ABSINTHE
Absinthe is a potent spirit ranging from 45 to 75 percent alcohol, based on worm-
wood (Artemisia absinthium) and other aromatic herbs including hyssop and
anise. It is normally consumed by placing a shot in a large absinthe glass and then
slowly dribbling in cold water through a sugar cube positioned on a perforated
spoon. This creates a louche, or swirling green clouds. The chemical thujone in
absinthe makes the mind alert, creative, and expansive, and some claim it can
cause hallucinations. Absinthe’s great mystique is due to its association with
Impressionist-era painters such as Vincent van Gogh, poets such as the symbolist
Arthur Rimbaud, as well as Oscar Wilde and Charles Baudelaire. Only after a
notorious absinthe-induced murder case in Switzerland in 1905 was absinthe
made illegal in most of Europe and the United States. Various forms of pastis,
without wormwood, took absinthe’s place.
Until 2007 absinthe was not manufactured or legally sold in the United States,
and aficionados were forced to smuggle the drink from abroad, normally from
one of the countries where it was still produced, such as Switzerland, Spain, or
the Czech Republic. The Val du Travers in Switzerland is reputed to be the birth-
place of absinthe, though older forms had been distilled centuries before as a
medicinal, and even the ancient Romans flavored wine with wormwood. Since
legalization, a number of absinthes are produced in the United States to wide
acclaim, although some insist that it is no longer as special because it is legal.
Nonetheless, brands such as Lucid and Kubler were the first to appear, followed
by St. George made in California and Mansinthe by heavy metal singer Marilyn
Manson. Other manufacturers quickly followed suit and the renaissance of
absinthe continues unabated.
Absinthe is a potent spirit ranging from 45 to 75 percent alcohol, based on worm-
wood (Artemisia absinthium) and other aromatic herbs including hyssop and
anise. It is normally consumed by placing a shot in a large absinthe glass and then
slowly dribbling in cold water through a sugar cube positioned on a perforated
spoon. This creates a louche, or swirling green clouds. The chemical thujone in
absinthe makes the mind alert, creative, and expansive, and some claim it can
cause hallucinations. Absinthe’s great mystique is due to its association with
Impressionist-era painters such as Vincent van Gogh, poets such as the symbolist
Arthur Rimbaud, as well as Oscar Wilde and Charles Baudelaire. Only after a
notorious absinthe-induced murder case in Switzerland in 1905 was absinthe
made illegal in most of Europe and the United States. Various forms of pastis,
without wormwood, took absinthe’s place.
Until 2007 absinthe was not manufactured or legally sold in the United States,
and aficionados were forced to smuggle the drink from abroad, normally from
one of the countries where it was still produced, such as Switzerland, Spain, or
the Czech Republic. The Val du Travers in Switzerland is reputed to be the birth-
place of absinthe, though older forms had been distilled centuries before as a
medicinal, and even the ancient Romans flavored wine with wormwood. Since
legalization, a number of absinthes are produced in the United States to wide
acclaim, although some insist that it is no longer as special because it is legal.
Nonetheless, brands such as Lucid and Kubler were the first to appear, followed
by St. George made in California and Mansinthe by heavy metal singer Marilyn
Manson. Other manufacturers quickly followed suit and the renaissance of
absinthe continues unabated.
Further Reading
Cargill, Kima. "Distilling the Scientific Truth about Absinthe." Food, Culture and Society:
An International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research 11, no. 1 (March 2008):
87 99.
Conrad, Barnaby. Absinthe: History in a Bottle. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1998.
Ken Albala
ADVERTISING
Before the late 1800s alcohol advertisements by major producers in the United States were primarily targeted to the upper class, taking the form of artistic depictions of the product or people enjoying their drink. Other advertising was local and simpler in the form of signs and occasional newspaper advertisements from area brewers and distilleries or local drinking establishments.
Advertising escalated with the advent of mass literacy and mass production. Innovations in produc-tion and refrigeration combined with larger concentrations of liter-ate citizens in America’s cities made the business of alcohol more lucra-tive and easier to advertise. As lithography prints slowly gave way to simpler mass-produced posters, old styles intersected with new trends. An 1889 poster for Burke Ale featured Cap Anson and Buck Ewing, two prominent baseball players, raising tall glasses while sitting next to a large tent. The com-bination of alcohol advertising and sports had arrived.
