Absinthe originated in France in the late 1700’s. Its creation is generally credited to a Dr. Pierre Ordinaire. He distilled several herbs into an alcohol-based elixir including anise, fennel, hyssop and wormwood. His "tonic" was considered a cure all which aided such conditions as arthritis and intestinal parasites. Dr. Ordinaire's recipe was later adapted by Henri-Louis Pernod the founder of the Pernod Fils Absinthe distillery in the early 1800’s. By the end of the 19^th century, absinthe had become an integral part of French society with over 2 million litres of absinthe consumed annually in France alone.

Absinthe was banned in the late 1800’s. Prohibitionists, Politicians and wine producers joined forces to blame absinthe for a list of ills such as epilepsy, psychosis, blindness and death. The only truth behind these claims were the fault of a few unscrupulous Absinthe producers. These shysters wanted to make money from Absinthe’s popularity but were not experienced in the distillation process. A quality Absinthe, then as today, was judged by its color and ability to produce a Louche. The inferior Absinthes lacked the color and the ability to create an acceptable Louche. So the dishonest Absinthe producers added the toxic chemical antimony to create a better Louche and cupric acid to provide a "greener" appearance. The prohibitionist wanted all alcohol banned and saw absinthe as a good start. Politicians wanted absinthe gone to gain political favor and wine producers did not like the competition absinthe gave them for the French liquor dollar. Although absinthe was produced clandestinely in France and Switzerland since the ban, it was not until 100 years later that Absinthe re-immerged in French culture. It is important to note that in the mid 1990’s, distilleries in the Czech republic began to produce a product they called Absinth (without the final "e"). These products were far from traditional Absinthe’s but were the beginning of today’s massive interest in this legendary drink.

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