In the past few years, America has been reminded of absinthe. Or, perhaps, I should say that Americans have been reminded of how little we know about absinthe. In preparation for this article, I talked to many people to see what they know, or think they know, about this taboo concoction. After some comprehensive in-depth research, it became abundantly clear that absinthe is about as mythical in America as ambrosia was in Greece. The facts are straightforward and the myths are entertaining. But the laws, or lack thereof, leave people hopelessly confused.

I asked some friends, “What do you know about absinthe?” The responses I got were great: It’s the ‘green fairy.’ It makes you hallucinate. You set it on fire to drink it. It’s illegal in the US but they drink it in France. I asked the same people, “Have you ever had absinthe?” Everyone said “no,” but each seemed to have a grasp of its effects. Maybe it’s because it has been displayed in movies such as From Hell, in which Johnny Depp drinks it while on an opium binge. And, who can help but marvel at Ewan McGregor and John Leguizamo prancing about while under the influence of absinthe in Moulin Rouge? (And the absurd cameo by Kylie Minogue as the Green Fairy?) Finding that there is an incredible amount of misinformation out there, I researched the most reputable sources to find that this drink is widely discussed and disputed.

Absinthe is a liqueur which is derived from artemisia absinthium, or wormwood. Wormwood dates back to the ancient world and was used as a tonic as far back as 1600 BC. Pythagoras believed it would ease the pains of childbirth, and Hippocrates recommended it for rheumatism. Among other things, wormwood has been proven to be a functional pesticide and is reliable for getting rid of intestinal worms in both humans and animals.

In describing the taste of wormwood, “bitter” just isn’t a strong enough word. The Greek name for it was apsinthion, which means “undrinkable.” There were a variety of wormwood drinks before absinthe (as we know it) was made. Things such as wormwood wine were popular in the 16 th century. While it has been dated as far back as 1792, the birth of the absinthe most people are familiar with was in 1797 when Henri Pernod married the daughter of its inventor, staging the beginning for the Pernod beverage dynasty.

There are varying levels of quality when it comes to absinthe. Some of the best were distilled with grape alcohol and then the wormwood was steeped overnight, along with anise and fennel. Other flavors could be added, but this was the most prominent formula for green liqueur. What resulted was highly potent (sometimes in the uppers of 90 percent alcohol) with an intensely bitter flavor.

But of course, there is no discussing absinthe without paying particularly close attention to the ritual involved in drinking it. Yes, this potent potable could be ingested straight, but there are a couple of popular methods of preparation which involve water, sugar, fire and/or ice.

The classic method of preparation is French (often associated with the Bohemians) and involves simply adding cold water to the liquid. The makeup of absinthe allows each drop of water to turn the clear green liquid cloudy. The French term for this is to “louche,” and the absinthe “whitens and becomes opaque when the water upsets the balance of alcohol and herbal matter.” This became a valued trait to drinkers; so much so that bsinthe producers would add various other chemicals to accentuate this effect.

Another ritual, which is said to have originated in Prague, involves dipping a spoonful of sugar into the glass of absinthe. The soaked sugar is then set on fire. Once the sugar caramelizes, it is then stirred into the glass which typically sets the liquid ablaze. Water is then added, clouding the liquid and extinguishing the flame.

There are, of course, many variations on these rituals. Some involves crushed ice, others use cubed sugar and a slotted “absinthe spoon.” Whichever precise method was chosen, these rituals exemplify the romance which is associated with the consumption of this product. Sociologists are not slow to make the connection between preparing absinthe and preparing for a huge IV drug overdose, since many of the same elements are there. But, there are other reasons that absinthe is not as ubiquitous today as in the past.

Instead of delving into the propaganda behind the French ban on absinthe or discussing why England didn’t follow suit, I think it is far more important to discuss the stance of the United States and the reasoning behind the laws which keep absinthe out of our country. Taking into account that absinthe is intensely alcoholic, and knowing that alcohol has been legal in America for going on 100 years, it is rather clear that there is just something else about absinthe that helps it hold its “forbidden” status in this country. In a word, it’s thujone.

About 300 years ago, it was proposed that wormwood use could cause great injury. It was believed that there was some active ingredient which led to the intriguing effect on humans and other creatures. Over 100 years ago, a German chemist correctly labeled this chemical structure now known as thujone. Thujone occurs naturally in various herbs and kitchen concoctions, but it was Dr. Lalou who, in 1903, determined that thujone is largely responsible for the effects of absinthe.

Thujone is a menthol-like terpene that appears in products like Vicks Vapor rub. Other terpenes include tertra-hydra-cannabinol (THC) and nutmeg. But thujone, unlike these, is convulsory. A dose of wormwood (with the active ingredient thujone) in guinea pigs leads to agitation, seizure and then death. Assuming that the absinthe being consumed today is still fermented with wormwood, the drink would have varying effects on different individuals. While a significant dose of thujone would effectively kill a person, absinthe contains such a small dose that only a slight jittery feeling will ensue—much like nicotine in cigarettes. Absinthe could be closely related to the 1950s cocktail known as the “Mickey Slim,” which was gin with a couple drops of DDT. And while it might seem crazy to imagine partaking of such a drink, there are still no hallucinatory characteristics associated with these drinks/chemicals.

So, let’s take another look at those musings on absinthe and have a little recap, shall we? The “green fairy” is green, and the reference to flight might be well-warranted. But, absinthe contains none of the qualities necessary to induce hallucinations. While one method of consuming absinthe might cause it to catch fire, it is not consumed while flaming. It might be “like” drinking cannabis, but it’s as much “like” drinking nutmeg—the slight chemical variations bring totally different effects on the brain and/or body. Absinthe has been banned in France for a couple hundred years; if a person were interested in tasting absinthe, his best bet is to look next time he’s in Spain or to search for someone exporting from the Czech Republic.

And as far as it being illegal in America… For all my research, I turned up absolutely no federal laws against the consumption of absinthe. What is abundantly clear is that it is illegal to buy/sell/import/produce any product containing set levels of thujone (which true absinthe exceeds) in the United States. Before anyone cries “Foul!” one thing must be considered. While the average American might view this as the government forbidding him from consuming a product that has a similar effect to cannabis, the government views this as preventing the public from consuming pesticide en mass.