The Real Reason Absinthe Was Banned
'Absinthe Robette' by Henri Privat-Livemont
Absinthe has been blamed for everything from wild hallucinations to dancing the polka, stark naked, on the rue Saint-Martin while under its influence.
Which has many wondering why something so fun could possibly have been banned.
The answer is that France’s wine industry in the 1860’s was dealt a devastating blow by an aphid called phylloxera. Phylloxera came over on the steam ships from North America and completely ate up the unsuspecting European root stalk.
What resulted was a serious shortage of wine where people had to look elsewhere for their daily drink. Absinthe, originally created as medicine, ended up taking the place of wine.
All social classes from the poor to the very rich drank absinthe. In fact, during the 1860’s the 5 o’clock hour was renamed l’heure verte (”the green hour”), and by the early 1900’s France was consuming 36 million liters of absinthe a year.
Once France’s wine industry recuperated from the years it had lost to phylloxera, they fought to regain their clout amongst the masses. Winemaker’s associations along with the temperance movement claimed that absinthe had killed thousands of French people, had caused men to murder their families, and would ruin the future of the country.
The fight was strong enough that in 1914, Absinthe was banned in France. It was also banned in The Netherlands, Belgium, The U.S., Brazil and Switzerland.
It has been proven, however, that neither absinthe nor the herbs it is made from actually causes the horrific claims once made. In fact, in 2000, the ban on Absinthe in France was lifted. As well, the U.S. has also lifted its restrictions of the distillation and import of the spirit.
There are several great producers of the mystic spirit today that you should look out for. One of my favorites is Pacific Distillery out of Woodinville, WA. They are incredibly dedicated to their craft and their Absinthe is top notch.
