthe will do is get you absolutely smashed, really quickly.
Except for all the preparation time.
i’ve been following this channel for a while and i gotta ask:
WHERE do you keep all your pokémon plushes?
how many do you have??
every episode you have a _different_ little guy sitting somewhere in frame
i’m fascinated by them just as much as the food/drinks you discuss and make
Watch some of the first Ketchup with Max and Jose, they show where the plushes stay on the bed in the guest bedroom... ruclips.net/user/KetchupwithMaxandJose
@@jonathanbair523 fantastic fantastic! thank you!
Part of the reason i watch every vid xD the plushies its like a where is walter xD
Gotta catch 'em all.
Great episode. But I can't believe Max made it through the whole thing without making the "absinthe makes the heart grow fonder" pun.
Well it certainly didn't in that murder trial (groan)
clearly yr more clever than him. My joke was always abstinence makes the dick grow harder.
he doesn't care what momma says
Absence makes the heart grow fonder,
Absinthe makes the mind go wander,
As I sip this magyck brew
I close my eyes and think of you.
I love you more than I can say,
And shall forever and a day,
Love and honor and worship you
And to your heart be ever true.
@@MeiranBoi IDKHOW!!
Since Adam Ragusea recently did a video on anise flavors and briefly covered the science of absinthe becoming cloudy, I hoped you would make an episode on absinthe! I love to see the perspective each of you bring to the table for this fascinating drink.
Well, you know what they say, "Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder." 😉 I made my own absinthe once, because I had all the ingredients growing in my herb garden. I hate the taste of licorice, so I left the anise out. It came out really good, and packed a hell of a punch! I made enough to have lots of small bottles made up for my friends, with a little tag on the bottle illustrated with the stamp of a green fairy.
You should invent strawberry twizler absinth 😁
You should have seen my attempt at making beer without hops and yeast. Eventually marketed it as Robinson's barley water!
You should have tried my attempt at making it with powdered water.
It had a very chewy consistency.
Interesting. Another comment mentions that Czech absinthe doesn't use anise, either -- sounds like you may have made something like that.
Ha! Sounds great. @@Engelhafen
Hell yeah ! Fabulous french pronounciation Max as always ! Pro tip : the absinth fountain with sugar and spoon is a perfect way of getting completely smashed but elegantly and quite slowly, with time between servings, during New Year's Eve ! 20/20 (as we score here), je recommande ✅
Thank you 🙏
This vidéo was awesome ! Pernot also merged with Ricard, which is the first manufacturer of another anis apéritif which is now known as "Ricard" but which is actually pastis. And it is essentially a very very rough version of Absinth, also drunk with ice and water, and turning translucent yellow (hence its nickname, un jaune, 'a yellow'). It is among the most popular beverages in the lower half of France. I hate pastis, but I love absinth - it is fancier and, indeed, sweeter, just like you seem to prefer it ! Cheers to you and your trustworthy pallate !
@@pauka123 I appreciate the information. Thanks for sharing!
I once went to a nice restaurant and saw they had absinthe, so I ordered it--they did indeed haul out a gigantic absinthe fountain and everyone was staring at us, lol. Can confirm, great way to get smashed and look fancy while doing it.
@Pauline Racz
Comme il est intéressant que votre échelle aille de 0 à 20 au lieu de 0 à 10 ! Ici aux États-Unis, nous avons une expression : "Vous apprenez quelque chose de nouveau chaque jour !" et je dirais que c'est certainement le cas ici avec votre commentaire.
Merci!
In the Val de Travers in Switzerland, where Absinthe was invented in the 18th century, Absinthe was always available during the ban, under the counter of course. And near fountains and wells in the woods, oftentimes a bottle was hidden, if you knew where to look.
My grandfather, who lives in Jura bernois, still keeps his absinthe hidden. A habit he picked up when he used to buy it under the counter from the Val de Travers.
Swiss Absinthe tastes great.
My mom has a bottle around, and while she never drinks (except when her friend makes her homemade advocaat) she puts it into some of her Jams or Marmalade.
I sometimes drink it, but without sugar. Its a nice drink.
absinthe plants grow abundantly in certain regions in Switzerland, there are multiple breweries that make local absinthe as well, theyre all different in they own special way, i really recommend that if you like absinthe (ive found either you love it or you hate it) making a tour of the areas in Switzerland if you can!
Liking the new setting for Drinking History! Very nice, and that map is great to have in the background.
London!
The yellow from the map overwhelms any green in the absinthe. You must make a sequel and hold the green fairy against the dark background
@@j.g.campbell3440 I was going to request something white for the sake of the viewers having a color contrast
I’m thrilled to come across this video! As someone who makes absinthe content regularly (reviews of individual modern brands, pre-ban, and vintage absinthe, as well as educational videos), this video was such a breath of fresh air! Very factual, and I loved the focus on the political implications behind the absinthe ban. Some people will never be convinced that absinthe wasn’t hallucinogenic, and I really appreciate you quashing that misconception in this presentation. Your video was such a breath of fresh air because you didn’t plant any implications or false ideas in the viewers heads like many other people do.