The twentieth century witnessed massive growth in the advertising business. Early twentieth-century advertisements provided traditional depictions of drinking as a pleasant experience, but alcohol was also advertised as possessing health bene-fits. Exotic liquors claimed to ease digestions, throat pain, headaches,and even the ills of pregnancy. Prohibition paused developments from 1919 to 1933, and the Great Depression dampened spending and advertising in the 1930s as well. However, a rush of alcohol-related advertisements appeared following the repeal of Prohibition—liquor and beer adver-tisements appeared throughout the pages of the New York Times as new companies sought to corner the reopened market. One of the longest-lasting advertising sym-bols from an American company, the Budweiser Clydesdales team pulling a delivery wagon, became prominent in the 1930s. Since delivering a case of beer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House during a promotional tour of the eastern United States, these horses have been nationwide symbols of the Budweiser brand. Advertisements from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are popular collec-tor’s items and commonly reproduced art prints today. In this enthusiasm for the consumer culture of yesteryear beer, wine, and liquor posters from the United States and abroad figure prominently. When alcohol advertising returned to prominence, historical events and new forms of media changed its methods. Poster ads during World War II associated alcohol, particularly beer, with the military. Companies fought to have their beer, as well as cigarettes and other "necessities" of the time, available to off-duty soldiers at military bases throughout the world in order to promote their connection with the troops. Budweiser was among the companies linking their brand to patriotism along with many others, including Schlitz, which featured a poster boasting that "every fourth bottle of Schlitz goes overseas." New media dramatically shaped alcohol advertising. Radio and television meant that sound substituted for or combined with image to sell products. Although sponsorships were not unheard of before, the ability of celebrities to lend their actual voice or presence to an advertisement greatly expanded the practice. Like much of early television, early televised alcohol ads often appeared unprofessional and awkward, particularly because the celebrities endorsing the product were unlikely to have acting experience.
A new golden age of advertising began as companies experimented with new styles to match the cultural tumult of the 1960s and 1970s. From abstract art to minimalist simplicity, alcohol was depicted in a wide array of colors, shapes, and sizes. American pop art, epitomized by Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, often depicted commer-cial images artistically and in turn impacted advertising. Contemporary alcohol
advertising contains the promise of popularity and high living toned down with exclusivity, or a hearkening back to tradition. Imported liquor embraces the former. Tanqueray gin and Captain Morgan rum advertisements associate their drinks with wild yet exclusive parties and attractive women, though men have appeared more often, for example as handsome bartenders. American-made whiskey and beer are
advertised in a similar style but with an old-fashioned image, and appeal to tradition. Coors, Miller, Budweiser, and Jack Daniel’s advertisements often describe the his-torical origin of their product. These advertisements often feature a strong, quiet male character or voice-over, either a Western cowboy or an Average Joe figure. However, not all this advertising was in favor of alcohol consumption. After
the Civil War, the Temperance Movement produced advertisements calling atten-tion to the abuse of alcohol and advocating prohibition. From the 1990s to the present, a new wave of ads appeared reminding viewers of drinking’s dangers. Numerous lawsuits were filed in the 1990s seeking to limit alcohol advertising,
and controversy has led to the regulation of alcohol advertising, particularly liquor, at sporting events, in print publications, and on billboards in areas where children may be present. Alcohol ads have begun to include reminders to "drink responsibly" and avoid driving while intoxicated. As alcohol advertising continues to evolve, brewers and distillers try to sell not only their drink but their image and dedication to public safety. (See also Politics.) Further Reading Balko, Radley. "The Government Should Not Censor Alcohol Advertising." In Alcohol: The History of Drugs and Alcohol, ed. Ann Manheimer. New York: Thomson Gale, 2007. Dade, Penny. Drink Talking: 100 Years of Alcohol Advertising. London: Middlesex University Press, 2008. Jernigan, David H. "Alcohol Advertising to Young People Should Be Limited." In Alcohol: The
History of Drugs and Alcohol, ed. Ann Manheimer. New York: Thomson Gale, 2007. Manheimer, Ann, ed. Alcohol: The History of Drugs and Alcohol. New York: Thomson Gale, 2007.
