Article: Here's to Absinthe friends; ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.(Features)

Byline: Compiled by Charles Legge

QUESTION In the early Forties, France banned the production of absinthe because it was believed that the ingredient wormwood induced madness. Why has it returned to our supermarket shelves? THE euphoric qualities of absinthe are the stuff of legend. The emerald green drink was once consumed by people from all walks of life, but most notably the bohemian upper class, artists, poets and intellectuals.

While the lower classes celebrated l'heure verte (the green hour) in bars and cafes, artists and poets created paintings and verses dedicated to the 'green fairy'.

Famous imbibers included artists Vincent van Gogh, ...

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