If you’re interested in trying some better brands of absinthe, I highly recommend Lucid, La Clandestine, Angélique, and anything by Jade Liqueurs (pricey, yes, but as close to pre-ban absinthe as you’ll get in the modern era).
As someone who has had Pre-Ban Pernod made in 1900, I can honestly say that they don’t make it the same way now as they did in the pre-ban era. That was quite the experience that I’ll never forget.
I think that the difference between now and then has more to do with the brand owners investing less in making a quality product and more on marketing and relying on their brand’s name and reputation instead of them “taking the magic ingredient out”.
Loved the videos! I recommended it to my followers if they want to watch and share it! Santé! 💚🥰
Hello, I do believe I’ll be checking out your content. Absinthe is so fun!
What is the taste difference between the 1900 version and the more recently made?
@@be6715 With the modern version of Pernod Fils, it’s pretty clear that they haven’t tasted any pre-ban absinthes. The current product is artificially colored, doesn’t seem to have much wormwood in it (and if it does, it isn’t high quality), the base spirit now isn’t as high quality as it was back then, and they use star anise instead of green anise (they both share the word “anise”, but they’re completely different, and star anise is much lower quality and much cheaper). They can scream about having their “original recipe” all they want, but absinthe lovers who have tasted their pre-ban products know the truth.
I actually did a video of tasting pre-ban Pernod Fils from 1900 if you’re interested.
Based big tiddied goth girls are the only thing still holding together the US economy. Is there nothing they cant do? They are just holding it down like woah.
Where should I go to find a goth gf? What online community should I look into?
@@AdrienneLaVey minor annotation: If I recall correctly, Recette Traditionelle is indeed coloured naturally using sting nettle or spinach. However of course, this isn't traditional, as (I know, you know, just for the others ;-) ) aromatic, medicinal herbs were originally used to colour absinthe, like artemisia pontica, hyssop, mint, or melissa. These added additional flavour to the final product. Spinach or nettle hardly do that (but are probably way cheaper).
You are such an incredibly great match for this equally incredible series! So much fun watching you!
While studying I was living with two French guys and they showed the street version of this (they called it Wolf's Milk, if I recall correctly): no sugar, a shot glas of Pernod to a pint glas of ICE COLD water. It's also murky, greenish white and though the alcohol is watered down extremely the flavour is still there and it makes the most refreshing summer drink I know of.
Pernod is not absinthe. But you are right about what a nice summer drink it is.
@@hogwashmcturnip8930 What's a good one for me to look for?
@@hogwashmcturnip8930 Pernod makes both anise liqueur and genuine absinthe. The name Pernod is still associated with the liqueur because that's all they were legally allowed to make for decades, but they absolutely make the real stuff again. I have a bottle myself, and it's what Max uses in this episode.
@@samk522 Thanks for explaining. In Europe I have only ever seen the Pernod brand connected with anise. Maybe I should look harder!
@@b.johnathanwarriorinagarde7980 Depends where you are. I am not the right person to ask as I don't drink it very often. But Pernod and Ricard are the ones the French seem to go for. In Spain, in the 'Campo' some of it is home made.. As is a lot of the wine sold in the village bars. The wine is a bit like a lottery. Get a good batch and Everyone is happy, hit a bad one and it would be better to use it to clean the sink!
Here in West Switzerland, Absinthe never really disappeared even when it was illegal. Especially in the Jura region, it was known to be continually made on an artisanal level.
Sounds a lot like the Moonshine culture in the southern US. The government may have banned it, but if people want it the governments desires are mostly irrelevant.
Yes in the Valais too. One of the local brands proudly proclaims that they never stopped making it, though exact details are not mentioned. I forget the brand but it's the most known one in the region and its clear not green.
I got to try absinthe for the first time while visiting New Orleans and absolutely loved it! My folks got be a beautiful fountain to go with my art deco style. An absinthe rinsed glass for prosecco is a lovely twist to the classic absinthe drip
Thank you for the history lesson!
I love seeing the old advertising posters that show "the green fairy" floating above the drinkers and making them happy. I've tried several brands of absinthe (not at the same sitting) and I find that the eastern European ones (Czech mainly) taste different than the western European and US versions.
the eastern european ones afaik are still allowed to have the wyrmwood in it, whereas the western european and us versions have the general taste of absinthe but without the wyrmwood
@@eflarsen I don't think that's the case because nowadays, all western european absinthe use wormwood. What doesn't have wormood are things like Ricard/Pernod. But I agree that eastern european absinthes are very different from the western ones. From what I've read, two differences are that they are made by maceration instead of distillation and some don't contain anis
@@thibaultwyrsch6888 Different quality ingredients also makes a difference in taste. Eastern brands usually use lower quality ingredients (sadly enough, I wish we caught up on that front).
How long is the piece of string, there are two types of wormwood and in broad terms three types of preparation, distilled, macerated, and flavoured, of things labelled as "Absinthe" in liquor stores. You are most likely to run into the last two (cheaper) in your generic liquor stores.
