Absinthe - France

August 2006
It's a drink so strong and feared, it still can't be produced legally in America. We journey to France to see how the 'green fairy' -- otherwise know as absinthe - is made.
Absinth was the favourite tipple of French artists, poets and writers during the Belle Epoche. It was so popular, cocktail time was referred to as 'the green hour.' But rumours it could induce madness led to it being banned for 70 years. However producer Ted Brow is adamant it has never been dangerous. "I found nothing in it that could cause someone to go crazy."
Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

[@InnannasRainbow]

I am enjoying a glass of absinthe as I watch this.

[@jomsvikingur]

btw, absinthe is produced in the States. There is at least one absinthe bar i know of in New Orleans

[@jadedmastermind]

TA Breaux's Lucid Absinthe is fantastic! I've tried many brands of absinthe, and his absinthe is second only to Kubler Absinthe Superieure. The best absinthe I ever sampled was pre-ban 1905 Pernod Fils absinthe.

[@RadicalComedy]

wormwood? I wonder why we cant grow it here. Coffee was once forbidden too...I would love to try this. ~Raven

[@InnannasRainbow]

Wormwood was used to purge intestinal parasites (worms) thus the name wormwood. The drink is powerful because of the alcohol content and it is best enjoyed in moderation.

[@retroflow44]

Absinthe is a specific formulation like Gin or Bourbon. Deviate from the basic recipe and it's no longer Absinthe but something else. They used to make low quality Absinthe but it was still Absinthe. They didn't need to hook people by adding anything more - the Alcohol content was enough. Stuff like Laudanum/Opium, Cocaine, Hashish/Cannibis were generally Legal in most places until the early 20th C. If you wanted that kind of thing, you could get it openly.

[@retroflow44]

This clip is out of date - Just to bring some of you up to date: Absinthe, complete with Grande Wormwood (w/Thujone) is totally LEGAL in the U.S. now and pretty much all the other countries that once banned it. You can buy some exquisite French, Swiss and now American Absinthe in better Liquor Stores in the U.S. Canada seems to be the only real hold-out.

[@odoylerules360]

If I was an Absinthe brewer back in those days, I would have made a few batches with all kinds of shit in it. And I don't think those bottles would've survived.

[@Jcolinsol]

Luc Santiago has a great channel here on youtube. His channel is "heureverte".

[@crazywanch101]

If you saw the movie "from Hell" they openly expressed the popularity of opiom and absinthe.

[@retroflow44]

They didn't put Marijuana nor THC in Absinthe back-in-the-day. They've done analysis on surviving, vintage bottles and found only the traditional ingredients. Absinthe was not intended to cause hallucinations (it was Medicinal with some anti-Pathogen effects). It was mostly the Temperance groups (Anti-Alcohol) who had it made illegal to begin with - Much like how some groups made Reefer Madness to misrepresent and frighten with the exaggerated/false effects of Cannabis.

[@lydiamusic1992]

@crazywanch101 actually, the narrator is English and so would say Herbs with an 'H'. To me saying 'erbs sounds wrong, so to be fair to her she isn't an idiot its just her accent.

[@Dooobs]

Whats the name of the Absinthe that is being made in this video? Asin, the 'Brand' if you will. Is there a place to buy it?

[@retroflow44]

If you drink it straight, you're not getting the full effect - just drunk. It's like drinking cold Sake from a Dixie Cup or flat Champagne.

[@krycer123]

@krycer123 *green colour not flavour soz

[@FilthyInsomniac]

Ted Breaux Makes the first legal american Absinthe Lucid it's because of Ted Breaux it's legal in the U.S

[@krycer123]

@retroflow44 actaully they did have sum bad chemicals in the cheaper brands in the 1800's during the grape crop famine, one brewery used copper sulphate to give it the green flavour, and that caused sum ppl to fall ill, and from that one incident, thats how the whole anti-absinth campaign started.

[@Jcolinsol]

By "Marteau's" do you mean "Stone's"?

[@retroflow44]

Yes, any addition of THC is a modern recipe and would arguably still be true Absinthe, at most THC Infused Absinthe. Similarly, there's a drink from, I think, Bolivia that I have seen which is infused with Coca extract, sold legally in the U.S. The Hallucinogen of choice during the Victorian period wasn't Absinthe, it was Opium. Either smoked or drank as Laudanum, the latter of which was sold openly even for Children.

[@thomasnihil4878]

Opium is not hallucinogenic, btw.

[@HaloedG]

I refuse to drink any absinthe except Breaux's...and maybe Marteau's.

[@crazywanch101]

I AHTE how she said herbs SILENT H YOU IDIOT SILENT H.Now that that is taken care of I want to see the green fairy.

[@odoylerules360]

In the good old days, I wonder how much marijuana usually went into Absinthe? It fits, and it could give you your psychoactive effects.

[@Jcolinsol]

Sorry, I thought you were heavily into mudkips for some reason.

[@jomsvikingur]

these videos are good, but there's something funny about them.. why no subtitles?

[@Jcolinsol]

My absinth have over 9000 alcohol.

[@samsterjamster111]

their french pronunciation is shocking.

[@Jahhwan]

This stuff is nasty taste like black licorice and its way strong my buddy brought some back to the US from europe it had THC but didnt make us hallucinate :( but one bottle got 6 of us wasted

[@grennfairi]

5 cups off absinthe..and you´ re lie. absinthe have 70 alcohol.

[@skyhacker6]

Try to speak French in front of me, will see who's best ! ^^

[@amayagab]

Plus your has many moar much trouble with a grammar.

[@RadicalComedy]

wormwood? I wonder why we cant grow it here. Coffee was once forbidden too...I would love to try this. ~Raven