Berthelot Absinthe’s colorful ad reflects the environment where it thrived: Paris’ art scene in the late 19th and early 20th century. Now, you can put this beautiful and colorful design on your own high-quality merch. Such as:
Or, choose from dozens of items of merch for this beautiful and colorful design.
Absinthe: The Story Behind “The Green Fairy”
Absinthe is a potent, anise-flavored spirit distilled from grande wormwood, green anise, and sweet fennel, bottled at 45–74% alcohol.
Origins
Born in late-eighteenth-century Switzerland as a medicinal tonic, absinthe became an industrial product when Henri-Louis Pernod opened a distillery in Pontarlier, France, in 1805.
Popularity
By the late nineteenth century it was France’s signature drink, celebrated at the daily “green hour” and embraced by artists such as Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Wilde, and Hemingway.
Controversial Effects
Its reputation for hallucinations centered on thujone, a wormwood compound. Doctors described “absinthism” (delirium, convulsions, madness) and the 1905 Lanfray murders sparked bans across Europe and America. Modern science shows thujone levels were far too low to hallucinate; the real culprit was chronic alcoholism.
Issues Drinkers Faced
Absinthe was extremely strong and often adulterated with copper salts, industrial alcohol, or other toxins, causing poisoning, tremors, and blindness.
Historic Brands
Pernod Fils dominated, alongside Berthelot Absinthe, a celebrated French verte of the era, prized by collectors today.
The Modern Version
Legalized again in the 1990s and 2000s, absinthe has returned. A modern re-creation of Berthelot is once more distilled in France, joining authentic producers worldwide and enjoyed in the classic louche ritual or cocktails like the Sazerac.
