Summary

Absinthe: was it ambrosia or poison, artistic muse or ticket to madness and death? There is a tremendous fascination with absinthe, yet few truly know its rich history. The documentary ABSINTHE definitively brings the Green Fairy out of her clouded past where, for one hundred years, her fabled effects and demonized reputation have excited equal doses of admiration and loathing. The film traces absinthe’s arc: from its birth in Switzerland in 1787, through its rise in the chic cafés of Belle Époque Paris, to its prohibition, and its recent worldwide revival. Absinthe’s story is put in high relief through interviews with leading historians, authors, distillers, antiques collectors, and fanatics. The cult beverage of bohemian artists is back in fashion; the documentary ABSINTHE clarifies the legend.