Absinthe the Green Fairy

The green fairy is now legal in the United States! Absinthe, the wormwood (long believed to be a hallucinogenic) and anise spirit with its unusual glowing green color and flames abound, is now not only sold in bottle form, but one can make their own lollipop version with our handy DIY link below.
(Image courtesty of Alandia)

This mysterious spirit was rumored to drive belle époque artisans mad, numerous artists and writers living in the late 19th and early 20th century featured absynthe in their works, even adding the addictive liquid in with their paints.

Famous absinth drinkers were Vincent van Gogh, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (of Moulin Rouge fame), Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Edouard Manet (not to be confused with Claude Monet, a painter from the same era, we don't want to start Absinthe drinking rumors). Such a part of life was represented in Edouard Manet's The Absitnthe Drinker painting. With its association with bohemian culture, absinthe prohibition became the target of social conservatives of that time. (Photo by Eric Litton)







The flame is a twist on the absinthe preparation ritual, though a special slotted spoon is often needed to produce the cloudy, milky effect.

We at Deco Belle found a Toulouse-Lautrec family crest spoon in this great shop in Berlin to complete the ritual in its entirity. Hermann was quite helpful with teaching us all about this mysterious liqueur. Wir lieben dieses Geschäft!

This intense colored spirit is portrayed as a dangerous drug. The chemical thujone, present in only small quantities, was blamed for its alleged harmful effects. Although absynth was vilified, no evidence has proven it to be more dangerous than ordinary liquors. A revival of absinth began in the 1990's in the European Union, with authorization of its manufacture and resale was, this after its nearly world wide ban in 1915.

Absinthe tastings are in style as this drink is legally distributed for the first time in a century, people are curious as to what the hype is about. You can enjoy your very own Absinthe lollypops yourself with this handy recipe, DIY absynthe lollipops!

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