Wikipedia says:
absinth, absynthe, absenta) (English: IPA: /ˈębsɪnθ/; French: IPA: [apsɛ̃t]) is a distilled, highly alcoholic (45%-75% ABV), anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the medicinal plant Artemisia absinthium, also called “wormwood.” Absinthe is typically of a natural green color but is also produced in both clear and artificially colored styles. It is often called “the Green Fairy.”
Natural green absinthes take their color from chlorophyll, which is present in some of the herbal ingredients during maceration. Although it is sometimes mistakenly called a liqueur, absinthe is not bottled with added sugar and is therefore classified as a liquor.[1] Absinthe is uncommon among spirits in that it is bottled at a high proof but consumed diluted with water.
Absinthe originated in the Val-de-Travers, in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, as a medicinal elixir. However, it is better known for its popularity as an alcoholic beverage in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers whose romantic associations with the drink still linger in popular culture. At the end of the 19th century, over 2 million litres[2] of absinthe were consumed annually in France alone; by 1910 this number grew to 36 million.[3] Due in part to its associations with bohemian culture, absinthe was opposed by social conservatives and prohibition supporters. It was portrayed as a dangerously addictive, psychoactive drug, and the chemical thujone, present in small quantities in wormwood, was blamed for these alleged effects. The Lanfray murders of 1906 provoked a petition to the Swiss government leading to the first prohibition of absinthe in Switzerland. In 1912, absinthe production was outlawed in the United States, and in 1915, at the height of the French war effort, it was made illegal in France.
Though it was vilified, no evidence shows absinthe to be any more dangerous than ordinary alcohol, and its psychoactive properties are believed to have been exaggerated. A modern absinthe revival began in the 1990s, as countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale. As of February, 2008, nearly 200 brands are being produced in a dozen countries, most notably France, Switzerland, Spain and the Czech Republic.[4] In addition, a few brands have become available in the United States.