Mari Mayans Absinthe (Absenta) has been produced since the founding of the distillery in 1848 in Formentera where the building still stands as a museum donated to the Island by the family. Officially registered in1880 by Juan Mari Mayans, a herbalist known all over the region for his expertise in high quality distillation and knowledge of fine herbs. He moved the distillery to Ibiza where it is still run by his descendants. Mari Mayans Absenta is made from distilling the leaves and stems of hand-picked Artemisia Absinthium (Wormwood) and is then macerated in herbs. The resulting spirit is a mesmerizing green that clouds when water is added (known as Louche). It is 100% natural and is created to this day using the same formula that made the distillery famous in the last century with exports to France and the rest of Europe.
Absinthe was allegedly invented by Dr. Pierre Ordinaire in 1792, as an all-purpose remedy. Used as a cure-all, it was nicknamed "La Fée Verte" or "The Green Fairy"; a nickname that has stuck.
Artemisia Absinthium was used " in medicine and magic. . .to rouse a languid appetite and stimulate digestion." Ironically, Absinthe originally treated drunkenness though it was often added to wine "to make it more intoxicating". The name "La Fée Verte" is associated with magic, mythology and provocatively intoxicating female figures.
This long history of magical associations with wormwood and its powers worked to popularize Dr. Ordinaire's concoction, and to heighten Absinthe's popularity and mystical appeal.
The plant has been recognized for centuries (the Egyptians called it Saam) but Dr. Ordinaire probably used a recipe from the sisters Henriod at the beginning of the 19th century. By 1805, the Pernod-Fils absinthe company was set up in Pontarlier, France, by Henri-Louis Pernod.
The popularity of the drink spread further, as it was used as a fever preventative by French troops fighting in Algeria from 1844-1847. When the troops returned to France, they brought with them their taste for the anisette drink.
Absinthe hit its peak during the years from 1880-1914, named the "great collective binge". Absinthe is a symbol of inspiration and daring, associated with the artistic life, and is sometimes used as an aphrodisiac.
Absinthe drinking was "one of the special marks of Parisin the 1890s; "the drink of Parisian abandon".
In 1874 the French consumed 700 thousand litres of Absinthe, by 1910 it rose to 36 million litres of Absinthe per year. It was also exported to New Orleans, where it quickly became extremely popular, but Americans' enjoyment of The Green Fairy was cut short when United States health officials imposed a ban on the drink in 1912.
This ban followed the examples set by Holland, Belgium, Brazil and other countries. France was last to ban, finally prohibiting absinthe after a long series of debates, in 1915. Still, the drink remained so popular that it continued to be sold (sometimes in disguised form, one of the more unusual being in hair tonic bottles) as late as the 1920's and 1930's. It has never been illegal in Spain or the United Kingdom to make, sell or drink Absinthe.
The Absintheur's love affair with the drink begins with an interesting courtship:
Sugar is placed on a spoon and suspended over a tall glass filled with a shot of green Absinthe. Then ice-cold water is dripped over the sugar and allowed to fall in beads into the drink. Each drip turns to a fresh snow-packed white. The sugar cuts the Absinthe's bitterness, while the method was attractive in itself, the drink's change in colour, drip by drip, resembles alchemy.
The New Orleans Old Absinthe House was famous for its Absinthe fountain, which dripped water into the glasses automatically.
Absinthe is also drunk in a variety of personalized ways. Toulouse-Lautrec made a special concoction called un tremblement de terre (earthquake), which combined Absinthe and brandy. Absinthe can be served with red or white wine instead of water, or drunk straight by the purist. (look at the cocktail page for more ideas)
In For Whom the Bell Tolls" Ernest Hemingway writes "...one cup of it took the place of the evening papers, of all the old evenings in cafes, of all chestnut trees that would be in bloom now in this month...".
Oscar Wilde added: "The first stage is like ordinary drinking, the second when you begin to see monstrous and cruel things, but if you can persevere you will enter in upon the third stage where you see things that you want to see, wonderful curious things". Wilde goes on to explain how, during this third stage, one imagines tulips and simultaneously feels them brushing against one's shins.
In the cheerful atmosphere of recovery that followed the Franco-Prussian War, l'heure verte "the green hour" became an established daily event. Because of a generally increased liberal attitude in France and relaxed policies for opening cabarets and cafés in France during the 1860s, almost 366 thousand existed in Paris by 1869, and 5 p.m. signified l'heure verte in almost every one. The cafés were an extremely popular place to socialize; by the 1870s, it became common practice to preface a meal with a cheap aperitif, and of 1500 available liqueurs, Absinthe accounted for 90% of the apéritifs drunk.
