Wormwood - the basis of absinthe - has been valued medicinally since ancient times. However, the development of absinthe several hundred years ago created a drink which turbocharged the creativity of geniuses as diverse as Toulouse Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso. This episode details that story.

Sources:

Adams, Jennifer, et al. Philip Collier's Mixing New Orleans: Cocktails and Legends. Philbeau, 2007.

Baker, Phil. The Book of Absinthe. Grove Press. 2001.

Conrad, Barnaby. Absinthe: History in a Bottle. Chronicle Books, 1997.

Crowley, Aleister. Absinthe, the Green Goddess. Contra/Thought, 1995.

Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom the Bell Tolls. Scribner, 2020.

Hepworth, David. Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars. Black Swann, 2018.

Mann, J. Turn on and Tune in: Psychedelics, Narcotics and Euphoriants. Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019.

Wittels, Betina J., and T. A. Breaux. Absinthe: The Exquisite Elixir. Fulcrum Publishing, 2017.

Wondrich, David, and Noah Rothbaum. The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. Oxford University Press, 2022.