Absinthe, sometimes referred to as "the green fairy" became quite well known among the artistic elite of Paris and elsewhere in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Artists who illustrated the drink and authors who wrote glowingly of the joy it brought made absinthe oh-so fashionable and gave it the cachet that still mesmerizes us. Never mind that these same artistic types of the era were also indulging in opium, laudanum, cocaine, and other various drugs that were legal medicine at the time. Absinthe was their muse, and it eventually caused a moral panic.
But what is absinthe, anyway? It is green because it was steeped in a mixtures of natural herbs, which included the classic toxin wormwood. Wormwood was reportedly what caused hallucinations. Its flavor came from anise, which made the liquor taste like licorice. And its kick came from between 45% and 90% alcohol (that's 90-180 proof). The one ingredient that was missing was sugar, which led to the performative serving of absinthe with a sugar cube. Learn what absinthe was all about, and why it gained a reputation as the downfall of humanity at Today I Found Out.
(Image credit: Viktor Oliva)
As someone who loves both licorice and alcohol (responsibly), let me say that proper opalescent milkiness, is indeed a subjective preference. For the record, I made it to three. Thank you Ernest. Also, an editor's note to the recipe: After six, the sun also rises.