A strong, green alcoholic drink flavored with anise and wormwood, popular in Europe in the 1800s.
From French 'absinthe,' derived from Greek 'apsinthion' meaning wormwood. The plant wormwood was believed to have medicinal properties. The drink became popular in France and was associated with artists and bohemians.
Absinthe was literally banned in many countries because people thought the wormwood chemical 'thujone' made drinkers go insane! Modern science shows this was exaggerated—the real culprit was just very high alcohol content. The 'Green Fairy' mystique made it irresistible to troubled artists like Van Gogh.
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