Absinthe is a strong-herbal liquor distilled with wormwood and anise. It can contains other aromatic herbs like star anise, anise seed, fennel, licorice, hyssop, veronica, lemon balm, angelica root, dittany, coriander, juniper, and nutmeg. Absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir, yet it is better known for its popularity in late 19th and early 20th century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers whose romantic associations with the drink still linger in popular culture.
According to history, or perhaps myth, the elixir of wormwood was orginally developed by Dr. Pierre Ordinaire in 1789. He was a French doctor who was living in the Suisse town of Couvet, in the Canton of Neuchâtel. The doctor was in self-exile due to political reasons from the Franche-Comté region. It was said that he discovered the plant wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) while traveling in the Val-de-Travers. He mixed wormwood and other herbs with alcohol to create his 136 proof elixir, which he employed in his treatment of the sick and retched. After many claims of miraculous healing and lucid powers, it became a panacea or cure-all. It was eventually nicknamed, "la Fée Verte", which means the Green Fairy.