Flavoured, just that, bottom of the quality tree, human consumption grade alcoholic spirit with colours and flavours mixed in, as good as it sounds.
Macerated, a step up the quality tree, if you are lucky they start with a wine spirit in which they soak a blend of herbs (macerated) and drain off the resultant liquour (they some times fortify this further to up the alcohol content).
Distilled, top of the quality tree, a charge of wine spirits (sometimes beet spirit) and herbs is placed in a specially designed Absinthe still and then distilled, the resultant distillate is the top end product.
So the three production types definitely "taste different", this layered with two types of wormwood and then a wide variety of herbs used by the individual producers and you have entered the wonderful world of flavour that is Absinthe.
Note also, that the anise acts to cancel the "alcohol burn", so you end up with a delicious drink of very interesting flavours that doesn't taste like it has alcohol in it (which it most definitely does in spades).
Further the sugar and wormwood sit across from each other on the palate producing a tension off which flavour notes can be produced or announced.
Further still, each glass of Absinthe you drink modifies your palate such that you experience your next Absinthe differently. Back in the day, the Absintheurs would design a round (sequence of different Absinths) as a kind of flavour symphony for your afternoon. This is quite noticeable even cycling between two one (ok), two (ok), then back to one again and it tastes different, so you can find different Absinthes that play well together when drunk in sequence as a medley.
Enjoy.
I remember drinking home made absenth in France, in Bretagne's countryside, while it was still officially banned in shops. I drank it pure, not dilluted with water. Not very posh, but effective. Got very drunk that night but didn't have headache or anything next day. Good memories of my absenth experience.
Finally tried absinthe in the big easy last year at ‘the olde absinthe bar’. I really enjoyed it and got an immediate buzz. The bartender lit the sugar cube on fire. The drama of the presentation was really fun!
That's known as the Czech method if I remember correctly, and a very modern invention.
@@nimbulan2020 It's to hide the fact that Czech "Absinthe" is usually just Vodka and green food colouring
@@j.murphy4884 Not quite true. You can actually taste the bouquet of herbs because the anise is missing in Czech absinth. Of course there may exist some fake versions.
Was my first and only one try of absinthe and too hard for me at times. I think, water will make it smoother a lot, like others anise based beverages that we ("we", at least french :p) fill with water (ricard/berger...)
A few years ago, my mom got very upset that I brought absinthe home. I had to explain to her that most, if not all, of what she had heard about it was false 😂
As a teen I wanted to try it sooooooooo bad so I was excited when I finally got to try it followed by great disappointment when I tasted it ... I've never felt so let down by somthing I built up in my head it was like Santa all over again
@@amylattimore3589 What are you talking about? Santa's real. He has an address the US postal service delivers to and everything!
@@Shenaldrac it's in Canada, and the postal code is H0H 0H0.
She would have hated me. I brought acid home after a festival before. Talk about hallucinations 😂😂😂😂😂
Well, mine believed that having more than two eggs per day would make your liver explode or something and that not waiting three hours between meal and bath in the sea or swimming pool could cause death. All lies spread by prestigious doctors.
More recently you may have heard about cholesterol and the niceties of high carb diets, right? Doctors again making up things!
I enjoy black liquorice, so have always enjoyed ouzo and sambuca. Absinthe is just stronger and less sweet. Ice water over the sugar cube gives a great louche and you can better control the sweetness (unlike with the former two). I've also had some certified pre-ban. I didn't detect much difference between that and modern.
this video was so cool, the absinthe having an anise flavor and turning opaque reminds me of a drink we have in lebanon, arak!!! it also turns from clear to cloudy and tastes like anise:]
Very well done! As someone who has drank absinthe for 20 years now, and who knows a lot of its history, I'd say that your video is among the best on the subject. The modern Pernod Absinthe is most likely an oil mix, that is, alcohol is not distilled with the herbs but oils are cold-mixed into the base alcohol instead. That is a historically correct way of making absinthe, but it is not the original method that Pernod used before the ban. Actually, it is more like the Spanish Pernod oil-mix absinthe of the 1960s (absinthe was never banned in Spain) Some producers moved there after the ban in their countries. Today, there are small distillers who make authentic absinthe by batch-distilling anise, fennel and wormwood plus some other herbs per whatever recipe they use and then coloring the product with melissa and Artemisia pontica (Roman wormwood). If you can get Montana or Philippe Lasala, those are IMO "authentic Spanish 1960s oil mixes", quite drinkable.
Edit: While it is legal to make your own oil-mixes wherever alcohol is legal, I would advise against it. Essential/aromatherapy oils are not meant for flavoring anything that will be swallowed. And even less would I advise anyone to distill their own absinthe... leave it to trained professionals (or clandestine distillers of Switzerland)!
