ABSINTHE

Janet Brice discovers the story of this seductive spirit, known as the green fairy, which broke down barriers in French society and influenced the artists and writers of the day

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Did you know happy hour, celebrated in bars around the world, started in the back streets of Montmartre in the 1860s? It was known as l’Heure Verte – the Green Hour – the time to savour the seductive emerald spirit of absinthe.

The fée verte or green fairy, as it was known, was popular with artists from Picasso to Toulouse Lautrec and writers from Oscar Wilde to Hemingway, who were all seduced by this hypnotic spirit.

Potent in both alcohol content and its turbulent history, it became synonymous with the term ‘mad genius’ and was banned in France, across Europe and the United States for about 100 years. The reason for its ban was that people believed the green spirit was hallucinogenic and dangerously addictive, as it contained trace amounts of the chemical compound thujone.

However, the green fairy proved a popular choice in Bohemian Paris as it was both cheap and high in alcohol. It was also instrumental in breaking down social barriers with the working-class drinking alongside those from high society for the first time. Absinthe fountains flowed during the 5pm Heure Verte as everyone indulged in this new-found addiction.