Video: Absinthe being resurrected

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EVERETT, Wash. – A century ago, absinthe was the muse of artists and writers.

Prolific boozer Ernest Hemingway extolled its intoxicating virtues. Legend has it that Van Gogh was on the stuff when he lopped off his ear.

Known to its devotees as "the green fairy," absinthe was banned in the United States and France as stories about its "dangerous" hallucinogenic properties spread.

Now the mysterious libation is about to be produced in Western Washington.

"Outside of gin back in the 1700s, no other liquor has been banned outright, that's been singled out for total annihilation as absinthe has," said Marc Bernhard, of Pacific Distillery, located in Woodinville, Wash.

Last year the federal government lifted its restriction on the production of absinthe, opening the way for folks like Bernhard to start distilling it.

His absinthe will be called Pacifique, and he hopes to have it on the market by Christmas.

Despite more than a century of hype, it turns out absinthe isn't a hallucinogen at all. But at more than 120 proof, you could find yourself at the bottom of a glass trying to find your way out.

KING

For decades it was demonized as a dangerous drink that would drive a man mad. Now absinthe is about to be produced in Woodinville, Wash.

"If you have a drink or two, you'll begin to feel tipsy," Bernhard said. "Whereas, with absinthe it's kind of counterbalanced with a wide-awake feeling. You have somewhat king of a more heightened clarity."

What sets Bernhard's brew apart is that he is using original 19th century French recipes. The main ingredient, wormwood, is growing in his Everett backyard.

Adding to the mystique, the drink is steeped in ritual. The proper way to prepare absinthe is with a cube of sugar and a slow water drip.

Bernhard hopes the buzz around his resurrected green fairy doesn't wear off any time soon.

"And I hope that in 100 years time someone will experience the same thing I'm experiencing now, and open a bottle of my absinthe and drink it and find it just as great as it was the day we made it," he said.