And, unlike cognac or whisky/whiskey, absinthe is not a protected name (in the EU at least). You can make pretty much anything and sell it as 'absinthe'. Apologies to Czech drinkers if I sounded harsh in one my comments but that's the way it is. Real, distilled absinthe is not bitter and is not made just by macerating herbs in alcohol. However, that method gives you other kind of nice bitter drinks, like the Swedish Bäska droppar. Absinthe was defined in Switzerland in 2005 at re-legalization so in CH you can only call distilled absinthe 'absinthe'.
La Bleue is legal now. Naturally clear (thus the name) because distilled. But they make a green one coloured with angéligue.
Tyvm for your post you both taught me a lot today❤😊
Absinthe is my Drink of Choice, and I would suggest adding water to almost the top of the Glass. A good way to measure if you have the balance of water to Absinthe correct is to watch the louche line. As you're louching, the clear absinthe will sit on top of the louched absinthe and get thinner, the moment it disappears it's ready to drink.
Thanks for sharing the wisdom!!
Thanks for the info I really wanna try it
Melissa/Lemon Balm tastes like lemon and sage, together. Where I live, we also call it Lemon Sage. It's very easy to grow. And it can easily take over gardens and flower beds.
As a Dutch speaker, cheers to the surprisingly accurate pronunciation of Van Gogh. It's not perfect, but better than most English speakers. You said the gh with an actual Dutch g and that made me happy.
If you want to make it perfect, make the a more of an "ah" sound and make the first G the same as the gh, and you've got it.
I don't know why, but for some reason as an English-speaking American I can see the word "gouda" and grasp how the Dutch pronunciation of "g" works. But I see "van Gogh" and it refuses to click into place.
The A in 'van' almost more of a U-like-in-'fun' sound. It's similar to the German 'von'.
English-speakers are probably more likely to be familiar with the G and CH sound in Dutch as the sound in the Scottish word "loch" or the Hebrew letter Chet. It's kind of similar to the Spanish pronunciation of the letter J.
Offish topicish, but Absinthe Helfrich was incredible! I suppose there still is Akveld's which is good also.
Your pronunciation of van Gogh is almost spot on!
You nailed the Gogh part that most English speakers struggle with, and the van part is pronounced a bit more like the German Von (as in Von Braun) but a bit harder.
As a Dutchman myself it delighted me to hear someone actually pronounce it like this =]
But he mispronounced anise lol
As a Dutch person, i can tell you, i´m impressed with your pronunciation of Vincent van Gogh. Most English speaking people pronounce it as `Van Go`.
I'm glad the van can go or I wouldn't get my Ebay deliveries.
The Absinte brand of absinthe uses a version of Van Gogh's self portrait on its labels and boxes.
I've been enjoying absinthe for many years started out 18, now 36, I must of gotten through 100s of types/ brands by now and the one I always go back to is Hapsburg Super Deluxe its 85% and comes in a 50cl bottle and often comes with the absinthe spoon attached to the bottle, I have a vintage fountain and glasses
First time I tried Absinthe it was at a Goth club. The bar tender poured the Absinthe first over the cube, then let it on fire before putting it out with the water drip. The fountains were ornate and impressive. I'm not a fan of the flavor, but the aesthetic is magical.
#friendsdontletfriendsburnabsinthe it's an ersatz tradition that was invented in the 1990s to sell fake brands that don't taste anything like real absinthe.
Unfortunately, that style of preparing absinthe, whilst quite popular (mainly due to the Czechs doing it that way and they were one of the first to re-legalize it) is pretty bad for the absinthe since you burn away a lot of the taste. Also they tend to use really cheap absinthes which misses out the herbal notes that's the main appeal.
17:25 "Melissa" is just an alternate name for Lemon Balm. It is a common herb in the mint family with a refreshing lemon-like flavour. It grows wild all over Europe and probably in America too. Makes nice tea.
Thank you for this. My wife is a popular art nouveau artist with multiple absinthe-inspired artworks. We're going to share this video with her fans, because they will enjoy it so much.
I bought a spoon in an antique store once and just thought it was cool. It was over 100 and I bought it for around $1. I didn’t know until later it was an absinthe spoon. One of my friends told me it was considered “drug paraphernalia”…later I found out it’s not. Btw I love the blue walls!!!
Some friends of mine live near Pontarlier, where at least one of the old original absinthe distilleries is still in business. It is a pretty amazing place, and they allow visitors in for free (yes, free) tastings. One of the most hilarious things are some old newspaper stories from just before the ban, when an accident saw one of the main stills rupture and leak it's contents into the local river. Allegedly, the town's fire service and police spent the day using their helmets to scoop up and get drunk off of the now very alcoholic river water.
That's the first time I've heard about dilluting absinthe with water...
In Poland and Bohemia it is drunk warm - You put the absinthe spoon over the empty glass, you put on a sugar cube or two, you pour absinthe over it and set it on fire. When the fire starts dying out you pour some more, until all the sugar carmelises and falls into the glass (usually setting the liquid inside aflame as well). Then you cover the glass to put the fire down and you drink before the fumes escape. It's warm, it's nice, it hits hard. Having it any other way feels weird. :)
Although I would be interested to try it in a Bunnyhug coctail.
