Spirit of the Green Fairy returns

Van Gogh supposedly was under its influence when he lopped off his ear. It was blamed for murder, mayhem, and depravity of all sorts. It inspired a painting by Edgar Degas that enraged Victorian England. Its reputation was so bad that the United States, Switzerland and France banned its sale in the early 20th century.

Now, absinthe is back. Not only that, but as the New York Times reports, it is being crafted by artisans as a high-end (read, expensive) liquor. The U.S. legalized sales of absinthe earlier this year, so absinthe is slowly trickling into bars and liquor stores.

At its best, absinthe, traditionally nicknamed the Green Fairy, is an emerald green, multilayered liquor with a licorice flavor and hints of other herbs, including a trace of the bitter herb wormwood. At its worst…well, let’s just say “medicinal” is the kindest word to describe it.

To drink absinthe the traditional way, pour it into a tulip-shaped glass, set an absinthe spoon (a decorative, slotted spoon) over the top of the glass and top that with a cube of sugar, then pour ice water into the glass. The water turns the liquor cloudy and, fortunately for the mad artists among us, reduces its potency.

Modern absinthe makers say the sugar is unnecessary for a well-made absinthe, which should not be bitter.

Absinthe’s alleged (and highly exaggerated) tendency to induce madness was often credited to one of its ingredients, the medicinal herb wormwood, which contains varying amounts of thujone, a hallucinogen. Of course, the madness may owe even more to the fact that absinthe is 100+ proof before it’s diluted. Enraged at his friend Gauguin, Van Gogh, not the model of sanity in the best of times, had been drinking that and who knows what else for hours when he lopped off his left earlobe and presented it to a lady of the evening.

Modern, properly distilled absinthe contains only trace amounts of thujone. It’s still high in alcohol, though. So be careful how much you drink if you value your ears.