Funny it is, but ancient absinthe was somewhat different from that of Verlaine and Picasso’s contemporaneity, since it was delivered through maceration of wormwood leaves in wine and used for medical purposes solely. One could say that ‘Artemisia Absinthium’ (Latin name for wormwood) is one of the most ancient herbs used in medicine.

Thus, Hippocrates recommended taking absinthe to alleviate jaundice, rheumatism, anemia, and menstrual pains, and Pythagoras prescribed it to aid labor in childbirth. One of the Roman scholars, Pliny the Elder by name, proclaimed the liqueur to be a youth elixir as well as a remedy for bad breath. In England in 16th and 17th century the herb was believed to protect against plague, so wormwood was used in the same way as garlic in horror films about vampires – people decorated their doors and windows with it, as well as the ceiling rafters.

However, time passed and ‘Artemisia Absinthium’ and spirits from it became more than just a medicine for various diseases. It is know that by 1559 independent entrepreneurs organized absinthe production from dry wormwood leaves soaked in a liquid containing equal amount of malmsey wine and the so-called “burning water thrice distilled”.

Absinthe became a really popular alcoholic beverage in 16th century. The drink called Purl of Tudor England, wide-spread within the working class, was delivered through processing hot ale or beer and wormwood.

In fact, the modern absinthe we know nowadays was contrived by an outstanding Frenchman Pierre Ordinaire in 1792. Doctor Ordinaire escaped French Revolution and found shelter in Couvet, a small village located in the west of Switzerland. It is said that he found the herb ‘Artemisia Absinthium’ during one of his horseback rides in the Val-de-Travers region and, having known about its medical properties, he started experimenting with the plant and making his own cures.
It is most likely that Pierre Ordinaire’s recipe included anise, dittany, hyssop, melissa, Sweet Flag, wormwood as well as chamomile, coriander, parsley, spinach and veronica. And the spirit produced also became well-known and widely-used as an all-cure elixir.