The fire ritual and the Bohemian absinthe are inventions of the 1990s. No evidence has been found that that ritual would have existed in the pre-ban absinthe heyday.
The Bohemian method was made fairly recently, by purveyors of knockoff and inferior "Absinth" It makes it a bigger spectacle, and the burnt sugar masks the taste of the beverage.
The fire ritual was concocted in the 1990’s to sell fake absinthe to unsuspecting tourists in the Czech Republic- it had no basis in history
Something interesting I discovered, is that after you store an opened bottle of Pernod, the Anissed Taste lessens, and other herbs "appear".
However, the Louche seems to lessen as well.
Maybe due to the essential oils of ansinth evaporating first?
Maybe, but there wasn't soooo much headspace in the bottle yet.
If you don’t have the fountain, just pouring a little amount of water over the sugar at a time works. Just give the water time to soak into the sugar so it dissolves.
Hi Max - I was surprised that you never mentioned the Czechoslovakian link where it was drunk during the first republic and became (and remained) popular from 1989 onward after the revolution. There is a specific type here, which is Absinth without the "e" and also without the anise - making it bitter but much stronger - so it ends up needing the sugar cube. Also the sugar cube was invented in Moravia. Oops - rabbit hole - I'm late I'm late......
Great episode! I haven't bought Absinthe for about 15 years, but when I did, I ordered it from Europe (ship to US) from a shop that is no longer around. I did months of research on Absinthe before I took the plunge and bought several bottles to try. Note, the US laws are strange concerning Absinthe. You could buy Absinthe (mail order) but you could not sell it in a store or bar. In the old La Fee Verte forum, people went apeshit over those who lit their drinks on fire, al la Eurotrip and Johnny Depp in From Hell. Or, fielding questions from people who wanted to "Trip Balz."
A few pointers for those who are interested in trying/buying Absinthe.
1. Don't buy Absinthe that was made in a land-locked country (Switzerland is the exception). Czech Absinthe is novelty garbage. Save yourself some money and buy a bottle of Nyquil, instead. When first starting, look for French, Spanish, and Swiss.
2. ABSINTHE. NOT Absente, Absenta, or Absinth. Those are not real Absinthe. They lack Wormwood/Thujone.
3. Don't buy the stuff that's sold in liquor stores in the US. It's not the same as the stuff sold in Europe. It lacks Thujone.
4. Find an online dealer from Europe to buy the real thing. World of Absinthe has a nice selection. I recommend the Absinthe Jade Nouvelle Orleans. It's very smooth. It was one of my favorites. It's expensive and the shipping will get you. I used to make $500 orders to justify the shipping.
5. Before jumping in, find out if you like the taste first. Get a bottle of Pernod Pastis and give it a try. Chances are, if you already like Ouzo, you'll like Absinthe.
6. Try it without sugar, first. Some Absinthes are very sweet and adding sugar will only make it sickeningly sweet. I prefer without.
7. Know your limit! In those days, I could binge drink over 30 beers in 5-6 hours (Just beer. And I'm a woman), but 6 glasses of Absinthe was my limit (no other booze involved). Any more, and I'm power barfing in technicolor. It sneaks up on you.
8. Do your research.
9. I hope this helps someone get their feet wet.
10. Enjoy your Absinthe!
I love the taste of anise, though I’ve never had absinthe. I have had another anise-flavored liquor which is Italian, though, called sambuca, and this also creates a ouzo effect when combined with water. Love your channel, btw!
sambuca is like candy compared to most absinthes... especially sambuca romana. Not saying that in a bad way, a lil anisette and coffee, and especially in cookies is a hard flavor to beat. But a well made absinthe may taste a bit more like italian liqours in the style of Strega or Galliano.
I so enjoy the artwork chosen with each episode's history lesson - and the history for that matter 🙂
Sucks that absinthe was always portrayed as a mostly naked woman who deserved death tho.
Yay patriarchy
Funnily enough, the Pernod "substitute" for Absinthe with anise is now a very common and well liked drink in France ! It's called "Pastis, and it's the perfect apéritif in summer 😊
Oh that's what Pastis is! thank you!
Oh, so Pastis Pernod was a substitute for Pernod Absynthe?
I think pastis is dewormwooded absinthe
Actually Anise was the first “substitute” for absinthe in the 1920’s - Pastis came along in the 1930’s
Pernod created "Anis Pernod" in 1918 as a woodwormless alternative to absinthe. He is therefore credited as the inventor of Pastis though it didn't have that name yet. The name "Pastis" was given to the drink a bit later by Paul Ricard who created a very similat drink in the early 30s.
Probably already mentioned, but let us remember that "absinthe makes the heart grow fonder"
Best comment.
Haaa! 😄
Not in the case of Jean Lanfray, it made him kill his wife!
I came across a more complicated variant back in my college days, (1960/64). It involved a patient with peculiar "breaking of wind". It sounded for all the world like "HONDA."
