However, artists and intellectuals of those times were the ones especially devoted to Absinthe. Many great works of contemporary art owe their existence to the inspiring effects of the spirit. Great names like Baudelaire, Manet, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Oscar Wilde, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh, Gauguin and Picasso are found among these early adepts of Absinthe.
For different reasons around 1910 the total turnover of Absinthe distribution had reached immeasurable peaks. Many distilleries made use of low-grade alcohol which in some not too rare cases caused blindness among the consumers. These irresponsible dealings with the drink finally resulted in the prohibition of Absinthe in (almost) all countries of Europe by the year 1920.
Since in 1981 (and again in 1998) the European Community has returned to legalizing the production and distribution of Absinthe, the cult around this drink has experienced a true revival. Starting from London, Absinthe is about to conquer the club & party scene and leaves them all plunging back into the euphory of the 19th century.
The Renaissance of the Green Fairy
Banned in the early 1920s and after more than 70 years of silence she is back, the Green Fairy!
Aside from alcohol, Absinthe contains a number of different psychoactive substances. Among these thujon is of major importance, a substance released by the wormwood plant, known under the name artemisia absinthium. The effects of real Absinthe can be mood brightening, stimulating even euphorizing. Today in Germany and other European Countries the maximum thujon content permitted by law is 10mg per kilogram in spirits and 35mg in the so called "Bitter Spirits". But Absinthe stands for more than the stimulating effects which once made van Gogh cut off his ear. Absinthe is culture, Absinthe is history and Absinthe is lifestyle. In the former times of the Belle Epoque many intellectuals and artists confessed their love to the Green Fairy and met for the "Heure Verte", the green hour, in the bistros of Paris. Toulouse Lautrec, Baudelaire, Manet, Rimbaud, Verlaine and Gauguin were famous Absintheurs, just to name a few.