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92-597: HMCS Reo II was a former rum-running vessel turned military vessel from Meteghan , Nova Scotia . Built in 1931, the ship was used for rum running for five years until Prohibition ended, and was turned into a coastal freighter. She was commissioned during World War II by the Royal Canadian Navy as an auxiliary minesweeper . Declared surplus by the navy in 1945, she was sold to private interests in 1946. Reo II ended up in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia under

184-497: A sandbar or a reef in the dark at high speed. The Coast Guard relied on hard work, reconnaissance, and big guns to get their job done. It was not uncommon for rum-runners' ships to be sold at auction shortly after a trial – ships were often sold back to the original owners. Some ships were captured three or four times before they were finally sunk or retired . In addition, the Coast Guard had other duties and often had to let

276-700: A Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly." Most categorical alcoholic beverages have regulations governing their classification and labelling, while those governing absinthe have always been conspicuously lacking. According to popular treatises from the 19th century, absinthe could be loosely categorised into several grades ( ordinaire , demi-fine , fine , and Suisse  – the latter does not denote origin), in order of increasing alcoholic strength and quality. Many contemporary absinthe critics simply classify absinthe as distilled or mixed , according to its production method. And while

368-504: A bottle of plain alcohol with a small amount of powdered herbs suspended within it. The lack of a formal legal definition in most countries to regulate the production and quality of absinthe has enabled cheaply made products to be falsely presented as traditional in production and composition. In Switzerland, the only country with a formal legal definition of absinthe, any absinthe product not obtained by maceration and distillation or coloured artificially cannot be sold as absinthe. Absinthe

460-523: A colourless distillate that leaves the alembic at around 72% ABV. The distillate may be reduced and bottled clear, to produce a Blanche or la Bleue absinthe, or it may be coloured to create a verte using natural or artificial colouring. Traditional absinthes obtain their green color strictly from the chlorophyll of whole herbs, which is extracted from the plants during the secondary maceration . This step involves steeping plants such as petite wormwood , hyssop , and melissa (among other herbs) in

552-477: A conflict with the adopted food and beverage regulations of the single European Market. In Switzerland, the constitutional ban was repealed in 2000 during an overhaul of the national constitution, although the prohibition was written into ordinary law, instead. That law was later repealed, and it was made legal on March 1, 2005. The drink was never officially banned in Spain, although it began to fall out of favour in

644-921: A cultural association with absinthe and is credited as the birthplace of the Sazerac , perhaps the earliest absinthe cocktail. The Old Absinthe House bar on Bourbon Street began selling absinthe in the first half of the 19th century. Its Catalan lease-holder, Cayetano Ferrer, named it the Absinthe Room in 1874 due to the popularity of the drink, which was served in the Parisian style. It was frequented by Mark Twain , Oscar Wilde , Franklin Delano Roosevelt , Aleister Crowley , and Frank Sinatra . Absinthe became associated with violent crimes and social disorder, and one modern writer claims that this trend

736-557: A cup with honey on the brim to make it drinkable. Some argue that the word means "undrinkable" in Greek, but it may instead be linked to the Persian root spand or aspand , or the variant esfand , which meant Peganum harmala , also called Syrian rue, although it is not actually a variety of rue , another famously bitter herb. That Artemisia absinthium was commonly burned as a protective offering may suggest that its origins lie in

828-464: A few drops of the oil of aniseed added." Adding to absinthe's negative reputation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, unscrupulous makers of the drink omitted the traditional colouring phase of production in favour of adding toxic copper salts to artificially induce a green tint. This practice may be responsible for some of the alleged toxicity historically associated with this beverage. Many modern-day producers resort to other shortcuts, including

920-569: A hands-free drip, patrons could socialise while louching a glass. Although many bars served absinthe in standard glassware, a number of glasses were specifically designed for the French absinthe preparation ritual. Absinthe glasses were typically fashioned with a dose line, bulge, or bubble in the lower portion denoting how much absinthe should be poured. One "dose" of absinthe ranged anywhere around 2–2.5 fluid ounces (60–75 ml). In addition to being prepared with sugar and water, absinthe emerged as

1012-413: A harsh substance that bears little resemblance to the genuine article, and are considered inauthentic by any practical standard. Some concoctions may even be dangerous, especially if they call for a potentially poisonous inclusion of herbs, oils, or extracts. In at least one documented case, a person suffered acute kidney injury after drinking 10 ml of pure wormwood oil. In baking and in preparing

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1104-517: A high level of alcohol by volume, but it is normally diluted with water before being consumed. Absinthe was created in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland in the late 18th century by the French physician Pierre Ordinaire. It rose to great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. The consumption of absinthe

1196-455: A highly alcoholic spirit, it is 45–74% ABV or 90–148 proof in the US. Absinthe traditionally has a natural green color but may also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as la fée verte ' the green fairy ' . While sometimes casually referred to as a liqueur , absinthe is not traditionally bottled with sugar or sweeteners. Absinthe is traditionally bottled at

