the article doesn't dig deeply enough into why specifically absinthe triggered the panic — why not all anise drinks? What's specific about absinthe that's so psychedelic?
If anything, tequila has way more of an effect on poor judgment...
If anything, tequila has way more of an effect on poor judgment...
Classism and moral panic. In the 19th century, it was a poor man's liquor. Jean Lanfray's drunken murder suicide of his wife also played a massive role in that.
This was also the era of a very active and prominent temperance movement, as women were often at the mercy of alcoholic husbands and had few options for legal recourse.
You'll find similar temperance movements today in India, Thailand, Vietnam, and other developing countries.
> If anything, tequila has way more of an effect on poor judgment
Never understood that stereotype either. I love drinking Mezcal neat and that's basically aged and smokey Tequila (yes ik this is a massive simplification).
The only poor judgement it induced was me spending a ridiculous amount on niche Mezcals plus the occasional trip to Oaxaca.
I love smokey flavors (eg. Whiskey, Ribs, Tandoori) so Mezscal definetly scratches that itch.
That said, I usually snack on veggies (Campari tomatoes, cucumbers), light meats (salami, smoked salmon), nuts, and bread while drinking - basically zakuski - while drinking so that probably helps.
Absinthe was around 70% abv. Much easier to overdose on alcohol than with 40-odd % tequila. It is although understood that there was a lot of adulterated absinthe around. And even in the presumably good stuff, the distillation techniques of the time left somewhat to be desired and the resulting drinks contained nasty chemicals (notably methanol).
That said, I still think the moral panic was completely out of proportion and, as the article mentions, absinthe ended up being a convenient scapegoat. It is very similar to how gin was seen in England.
This is a popular myth for two reasons:
- you can’t make enough methanol to harm you through fermentation alone. Stories of methanol poisoning are more likely due to unscrupulous bootleggers adding it in.
- you can’t separate methanol from ethanol using fractional distillation. There are things that do fraction out, like fusel oils. Methanol isn’t one of them.
This means that the ratio of methanol to ethanol in the distilled drink will be pretty much the same as in the unfermented version. It is higher in ferments done with fruit skin, but not possible to actually harm yourself, especially in the presence of ethanol, which is used to treat methanol poisoning.
There are lots of incorrect sources on the internet concerning this. It’s not like there’s any organization trying to dispel the myth, and the same false claims get repeated over and over.
Methanol boils at 65 C, ethanol at 78. Again, you wont get a perfect separation, but there's enough of a difference that you can get rid of a fair amount.
Funnily enough 110 years later, Pernod-Ricard is the #2 spirits and liquors group in the world.