He sought the advice from an herbalist, who immediately diagnosed the problem as Absenthe, who as everyone knows, makes the fart go HONDA. (I do love triple puns.)
As Mike Tyson always says.
Hi Max, perhaps you could do another absinthe cocktail sometimes called death in the afternoon, it was Hemingways favorite! I love also how composers like Satie and Debussy were Absinthe drinkers haha!
Yes! And did you noticed I used a little Debussy in the background of the video ; )
Yes death in the afternoon is such a pleasant drink. And you might like it a little better because you're going to get the sweetness of the grape from the champagne.
Love the inclusion of the different countries method making absinthe. The beautiful irony of the Bible verse for the 'Devil's' drink too!
I had my first taste of absinthe at the old absenthe house in New Orleans. And in trying to describe absent I've always told people if you word to describe the color green to someone that was blind They needed to try absinthe. Given that I am not fond of black licorice it's not my choice of drink. But it was very cool to be able to try a drink that was that old.
Recently started drinking Absinthe as my spirit of choice after having some at my fathers residence. Tried buying an Absinthe fountain but found that they apparently are backloged for awhile cause the companies that sell them have to leak check them since the spigots usually have something stupid like a 70% chance of leaking if they don't do the check themselves.
As a glassblower though I've been entertaining the idea of "well If I can't buy one, I'll make one." and still am trying to design something that not only looks good but is easy to clean. Maybe even throw in some color options while I'm at it.
It's intresting seeing the spirit come back to the states.
You don't even need a fountain, though you can use one if you want just for the fun of it, but really you can just mix the liquor with water (and ice if desired) and be done with it, adding some sugar if you really want to, but it's optional. The whole dripping thing is purely for fun.
@@Corrodias I know. Still fun anyways to do it the special way to make it feel special/like a tradition.
I usually just run cool water in my sink and tap it closed till it starts dripping and just place the glass underneath it so I'm well aware I don't need one lol.
Not the spirit we need!
Yay, the absinth video is here, I love it. And thank you for clarifying once again, that absinth is not more dangerous than other hard liquor because it contains thujone. The real problem is the excessive alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, many people still believe this negative stereotype. And I liked your detailed history portion.
I was actually responsible for archiving the documents of the Swiss Alcohol Board when it as disbanded a few years ago and helped to write a book on the history of alcohol in Switzerland. This agency was responsible for taxing hard liquor in Switzerland and enforcing the alcohol laws. Absinth was the only one that was completely outlawed. For all other spirits they made an effort to collaborate with the temperance movements and the agricultural federations to promote slogans like “Eating potatoes is healthier than drinking them”. They also supported research in food preservation methods, such as tinning, freezing and the production of fruit concentrate or potato chips, because in the 19th century, aside from drying and storing, you could only distil your fruits to preserve them for a long time.
Of course, there were also some interesting documents concerning absinth. In the Val-de-Travers, a valley which borders France and Switzerland, the birthplace of absinth, there was actually a clandestine brewing tradition starting in 1910. They had hidden distilleries in cellars and hid the bottle in special compartments in wells. Despite the frequent police raids, they even served the French president François Mitterrand a desert laced with clandestine absinth in 1983 when he visited the region.
My family still has a bottle of illegal stuff in the liquor cabinet that my father got from a co-worker. Fun fact, because of this clandestine brewing tradition, Swiss absinth is brewed to make it look clear instead of green, so that it is not distinguishable from other spirits. It is less bitter than the French Version, so usually you don’t add sugar but it still turns cloudy with the water.
And if you are ever in the Val-de-Travers, there is an absinth hicking trail where you can learn about the history of absinth and also get wasted in the woods.
How cool! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I've also found a couple of bottles from during the prohibition in my parents' house in Neuchâtel and it was very interesting to sample. There was one from the 70s and one from the 80s and they were both very different and also very different from the ones you find nowadays. Definitely worth tasting the one from your family side by side with a modern one if you get the chance!
My uncle showed me a trick where you would pour the absent over the sugar cube first, so it would absorb a little bit of the alcohol, light it on fire, so it would start to caramelize, and then finished dissolving it with water, generally, I hate the taste of black licorice, but that was delicious
Oh, an absinthe episode! It’s one of my favorite drinks, and I hate to see it have a bad reputation cause of rumors even today
I very much enjoy it's reputation
I about had a heart attack when you said you were going to try absinthe!!! The part of Canada that my family comes from would not touch the stuff as the belief was that it causes blindness! I am nearly fifty and i would not touch the stuff!!! You are a braver soul than i, good sir! Thank you for the additional history! 💜
EphemeralTao’s comment has a good explanation of where that belief came from. And you’d be 100% right to not touch anything that fit the description that this reputation came from (such as a lot of moonshine), because it’s true.
@Mandalor Fortytwo
Did you listen to the video at all? There is rampant information about how this silly rumor (that absinthe is dangerous) got started. Maybe don't be so histrionic and simply gather the information, take it in, and lead your life accordingly.
