From day one, absinthe was not that popular. It took time for absinthe to get recognized before everyone started drinking it. The beginning of absinthe being popular in cities (referring to the night life, bar scenes, etc) started in the 19th century. There was a reason that absinthe suddenly became so popular though.
The War
Soldiers from France that were at war in Algeria would drink absinthe with tonic every single day to fight off malaria. However, the soldiers never noticed that it was the tonic that was reducing the symptoms of the malaria. Every single day the French soldiers were consuming absinthe so it started to be a little addictive.
After the War
When the French soldiers left the war, they still loved drinking absinthe. They loved drinking it so much that the drink followed them to the city life where they started introducing it to everyone. It started with just a group of soldiers but soon many bars and night clubs were catching on to how tasty and intriguing absinthe really is. It wouldn’t be long before l’ heure verte (the green hour) began and absinthe was the biggest hit sensation ever. Absinthe was the ‘drink’ of the late 19th and early 20th century and its power with people could be comparable to how strong crack and cocaine was in the 1980’s.
Absinthe began to become popular from just those groups of men but soon absinthe was as common as a bottle of water in some peoples’ lives. From soldiers to artists and writers, everyone was inspired by drinking absinthe shortly after it became well known in various cities. |