The history of Absinthe lends credence to the conviction that if something is too good, it will eventually be stopped. Absinthe was banned because of the fear of the drink's counter-culture revolutionary aspect; Absinthe is "a symbol of the bohemian spirit". Absinthe had its own slang, which is attractive to those in the know and undeniably irritating, if not terrifying, to those who are not.
Absinthe has recently regained popularity in the United Kingdom;
As we approach the next decade the thirst for Absinthe will grow as people search for new recreational experiences at home, in bars and clubs. At the forefront of this growth lies Mari Mayans Absenta which is establishing itself as the most palatable and interesting materialization of the drink's long history. It is time the green fairy be let out and allowed to fly freely through the bars of the world once again, adding mystique, intrigue and something slightly timeless to modern culture.
The following may be substituted for absinthe: pernod, herbsaint, or anisette.
Absinthe Cocktails
Absinthe Drip
The Classic Preparation
1 1/2 oz. Absinthe
1 sugar cube
crushed or cracked ice
Use a tea strainer (unless you can find an Absinthe spoon, good luck!) over an old fashioned glass. First pour the Absinthe into the glass then place the strainer, with sugar cube inside over the glass. Pack a mound of your ice atop the sugar. When the ice has melted, the drip is ready. For those with no patience, cold water can be slowly poured over the strainer until the sugar is gone and the glass is full (this however makes for a weaker drink).
Absinthe Wine
All herbs are dried.
2 tsp peppermint
2 tsp dried wormwood
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp lavender
2 tsp hyssop
2 tsp majoram
2 tsp sage
2 pints port
Steep herbs one week, filter and bottle. My notes describe this as "bitter, aromatic and potent". ** Absinthe #3 ** >From Arnold's article in Scientific American: An 1855 recipe from Pontarlier, France, gives the following instructions for making absinthe: Macerate 2.5 kilograms of dried wormwood, 5 kilograms of anise and 5 kilograms of fennel in 95 liters of 85 percent ethanol by volume. Let the mixture steep for at least 12 hours in the pot of a double boiler. Add 45 liters of water and apply heat; collect 95 liters of distillate. To 40 liters of the distillate, add 1 kilogram of Roman wormwood, 1 kilogram of hyssop and 500 grams of lemon balm, all of which have been dried and finely divided. Extract at a moderate temperature, then siphon off the liquor, filter, and reunite it with the remaining 55 liters of distillate. Dilute with water to produce approximately 100 liters of absinthe with a final alcohol concentration of 74 percent by volume.
Absinthe (Distilled)
30 g wormwood
8.5 g hyssop
1.8 g calamus
6.0 g melissa
30 g anise
25 g fennel seed
10 g star anise
3.2 g coriander
Put the dry herbs in a large jar. Dampen slightly. Add 800 milliliters of 85-95 percent alcohol. Wine spirits make a better product than pure grain alcohol. Let steep for several days - a week is better -shaking occasionally. Then add 600 milliliters of water and let the whole macerate for another day. Decant off the liquid squeezing as much from the mass of herb as possible. Wet the herbs with some vodka and squeeze again. Recipe should give a little over a liter and a half of green liquor. It must then be distilled. Color the distillate by again adding:
4.2 g mint
1.1 g melissa
3.0 g wormwood
1.0 g citron peel
4.2 g liquorice root
Let the herbs macerate for another three or four days. Decant, filter, bottle. Concentrated sugar syrup can be added.
Warnings: We do not condone the use or making of Absinthe, this information is here for curiosity and historical sake only!!
- Wormwood can be habit forming, like ethyl alcohol.
- Do NOT take if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or plan pregnancy in the near future. The dangers outweigh any benefits. Don't use.
- Do NOT take if you are breast feeding. Dangers outweigh any possible benefits. Don't use.
- Do NOT allow the intake by infants or children. Children under 2 years of age consuming any herbal preparation is hazardous to their health. Keep away from children and store in a safe place.
Absinthe, the alcoholic drink with wormwood, has been banned from most countries due to the alarming amount of adverse effects of this habit-forming drink, including hallucinations and epileptic-like convulsions.
Toxicity:
- Large amounts of wormwood can be toxic to people, as well as worms.
- The chemical Thujone (absinthol) that this herb contains, is addictive and can damage the central nervous system.
- The United States FDA classifies the herb as "dangerous". It is thought to interact with the same brain receptors as does marijuana (cannabis sativa). Products flavored with wormwood must contain thujone-free extracts.
- Rated slightly dangerous in many countries, particularly dangerous for children, persons over 55 years of age and those who take larger than appropriate quantities for extended periods of time.
- Adverse Reactions, Side Effects or Overdose Symptoms:
- Can cause insomnia, nightmares, vomiting.
- Convulsions - Seek emergency treatment immediately.
- Stupor - Seek emergency treatment immediately.
- Trembling - Discontinue use and call a doctor when convenient.
