Please note that this is a highly abridged history. We put this together specifically for people who need to know the basics. Understanding what is on this page will give you the information you need to understand the context in which absinthe rose in popularity, became banned, and how and why that ban was lifted without getting mired down in detail.  If you are interested in the detail here are two great resources for you:

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)

Traditional Absinthe

Absinthe is an elixir made from a number of herbs including artemisia absinthium (wormwood) from whence the name is derived. Although medicinal elixirs containing wormwood date back thousands of years what we think of as absinthe we invented in the late 1700s by Dr. Pierre Ordinaire in Couvet Switzerland. Dr. Ordinaire fled France during the revolution coming to the small town of couvet not far from the French border around 1790.

In 1797 the recipe for absinthe came into the hands of Major Dubied. Major Dubied spent the next five years perfecting his recipe. He began producing about 30 liters of absinthe a day in a small still that he built with his son in law, Henri-Louis Pernod. In 1805 they moved across the border setting up a much larger distillery in Pontarlier, France. This move was mainly to avoid paying import taxes when shipping into France which had now become their biggest consumer market. Over the next one hundred and eight years production at the Pernod distilleries would continue to grow from 30 Liters a day to over 6,000 gallons a day.

Within 20 years absinthe had become so popular that the small town of Pontarlier had four absinthe distilleries with a combined production of over 26,000 gallons of absinthe per year. By the time France banned absinthe in 1914 Pontarlier had 22 absinthe distilleries with three more just outside of town and a combined output of more than 50,000 gallons of absinthe a day. There were over a hundred distilleries producing absinthe all over the world.

 Rise in popularity

French gun ships attack Algiers in 1830

French soldiers fighting in Algiers drank absinthe and tonic each day as a preventative for malaria (they didn't realize that it was actually the quinine in the tonic water that was keeping the malaria at bay). These soldiers returned to France and brought a taste for absinthe with them. In 1863 the Phylloxera (a mite that lives on the roots of grape vines) epidemic wiped out three quarters of the vineyards in France. Absinthe took over most of the wine market. Becoming the national Drink of France.

Absinthe Murders and The Ban

In 1905 the notorious absinthe murder created such a scandal that Switzerland promptly banned absinthe sales. a combination of political pressure from the growing temperance movement caused the French senate to attempt to ban absinthe several times between 1906 and 1912. World War One gave the senate the power they needed for the ban. On August 4th, 1914 two days after France declared war on Germany the French senate banned absinthe sales in France.

Absinthe was served all over the US. Most notably in San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago and New York, which had a popular restaurant called the Absinthe House. Up until 1912, many of the more exotic bars in New York would serve an absinthe cocktail.

Harvey Washington Wiley "father of the pure food and drug act of 1906

On July 13, 1907, Harper's Weekly noted, "The growing consumption in America of absinthe, 'the green curse of France', has attracted the attention of the Department of Agriculture, and an investigation has been ordered to determine to what extent it is being manufactured in this country." on July 25, 1912, the Department of Agriculture issued Food Inspection Decision 147, which banned absinthe in America. (two years before heroine and cocaine).

Absinthe Revival

In 2000 the US entered into a trade agreement with Europe which standardized maximum amounts of of chemicals allowed in food and drink. Thujone was allowed in food and drink in minimal quantities. Enough, it turned out, to make and sell absinthe legally. It wasn't until May of 2006 that a talented lawyer realized what had happened and started importing absinthe into the US.

There is much more to the story. But these are the basics. If you are interested in the details pick up a copy of Barnaby Conrad's book: Absinthe, History in a Bottle or check out these websites: http://www.oxygenee.com/ - This is a virtual online absinthe museum. Great stuff. http://www.absinthebuyersguide.com/history.html - this is a well written history page from a popular online absinthe store.

We will be posting a much more comprehensive history and several articles on specific aspects of history relating to absinthe here over the coming months.