There is evidence that the ancient Greeks and ancient Egyptians used wormwood for medical purposes and even enjoyed a wormwood flavoured wine, however the absinthe that we drink today began its life in the 1800’s. The exact origins are sightly muddled. Certainly a Swiss physician named Dr Pierre Ordinaire played a part in the promotion of this drink when he began prescribing it as a “fix-all” elixir to his patients in 1792, but it is not certain that he actually “invented” the drink himself. Some accounts state his brand new elixer was passed onto the Henriod Sisters who began selling it as a medicinal aid, whilst other accounts insist the Henriod Sisters were already making and selling the elixir before Dr Pierre Ordinaire became involved.

Either way, in 1797 Major Dubied acquired the formula from the Henriod Sisters and together with his son Marcellin and his son-in-law Henri-Louis Pernod opened the very first absinthe distillery in Couvet, Switzerland. To keep up with increasing demand, a second distillery was opened in 1805, this time in Pontarlier, France. Absinthe continued to grow in popularity, particularly in France where 5pm became “L’heure verte” or the Green Hour. Every social class enjoyed it from the wealthy to the working class, and in particular it became synonymous with the Parisian bohemian lifestyle. Oscar Wilde was a keen drinker of absinthe.

By 1880, there were many distilleries throughout France and Europe so the price dropped dramatically. This increased consumption yet further until around 36 million litres a year were being drunk throughout France. The immense popularity of absinthe spread to other parts of the world such as the Czech Republic, the US (in particular New Orleans) and Spain. It was towards the end of the 19th Century that things began to go downhill for absinthe. Critics of the drink, in particular winemakers accused the drink of causing diseases and illness such as tuberculosis and epilepsy. It was also cited as the cause of crime and violence however there was little evidence to prove either of these claims. In the 1900’s absinthe was banned in most European countries and the US. The Penod distillery continued to produce absinthe in Spain where it was still legal, however very slow sales led to its eventual collapse in the 1960’s.

Absinthe has since had its ban lifted across the world and has undergone a huge revival. Hapsburg Absinthe in particular is a hugely popular brand and an increasing number of people in all parts of the world are choosing it as their preferred drink.