Classical absinthe - the strongest alcoholic beverage, which is based on an extract of ordinary bitter Artemisia. In the essential oils of this herb, there is a large concentration of thujone, which affects the human behavior. Thujon gives a feeling of euphoria, and at the same time, it excites the human brain of and often causes attacks of aggression.
How it all began
It is believed that absinthe was "born" in Switzerland at the end of the 18th century - true, at that time the herbal extract on Artemisia was used as a medicine. A little later, a far-sighted businessman bought out a secret potion prescription that became the basis of mass absinthe production.
The entire 19th-century absinthe was at the peak of success - at first representatives of European bohemians and aristocrats loved to drink it, later this drink began to gain public popularity. To prevent dysentery, malaria and other dangerous diseases, French soldiers drank it during the colonial wars in North Africa.
Is absinthe poison?
A great demand for absinthe, as well as its availability, provoked clandestine beverage production. Absinthe became very cheap and of low quality. Soon people began to suffer from the use of absinthe - the hospitals were crowded with people with " absinthe " confusional insanity.
The press wrote about the dangerous consequences, terrible dependence and uncontrolled actions of people who liked to drink it. For example, before 1910, in France, absinthe was consumed in the amount of 36 million liters. The boiling point was a tragic accident when one Swiss worker killed his entire family under the influence of a "green" drink.
After that, absinthe became was prohibited in many countries. In Europe taboo for absinthe lasted for about 50 years, until the 1960s. However, for example, in Spain absinthe was produced even in spite of anti-politics.
Absinthe today
There is a theory that long time ago poisonous dyes were added to absinthe to maintain its color, and that was the reason for "green fairies" to come. Today, absinthe is no longer considered to be dangerous - its hallucinogenic properties seem to have remained unproven. However, world producers of absinthe are nevertheless obliged to observe restrictions on the amount of thujone - not more than 10 mg per liter. It is believed that in the old version of absinthe the thujone concentration was 20 times more!
Colored beverage
Absinthe is green due to chlorophyll. But as the chlorophyll quickly fades under the influence of sunlight, the absinthe is poured into the bottles made of dark green glass. Due to different additives, absinthe can be of different colors. For example, red color of absinthe is obtained because of hibiscus flowers.
Famous absinthe lovers
Many representatives of the elite found their inspiration in absinthe - Vincent van Gogh, Guy de Maupassant, Arthur Rambo, Edgar Poe, Charles Baudelaire, Guillaume Apollinaire, Oscar Wilde, Pablo Picasso, Erich Maria Remarque, found inspiration. And Ernest Hemingway created his own recipe of a cocktail on the basis of absinthe and a champagne, and named it "Death in the afternoon".
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