Answer: Absinthe

What is this thing called absinthe? It is strong liquor that has finally regained its legal status in the United States in 2007. The "Green Fairy" is one of its nicknames, and it was banned for a total of ninety five years!

Why was absinthe banned? After all, it was consumed by some famous people we all know. Dutch Impressionist Vincent Van Gogh drank it. Author Ernest Hemingway mixed absinthe with champagne and named the cocktail "Death in the Afternoon." Playwright Oscar Wilde imbibed and wrote about it. "After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, which is the most horrible thing in the world."

It was all a misunderstanding really. Most people believed that it was addictive, dangerous, and had psychoactive ingredients. Not true, we are told today. During the temperance movement it was dubbed "the devil in a bottle." Artists and musicians who imbibed referred to it as "the green muse."

So just what is in this drink that is slowly gaining in recognition and popularity again? For one thing, it is usually 100 to 150 proof. The two ounces that typically go into the absinthe glass are equivalent to drinking four bottles of beer.

The first of the two main ingredients are an extract of anise from the plant of scientific name Pimpinella anisum. Anise thrives in the warm, dry summers of the Mediterranean region. Egypt, Italy, and Spain are three of the top exporters of anise.

The second ingredient is wormwood extract from the plant of scientific name Artemisia absinthium. This type of wormwood is abundant in northern Africa. There are more than two hundred fifty species of Artemisia plants. Common wormwood, Artemisia vulgaris, is referred to as mugwort. This plant grows in Europe and is used as a cooking seasoning. There are several shrubby wormwood species in the United States that are referred to as sagebrush. The common sagebrush is Artemisia tridentata.

So what is the active ingredient that has caused absinthe to first be lauded, then rejected, and now respected? It is the chemical thujone of wormwood that was blamed for absinthe's strong effects on the drinker. In actuality, thujone has been proven to not have psychotropic properties, and after the distillation process very little thujone remains in a batch of absinthe.

But even the trace amounts of thujone get credit for the often reported effects of relaxation combined with heightened alertness. This combination of effects has always been popular with artists and musicians.

An entire absinthe culture is being revitalized. One popular way to imbibe is to pour about two ounces into a demarcated absinthe glass, then drizzle ice water through a slotted absinthe spoon which holds a sugar cube. The "louche" is ready to drink when it turns from clear to cloudy. The concentration of the absinthe extract is diluted one to four in this process.

There are also absinthe fountains, some of which can be quite elaborate. A bartender can efficiently prepare numerous drinks using an absinthe fountain.

Absinthe has a very strong licorice flavor, and does not find favor with everyone. Some people report a negative effect, however, and some absinthe drinkers do experience stomach distress.

One piece of advice given is for the novice to first taste a pastis, a French liqueur flavored with licorice. If pastis is pleasing, then absinthe might also be.

At prices of up to $70 a bottle, that is sound advice.