Made with wormwood, anise, fennel and a concoction of other potent herbs, absinthe originated in Switzerland in the 18th century as a "medicinal elixir", said Ellie McDonald in The Times.

Part of the drama surrounding absinthe comes from the fact that wormwood contains a tiny amount ... having that sense of the present", he says. "It shows a real joie de vivre, that I find really ...