There seem to be numerous
theories as to why the beloved drink absinthe was banned, but one that seems to
ring true is more of a conspiracy. At the beginning of the 20th century,
studies were published that claimed thujone was a neurotoxin, causing people
who consumed the beverage to go insane.
The studies, as they were, got
immense backing after a horrific murder that occurred in Switzerland in 1905.
On August 25, 1905, a man named Jean Lanfray murdered his pregnant wife and
their two children in a drunken rage. It was later revealed by police that he
had drunk an excessive amount of wine and brandy, along with two ounces of
absinthe. The fact that Lanfray had consumed wine and brandy was completely
overlooked and during Lanfray’s murder trial, his attorneys argued that the two
ounces of absinth Lanfray consumed were to blame for his murderous actions.
Deemed a case of “absinthe madness,” the press went to town dubbing it the
“Absinthe Murder.”
Many believe that it was pressure
from wine producers, who saw the popularity of absinthe as a threat to their
sales, which caused blame to be place on the liquor. By 1910 absinthe was
banned in Switzerland. In the U.S., absinthe was mostly consumed in
cosmopolitan cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco,
and, of course, New Orleans. In 1912,when sordid stories of sex-crazed absinthe
parties spread across the nation, absinthe was banned in the United States.
Finally, in 1915, absinthe was banned in France. And although Pernod continued
to produce absinthe in Spain, the drinks popularity declined, so did sales and
the company ceased production in the 1960s.
In the 1990s high-alcohol green
liquors began being produced in the Czech republic and labeled as absinth(e).
These liquors were then exported to the U.K. and marketed with both
questionable historical links and claims of “mind-altering” abilities. This did
not last long as the directors of Liqueurs de France decided that enough was
enough and petitioned to resurrect their pre-ban brand of absinthe.
In the United States, credit for
the resurrection of real absinthe can go to Ted Breaux, Master Distiller at
Viridian Spirits and the creator of Lucid Absinthe Supérieure. Breaux is a man
on a mission who spent nearly two decades studying every aspect the tabooed
drink, from authentic formulation to authentically formulating it. What many do
not know regarding the legalization of absinthe in the United States is that
since the Prohibition Repeal on December 5, 1933, technically absinthe has been
legal. And once it was all ‘splained to the powers that be, absinthe was
legally legal for sale in the United States in 2007.
The Daily Dose had several objectives for writing a
two-part series about absinthe. We had set out to dispel ridiculous myths,
reveal the facts, and remind people that absinthe began as a “commoner’s”
drink. The modern-day snobbery and misconceptions regarding absinthe is comical
and asinine. Absinthe is a strong, but delicious drink. And enjoying an
absinthe cocktail is no different from enjoying a vodka cocktail. Speaking of which,
readers can get delicious recipes by clicking HERE and check out the
traditional preparation, explained by Mr. Breaux, by clicking HERE.
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