Green spirit’s popularity soared; its high proof gave it an exotic appeal; when mixed with water it almost hallucinogenic–popular with both middle and upper classes alike; its distinctive smell brought crowds to cafes during “l’heure verte”, or early evening “green hour”.
Yet for many it symbolized moral decay. After the Lanfray murders occurred in France in 1905 and physicians quickly blamed absinthe for them, former doctor Magnan wrote in his essay that absinthe was to blame for its nation’s decline and even linked it with tuberculosis as evidenced by relatively inconclusive evidence.
Though absinthe was widely condemned, some individuals and artists still advocated for its legalization. Artists and writers found creative inspiration from it; Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud composed poems about it while Edouard Manet painted realistic depictions of street bums wearing top hats with gnarled top hats who held an emerald glass which became the symbol of its alluring allure.
Today, only a few French distillers produce absinthe with small stills for consistent, high-quality production of absinthe. While there may be slight variance between batches depending on factors such as quality and source of plants used during distillation or ambient temperature during distillation. Most commercial absinthe sold today is cold mixed instead, an inexpensive process which combines flavouring essences with commercial alcohol and adds food coloring, yielding less consistent or high-quality results that should be avoided by true connoisseurs.