Posted on 03/05/2025 5:50:04 AM PST by Red Badger
NATIONAL ABSINTHE DAY
March 5th is also known as National Absinthe Day. This day is for those who are 21 years or older to celebrate a drink called absinthe.
#NationalAbsintheDay
Often mistaken for a liqueur, it is truly a spirit because it isn't sweetened. It belongs to the vodkas, gins, and whiskeys when categorizing absinthe.
The spirit is made by infusing wormwood, fennel, anise, and other herbs into alcohol through distillation. Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor, is credited with the creation of absinthe. He developed and prescribed the elixir in the early 19th century as a cure for many illnesses.
It has a strong licorice flavor to it and has a high alcohol content. The spirit is often served with ice, a sugar cube placed on a slotted spoon over the glass, and water poured over the sugar.
Also known as the Green Fairy, the Green Goddess, or the Green Lady, the drink was popular with artists and writers. It was also once rumored to have hallucinogenic effects. Just as it was gaining popularity, its reputation took some severe blows as the century was coming to a close.
Many blamed the Green Lady for causing madness, seizures, and low morality, among other ills of society. One of the final blows was a scandal in 1905 involving a French laborer who had spent the day drinking. His drink of choice was absinthe. Later that day, he murdered his children and pregnant wife.
France banned the drink, and other countries soon followed. In the United States and around the world, the ban has since been lifted.
Studies have proven there is nothing hallucinogenic about the drink. Absinthe does have a higher alcohol content than other spirits, so keeping that in mind is important to drink responsibly.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL ABSINTHE DAY
Celebrate the day by learning more about absinthe.
Have a taste, mix up a cocktail or watch a documentary.
If you prefer to read up on your absinthe mixology, we found a few books you might want to page through. Absinthe Cocktails: 50 Ways to Mix with the Green Fairy by Kate Simon A Taste for Absinthe: 65 Recipes for Classic & Contemporary Cocktails by James F. Thompson and R. Winston Guthrie The Little Green Book of Absinthe: An Essential Companion with Lore, Trivia, and Classic and Contemporary Cocktails by Paul Owens and Paul Nathan
Pub owners, host a cocktail tasting featuring the Green Goddess. Include history, tantalizing tidbits, and famous dancers partners of the Green Lady.
Try making your own absinthe cocktail to celebrate.
Discover more about plants that go into making spirits.
Have some absinthe (Remember to drink responsibly and never drink and drive) and use #NationalAbsintheDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL ABSINTHE DAY HISTORY
Why March 5th? It's a nod to Pernod, and the day the approval of their final label for Pernod Fils Absinthe became official in 2013.
Absinthe FAQ
Q. Is absinthe always green?
A. Traditionally, absinthe is green. However, when it's distilled, the resulting spirit is clear. The green comes from added natural herbs and colors.
Q. Is wormwood a tree?
A. No. While the name may suggest that wormwood is a tree, it is a semi-woody herb. Other semi-woody plants include lavender and rosemary.
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Notable Birthdays for March 5
Elisha Harris (1824-1884) - Founder of the American Public Health Association.
John Dunovant (1825-1864) - Brigadier General for the Confederate Army.
Emmett J. Culligan (1893-1970) - Founder of Culligan Inc.
Laurence Tisch (1923-2003) - Co-founder of the Loews Corporation.
John Frusciante (1970-Still Living) - Musician and member of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Memorable Events for March 5
1836 - The first pistol (36-caliber "Texas" model) is manufactured.
1849 - Zachary Taylor becomes the 12th President of the U.S.
1933 - President Roosevelt proclaims a 10-day bank holiday to restore confidence in the U.S. caused by the Great Depression.
1935 - The first premature baby health law is enacted in IL.
1963 - Country music stars Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and their pilot Randy Hughes are killed in a plane crash.
Legend has it that Absinthe was the drink of choice of Vincent Van Gogh which caused him to go crazy and cut off his ear.
The wormwood oil in Absinthe is what causes to the temporary insanity according to legend.
I thought it was supposed to make the heart grow fonder.
It was banned for many years in the USA and other countries.
All because of a myth...........
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe#Health_effects
True, it was fun to associate the legend with actual drink thinking Van Gogh cut off his ear over Absinthe.
“Absinthe makes the heart go wander”
“The wormwood oil in Absinthe is what causes to the temporary insanity according to legend.” -srmanuel
“It was banned for many years in the USA and other countries.
All because of a myth...........”
~~~
It being a complete myth is still debated.
If memory serves me correctly, modern absinthe didn’t use as much wormwood, or at least didn’t have as much thujone in it.
Thujone was the substance that many writers and authors (myth or not) tended to experience altered states from.
But it’s a proverbial deal with the devil, because it’s also thujone which has the negative health effects, and the body does not easily metabolize or remove.
Catholics celebrate it as ‘Fast and Abstinence Day’ when it coincides with Ash Wednesday
asbestos makes the hair grow blonder
We ended up buying some as a curiosity - and poured a round when we got home (all adults over 21) - not a one of us could stand it, it was much worse that we expected. Someone took the bottle home and I assume dumped it after that.
No Thanks.
Absinthe is some hi quality flammable liquid. Comes with a “fork” and there are special instructions. Bourbon is a lot simpler than this stuff.
👍😊
IIRC, his products are not thuone-limited, but closely follow the proportions found in heirloom bottles from before the ban.
Kind of misleading since the normal way to serve it involves pouring over a sugar cube.
I recall in Madam X, she had become addicted to Absinthe, and that led to her killing someone, only to find that her appointed defense attorney was in actuality, her son who had been taken from her at a young age.
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.............
Apparently he lost his ear in a fight with his room mate over a girl. I will have to find where I read that. Getting in a fight didn’t sound as good as cutting it off himself so the story stuck.
Absinthe is great stuff. You go crazy because it is 160 proof. At least the stuff we got in Poland.
I’ve had it a few times, you need to like a licorice flavor to appreciate it, there is a reason they call it the green fairy or something like that
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