The Hour of Absinthe: A Cultural History of France's Most Notorious Drink

At the height of its popularity in the late nineteenth century, absinthe reigned in the bars, cafés, and restaurants of France and its colonial empire. Yet by the time it was banned in 1915, the famous green fairy had become the green peril, feared for its connection with declining birth rates and its apparent capacity to induce degeneration, madness, and murderous rage in its consumers.

As one of history’s most notorious drinks, absinthe has been the subject of myth, scandal, and controvers...