Or, continue to hide under the bed. More absinthe for the rest of us!
@@lisahinton9682 In fact, yes, I did listen to the entire program and I enjoyed it. My message was to the author of the program and did not require your input nor rudeness. Period Absinthe made by inferior means had copper added to improve the hue. I've read that too much copper intake affects the brain. Perhaps you prefer the inferior brands and that is why you are acting this way? ...seek help.
I first had it on a return to key west in the mid 2000's. The reputation was still going around in whispers but since I didn't have any "vivid dreams" as a result I paid them no heed. Occasionally I would get a bottle at my local specialty liquor / wine store. I probably should buy another bottle, one of these days.
Max, thanks for researching and presenting this interesting history of Absinthe! I’m intrigued and may try it for myself. Love the Absinthe fountain and the new look of your bar!
Your pronunciation of van Gogh is one of the best i've heard outside of Dutch speaking areas!. Just use the sound you make at the end "gh" at the beginnning aswell "G", and I think you'll be spot on!
I remember when I was little absinthe being illegal, and the common idea being that there was something poisonous in there. The ban was only lifted back in 2004, and for a while absinthe bars where all the rage here in the Netherlands.
Thanks for the content and I like the new set!
Reminds me of conversation I had on the topic:
A friend of mine: "Modern absinthe is safe. It does not contain the stuff that makes you go insanely murderous"
My reply: "So you're saying there's no alcohol in it?"
I remember that, too! Lived in Germany and Sweden during the time when absinth came back and it was wild watching fellow foreign students talk about their countries stance on absinth!
The pronunciation was fundamentally wrong. The first g was pronounced wrong.
@@Jajalaatmaar 🤣
I have had some delicious absinthe about 20 years ago. I was barely able to drink legally and was intimidated by it's supposed danger so I drank very little but didn't want to pass up the chance lo. It was still illegal and someone had brought it back from Germany. I enjoy learning more of the history.
I always wondered why there's such a fascination with absinthe in the Goth community, Alchemy Gothic (a brand that's been around since the 1970s and who make really pretty things with which to adorn yourself or your home) have made various absinthe related things over the years, and bands I listen to have written songs about it. I'm more than happy with gin, although that too has a dark history. I'm going to try proper absinthe eventually, I don't think the bright green concoction I had a few years ago was the real thing.
NIN the perfect drug. But I want to know why?!?!
I think we love it because of the mystique around it, the green fairy, the madness myths, etc
First, love the new set. Second, I was SO afraid of trying Absinthe for the longest time. Then I did. Instantly became one of my favorite spirits. The Pernod is good, but if you get a chance, see if you can locate the Oregon Spirit absinthe. It's my favorite I've tried so far. I've also found (and this may just be personal preference) that a Demerara sugar cube adds a bit of complexity to the cocktail, so I recommend giving that a try as well.
Perhaps one of the green drinks was chartreuse? It’s also a really beautiful green drink but the flavor profile is wildly different. We always just drank it straight from the bottle, but we were also little heathens.
Loved the new feel and no problems with echo at all
Artemisia absinthium (wormwood) contains thujone (an hallucinogenic). As my chemistry teacher was fond of telling us, the difference between a potion and a poison is the quantity. You would have to take in a very large quantity of Absinthe to even feel anything.
On a side note, wormwood is so called due to being used as a de-worming agent and 'silverleaf' (artemisia afra) is still used as a herbal treatment today. It is used for de-worming, as a decongestant and a general anti-flu medication. The secret is when it is harvested though
Another traditional way of saying it: "The dose makes the poison."
It’s in an herbal dewormer for goats as well…
unless you're incredibly sensitive to it, you'd probably die of alcohol poisoning long before you hallucinated from it.
Thujone isn’t hallucinogenic. It’s a neurotoxic compound that will cause convulsions, nausea, vomiting, renal failure, and possibly going into a coma.
A paper I wrote for University (I studied History, of course, lol) was about male hysteria, a very interesting phenomena, which was mostly written about by French doctors, expecially a famous one called, I believe, Champillion (I'm too lazy to look him up and it hase been a couple of decades), who described 'hysteria patients' who exhibited exactly the kind of 'symptoms' as described in 'absintism'. Now, it's possible that there was something going on (such as the poisoning of food or wallpaper or whatever) that was ascribed to 'hysteria', but there is also a very well-known and well-documented phenomena of impressionable patients subconsciously (or even consciously because surely monsieur le doctor knew best) displaying the exact symptoms the doctor wanted. Anyhow, while Champillion's other work was translated into English, his writing on male hysteria was not, probably because the English found this 'froggy' notion that men could be so 'effeminate' to have hysteria ludicrous. And then WWI happened and the men that survived suffered from shellshock and well, that put an end, for the most part, to much of the prevailing male hysteria theories. But the absinth 'madness' theories remained in vogue for nearly a century, which is not so strange if one understands that the whole 'madness' narrative was concocted to destroy the drink's popularity by industry rivals. Still, it's interesting to me how the original story about absinte madness fitted so very neatly in then current beliefs about 'hysteria'.
