Gastropod looks at food through the lens of science and history.
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Absinthe: The World’s Most Dangerous Drink?
To painters and poets in late-1800s France, absinthe was "the green muse" or the "green fairy," an almost magical potion that promised vivid dreams, wild ideas, and artistic inspiration with every sip. By the 1910s, this once incredibly popular herbal liquor was banned—not only in France, but in countries around the world. Condemned as the cause of both individual ruin and social decline, absinthe consumption was said to lead to seizures, memory gaps, hallucinations, and even murderous rage. So what's the deal: is absinthe just a drink, or is it actually deadly? This episode, we've got the story behind the myths, from witchy distillers to women on bicycles, and military rations to pre-ban bottles. Join us for the trip!
Left, a modern French woman enjoys a glass of absinthe during l'heure verte, the "green hour"; right, a poet gives in to the "green muse" in Albert Maignan's 1895 painting. (Left image, Personal Collection Nina S. Studer; right image, Albert Maignan/Musée de Picardie)
Episode Notes
Nina Studer
Nina Studer studies the history of drinking, colonialism, North Africa, and women's rights, and is the author of The Hour of Absinthe: the Cultural History of France's Most Notorious Drink. She is an associate researcher at the Institut Éthique Histoire Humanités at the University of Geneva.
Evan Rail
Journalist Evan Rail is the author of The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit.