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