Over the last two and a half centuries, absinthe has divided opinions and earned quite the rap sheet. Accused of being addictive and psychedelic, the spirit has been outlawed almost everywhere at one ...

Cocktail Queries is a Paste series that examines and answers basic, common questions that drinkers may have about mixed drinks, cocktails and spirits. Check out every entry in the series to date.

Perhaps you already have your own absinthe story. You drank it in New Orleans one foggy night, too full of fumes to remember much aside from the cloudy green swirl of the drink as water drip-dropped ...

In its early stages absinthe produces an agreeable feeling of intoxication. By its continual employment the character becomes changed. To the brightness and gayety of the first effects succeeds a ...

Absinthe can claim to have the worst reputation of all alcoholic drinks, quite an achievement. Held responsible for many of the ills that plagued society in continental Europe, it was banned in many ...

Absinthe has inspired many great authors of the last 150 years – and may have ruined some as well. Jane Ciabattari investigates the green spirit’s peculiar power. Arthur Rimbaud called absinthe the ...