I’ve seen theories/speculations about the witch trials in the US where some think part of the initial hysteria may have been from some sort of poisonous spoors in bread.
Absinthe has a long history in the Czech Republic too. In Prague there’s a café called Café Slavia where all the famous Czech philosophers, authors, and artists during the 1880s would gather to drink absinthe and discuss things. Plus, supposedly the fire-ritual of dipping a sugar cube in absinthe and setting in on fire, before dropping it in and waiting for the fire to die out, or extinguishing it by just diluting it with water, originated in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic)
A gas lighting doctor, this sounds pretty familiar...le sigh
I hadn't read about the quack involved, but that just filled in so many holes I had about absinthe. I was looking at absinthe from a herbalist view via the ingredients and was so confused because yeah you'd have to drink *so* much. Thanks!
I actually really like the taste of black licorice, so absinthe is one of my favorite drinks. It is pretty strong, so I can't have more than a glass at a time, but absinthe is a wonderful treat.
I also enjoy lemon balm/Melissa. It tastes similar to lemongrass, or a lemon-mint flavor. I add it to teas or dry it to put in tea bags in my dresser drawers so my clothes smell like lemon.
We were gifted an absinthe fountain a few years ago. We love it so much h we have dubbed Fridays Green Fairy Fridays!
As someone who Drinks absinthe regularly, I appreciate you. I'm seeing TikTok creators trying it straight, and hating it. The "ritual" needs to be shared.
Thank you
Ted Breaux is my hero, because he’s the one who proved by A and B that the thujone fear was unsound thus clearing the way for the absinthe market, and because he makes the Jade absinthe’s, which are the best on the market, replicas of historically significant products (Pernod, Berger and Cusenier, among others).
My hero too! His absinthes truly are the closest you can get to pre-ban absinthe made in the modern era. 🥰💚
Growing up in Germany, (in the 70's and 80's) a friends father was a big drinker of Pernod. I'd heard that it was a hallucinogen, but I didn't mind the taste. I actually grew up with black licorice as a treat so it was not a new taste. As the years went by, her father would also walk to the basement to retrieve a couple of cool beers for us to enjoy together. Something that my friend had never seen with other house guests. Yes, she really was just a friend and still is today. Unlike America, refrigeration was not that common in Europe. We still cooked with wood or coal, we still used root and wood cellars to store foods, we bought meats fresh each day or two. I didn't see or experience my first air conditioner until I joined the US Army in 1989. Maybe we were just poor, but I didn't see it that way.
A few good years ago a friend of mine took a trip to Europe and brought back two bottles of Absinthe. I went (I made a mistake) to taste it neat at its mere 89% alcohol content, I thought I was swallowing fire instead of the drink. The hangover from the other day would make a new text with some sordid details that I prefer to forget.
If ever you go to the rural Spanish/Portuguese borders avoid AguaFuerte/Aguadente (?) It is basically Moonshine or Poteen. My friends kept going on an on about this stuff, but I was not going to buy an entire bottle in case I didn't like it. I am a wine drinker, not spirits. And bars don't sell it, because while it is not Illegal, it is not Exactly legal either. Tax issues. You Can buy watered down version in supermarkets, but it is expensive and you are better off with a decent vodka.
Anyway I went to a Christmas Craft fair in a church hall in a tiny village. A woman was selling it, in all kinds of flavours. You could get a sample for 60 cents. So away I went. Now I understand why Dragons breath fire! NASA could have used the stuff to power the Space Missions! This was around the same proof as your absinthe. The commercial stuff is about 20!
I see the kirila plush in the background 👀
Want to say you chose it for today's video because of the green color 🤔
But also kirila and gardevoir are fancy pokemon like the drink for this video is pretty fancy 👀
In Pokémon Go, have a top hat kirila and gardevoir and when I have them as my buddy pokemon, I make my character dress up fancy also with a top hat 🤓🎩
Used to drink it in Canada, just across the way/river. A coffeeshop sold it and had a few types, including Pernod, and you could mix/put out the sugar cube fire with water or... Pop.
Absinthe with ginger ale is surprisingly great.
I love your content! I am a huge history dork and I am a caterer, between your recipes and drinks you will make my Dungeons and Dragons group very happy. Thank you so much!
Absinthe, Vermouth and Anisettes were the drink of choice of my elder relatives as it is sweet and gentle in flavour and can be watered down, so allegedly you wouldn't get drunk with it. I say "allegedly" because... you know, if you drink enough aperitifs before eating, you'll get tipsy alright. Still, it was considered a civilised drink to have before lunch or dinner. I don't know if it had any wormwood in it. On a side note, all the artemisia family have poisons in them from very mild to strong depending on the species. It's the reason why many of them were used as vermicide, and sometimes as homemade abortive.
Disclaimer: I'm from Europe.
6:16 I remember this puzzle from Rustly Lake Arles
You know what they say: 'Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder".
Booooo