Absinthe Blog

It may be called La Fée Verte in France but Absinthe is more commonly known as “The Green Fairy,” which is a reference to its vibrant green color. Its color comes from the chlorophyll content of some of the herbs used during the distillation process.

Wormwood is one of the main ingredients in Absinthe Green Fairy and it has been used medicinally since the Middle Ages. But during the age of revolution in the late 18th century, the herb developed a recreational trend. People found out they could get a high off it even though it had an unacceptably bitter taste. This was when the Absinthe Green Fairy was born.

In 1797, Dr. Pierre Ordinaire invented the Absinthe. But it was Henri-Louis Pernod who opened the first distillery in Switzerland and transferred later on to a larger one in Pontarlier, France in 1805. The popularity of the Absinthe Green Fairy grew steadily in the 1840s when it was given to the French troops as preventive medicine for fever. The troops then brought their taste for Absinthe with them when they returned home. It soon became popular at bars and bistros.

The Absinthe Green Fairy had become so popular by the 1860s that most cafes and bars signaled 5:00 p.m. as l’heure verte or “the green hour”. It had become the favorite drink of the upper class and Bohemian artists. However, there was a significant price drop in the 1880s and the Absinthe Green Fairy soon became the drink of France.

Absinthe’s popularity rose from 1880 onwards, especially since advertisements hyped it as a healthful drink. It was then imported to New Orleans and had the same claim in the United States. The Absinthe Green Fairy was one of the few drinks considered lady-like and women openly enjoyed drinking it.