Category - Food & Drink
This Spirit Was Illegal Until 2007. Now, Here's How Experts Enjoy It
Is there any distilled spirit with a more notorious reputation than absinthe? While many drinkers reach for bourbon, tequila, or Scotch, absinthe has been popular for centuries. Today, imbibers have little understanding of what absinthe actually is or how to best enjoy it.
“On both continents, absinthe became widely viewed as an icon of Parisian bohemian culture, reviled by some and adored by many,” says Ted Breaux, absinthe historian and distiller of Jade Absinthe. “It emerged as a conspicuous subject of many famous impressionist works of art and a symbol of freedom of expression.”
By the late 1800s, during the rise of modern cocktails, absinthe found its way into iconic recipes like the sazerac and corpse reviver. However, it faced legal challenges.
“Like all alcohol, absinthe was banned during Prohibition, but even after Prohibition ended, absinthe remained illegal in the U.S. and Europe,” says William Elliott, bar director at Maison Premiere.
Absinthe’s status as an illicit substance—combined with its direct link to impressionist art—helped fuel the popular misconception that absinthe was a dangerous psychoactive substance with hallucinatory properties. Even after the ban on the spirit was lifted in the United States in 2007, misconception persists today.
Absinthe certainly isn’t a beverage to be feared. It’s no more dangerous than any other distilled spirit.
“Absinthe, when enjoyed properly, is delightful in any season. It’s bracing, warming, and invigorating in the winter, while also refreshing and light in the heat of summer,” Elliott says.
The key to properly enjoying absinthe is to understand what exactly it is and the right way to drink it. Here’s what you need to know in order to get started on your absinthe journey. And to learn more about enjoying your favorite spirits, check out our articles on how to drink Scotch, how to drink bourbon, and how to drink limoncello.
What Is Absinthe?
Put simply, absinthe is a spirit distilled with specific botanicals and often infused with herbs, which impart its trademark green hue.
Absinthe is known for its particularly strong, herbal, and anise-forward flavor that most Americans would recognize as being similar to licorice. Absinthe tends to be bottled at a relatively high alcohol by volume compared to most distilled spirits, typically 60 to 70 percent ABV. It’s often diluted with water or moderately used in cocktails.
Like most liquors infused with herbs and botanicals, absinthe was first created as a medicinal product with curative properties.
“As café culture blossomed in the major cities of Europe, intellectuals began gathering in these historic cafés, and absinthe transitioned into a recreational drink, eventually becoming a popular alternative to wine,” Elliott explains.
Absinthe has long been mislabeled as a narcotic with psychotropic effects.

Lucid Absinthe
“In 1860s France, during absinthe’s heyday, crimes were sometimes blamed on absinthe rather than on drunkenness,” Elliot says. “This perception was fueled by its high alcohol content and the fact that it was meant to be heavily diluted.”
When water is added to absinthe, the normally clear spirit often becomes cloudy. This phenomenon is known as the louche effect.
“This happens because the essential oils and compounds locked in during distillation begin to separate when diluted with water,” Elliott says.
Among absinthe enthusiasts, this cloudy appearance is actually desirable.
“Discriminating consumers demanded a strong louche, which was an indicator of a strong anise and herbal flavor,” Breaux says. “Cheaper versions of the drink were typically light on the louche, and therefore demonstrably light on quality and flavor.”
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What's Absinthe Made of?
Absinthe is a distilled spirit typically made from a base of wheat, sugar beets, or grapes and infused with a variety of herbs and botanicals.
To be considered absinthe, the spirit must contain what's called the holy trinity of absinthe: three botanicals that give absinthe it’s distinct flavor. These botanicals are wormwood, or artemisia absinthium; green anise, or pimpinella anisum; and sweet fennel, or foeniculum vulgare.

Lucid Absinthe
Most distillers who make absinthe employ other ingredients as well.
“Additional green herbs like tarragon, sage, and others can also be incorporated to enhance its flavor and complexity,” Elliott explains.
Unlike herbal liqueurs like Chartreuse and amaro, authentic absinthe flavor comes solely from the process of distillation and infusion.
“A genuine absinthe is a dry spirit, containing no sugar or artificial dyes and has a distinct herbaceous, anise flavor that distinguishes it from all else,” Breaux explains.
How to Prepare Absinthe
There are many ways in which absinthe can be enjoyed, but it’s almost always diluted with water.
“Far too strong and concentrated to be sipped neat, it was most traditionally prepared via the careful addition of a few parts ice water, oftentimes with an added lump of sugar to make the medicine go down,” Breaux says.
This dilution is traditionally achieved with the use of an absinthe fountain. This device regulates the rate of flowing water to steadily dilute a glass of absinthe. This process is known as the absinthe ritual.
“[Another] traditional way to prepare absinthe is by making an absinthe frappé, which involves shaking it vigorously with crushed ice,” Elliott explains. “This method achieves the same dilution effect as the classic drip preparation, but the dilution happens through the shaking process, creating a chilled and refreshing drink.”
Absinthe also has a unique place in cocktail history.
“In American culture, however, where fancy cocktails had become quite fashionable by 1900, absinthe became a popular cocktail ingredient,” Breaux explains. “In Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book published in London, you will find dozens of classic cocktails that call for absinthe. In many spirited drinks, it was used in dashes.”
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What Is the Absinthe Ritual?
The absinthe ritual refers to the continental European fashion of drinking absinthe. This method often employs a fountain that steadily drips water into the absinthe, diluting it and giving the drink its cloudy, opalescent appearance.
This social ritual often took place in trendy Parisian cafés during l’heure verte—the green hour—in the late afternoon and early evening.
“This spawned the creation of specific glassware and flashy accouterments designed to bring attention to the individual using them to prepare a glass of cloudy green spirit,” Breaux says.

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If sugar is desired, it's traditionally placed on a slotted absinthe spoon where the water drips onto it from the absinthe fountain. The drops of water dissolve the ice and drip into the cup containing the absinthe, both sweetening and diluting the drink.
“This method is essential because the herbs and botanicals in absinthe are locked in a stable state, and adding water gradually ‘unlocks’ and separates these flavors, allowing them to fully integrate,” Elliott says. “Think of it like slowly mixing flour into eggs for a smoother blend. For every ounce of absinthe, you should pour about five ounces of water, dripping in at a slow, steady rate.”
How to Make an Absinthe Cocktail
Absinthe isn’t commonly used as a base spirit in cocktails because of the intensity of its herbal flavors. For a balanced, absinthe-based cocktail Eliott recommends the Yellow Parrot, a classic cocktail from Harry Craddock’s 1930 collection of recipes, The Savoy Cocktail Manual. This simple, equal-parts cocktail has become a fixture at Elliott’s Brooklyn bar, Maison Premiere.
Yellow Parrot
- 1 oz. Apry
- 1 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
- 1 oz. Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe
- Garnish: Lemon twist
To make the Yellow Parrot, combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, then add ice and stir for about 40 seconds.
“After about 20 seconds of stirring, you can’t taste all these details. After 40 seconds or a minute, though, things start going off," Elliott says. “You’ll get some of the more specific herbal notes of the absinthe, and honey comes through from the Chartreuse and melds in with the apricot.”
Strain into a rocks glass with ice, garnish with a lemon twist and serve.
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