She’s the mistress to Vincent Van Gogh and friend to bohemians and scenesters everywhere. Elusive, magical and maybe even a little dangerous, the Green Fairy—better known as Absinthe—is the stuff legends are made of.
Absinthe, a strong alcohol infused with the herb wormwood, is rumored to have hallucinogenic properties. Those are mostly myths, though Van Gogh did cut off his own ear during a supposedly Absinthe-induced stupor, according to absinthealchemist.com.
Wormwood releases a chemical called thujone, which is the “culprit” behind the hallucinations and can be toxic in high doses. However, the amount found in Absinthe isn’t nearly as dangerous as the up to 190-proof alcohol itself. Anybody binging on Absinthe would get sick from alcohol poisoning way before the thujone could hurt them.
The fascination surrounding Absinthe as a mind-altering substance continues to hold strong.
It might be the cloudy green hue, the complicated preparation process or simply the strength of this beverage, but from “Moulin Rouge” to Johnny Depp and even the teen classic “EuroTrip,” Absinthe culture upholds its mystical reputation.
Absinthe has been banned in the United States and certain European countries since the early 1900s. If you’re wondering what bottle you recently saw in the liquor store container, think of it as Absinthe Light.
Absinthe isn’t banned as a drug in the United States, but the chemical thujone is a substance controlled by the Food and Drug Administration, according to its Web site. American Absinthe makers realized they could filter out the thujone and capitalize on Absinthe’s popularity.
Thujone-laced Absinthe, while harder to get, still exists for people who desire a “real” Absinthe experience. Countries in the European Union allow Absinthe production, though they strictly regulate thujone levels in any commercially produced liquor.
For those of us in the U.S., companies that produce Absinthe brewing kits, such as Green Devil Absinthe, boast a thujone level higher than the European Absinthes.
Their kits include everything you need to make and drink your own Absinthe except the alcohol, and because they sell them as novelty products, the kits exists in the semi-legal gray area between prohibition and acceptance.
To take a trip with the green fairy, go to Publix Liquors in Butler Plaza, where two types of Absinthe are sold.