1288-407: A lot of wine and brandy before the killings, but that was overlooked or ignored, and blame for the murders was placed solely on his consumption of two glasses of absinthe. The Lanfray murders were the tipping point in this hotly debated topic, and a subsequent petition collected more than 82,000 signatures to ban it in Switzerland. A referendum was held on 5 July 1908. It was approved by voters, and

1380-403: A modern gimmick, as it can destroy the absinthe flavour and present a fire hazard due to the unusually high alcohol content present in absinthe. In 19th century Parisian cafés, upon receiving an order for an absinthe, a waiter would present the patron with a dose of absinthe in a suitable glass, sugar, absinthe spoon, and a carafe of iced water. It was up to the patron to prepare the drink, as

1472-399: A modern resurgence in its popularity. It began to reappear during a revival in the 1990s in countries where it was never banned. Forms of absinthe available during that time consisted almost exclusively of Czech, Spanish, and Portuguese brands that were of recent origin, typically consisting of Bohemian-style products. Connoisseurs considered these of inferior quality and not representative of

1564-533: A perfuming of herbal aromas and flavours that "blossom" or "bloom," and brings out subtleties that are otherwise muted within the neat spirit. This reflects what is perhaps the oldest and purest method of preparation, and is often referred to as the French Method . The Bohemian method is a recent invention that involves fire, and was not performed during absinthe's peak of popularity in the Belle Époque . Like

1656-628: A popular cocktail ingredient in both the United Kingdom and the United States. By 1930, dozens of fancy cocktails that called for absinthe had been published in numerous credible bartender guides. One of the most famous of these libations is Ernest Hemingway 's " Death in the Afternoon " cocktail, a tongue-in-cheek concoction that contributed to a 1935 collection of celebrity recipes. The directions are: "Pour one jigger absinthe into

1748-680: A rum-runner go in order to assist a sinking vessel or handle another emergency. Prohibitive alcohol laws in Finland (total ban of alcohol from 1919 to 1931), Norway (liquor above 20 per cent abv 1917–1927) and the Swedish Bratt System which heavily restricted the sale of alcohol made these three countries attractive for alcohol smuggling from abroad. The main product used for smuggling were rectified spirits produced in Central Europe (Germany, Poland, Netherlands etc.). Alcohol

1840-487: A rum-running captain could make several hundred thousand dollars a year. In comparison, the Commandant of the Coast Guard made just $ 6,000 annually, and seamen made $ 30/week. Because of this disparity, the rum-runners were generally willing to take bigger risks. They ran without lights at night and in fog, risking life and limb. Shores could sometimes be found littered with bottles from a rum-runner who sank after hitting

1932-483: A scientific paper suggested that thujone 's structural similarity to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active chemical in cannabis , presented the possibility of THC receptor affinity. Counterevidence to this was published in 1999. The debate over whether absinthe produces effects on the human mind in addition to those of alcohol has not been resolved conclusively. The effects of absinthe have been described by some as mind opening. The most commonly reported experience

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2024-454: A screen of smoke was needed to escape the revenue ships. On the government's side, the rum chasers were an assortment of patrol boats , inshore patrol, and harbor cutters. Most of the patrol boats were of the "six-bit" variety: 75-foot craft with a top speed of about 12 knots. There was also an assortment of launches, harbor tugs, and miscellaneous small craft. The rum-runners were often faster and more maneuverable than government ships, and

2116-613: A second distillery in Pontarlier , France, under the company name Maison Pernod Fils . Pernod Fils remained one of the most popular brands of absinthe until the drink was banned in France in 1914. Absinthe's popularity grew steadily through the 1840s, when it was given to French troops in Algeria as a malaria preventive, and the troops brought home their taste for it. Absinthe became so popular in bars, bistros, cafés, and cabarets by

2208-461: Is credited with the idea of bringing large boats just to the edge of the 3-mile (4.8 km) limit of U.S. jurisdiction and selling his wares there to "contact boats", local fishermen, and small boat captains. The small, quick boats could more easily outrun Coast Guard ships and could dock in any small river or eddy and transfer their cargo to a waiting truck. They were also known to load float planes and flying boats. Soon others were following suit, and

2300-463: Is regarded as inferior for the same reasons that give cause for cheaply compounded gin to be legally differentiated from distilled gin. The cold mixing process involves the simple blending of flavouring essences and artificial colouring in commercial alcohol, in similar fashion to most flavoured vodkas and inexpensive liqueurs and cordials. Some modern cold-mixed absinthes have been bottled at strengths approaching 90% ABV. Others are presented simply as

2392-624: Is traditionally prepared from a distillation of neutral alcohol, various herbs, spices, and water. Traditional absinthes were redistilled from a white grape spirit (or eau de vie ), while lesser absinthes were more commonly made from alcohol from grains, beets, or potatoes. The principal botanicals are grande wormwood , green anise , and florence fennel , which are often called "the holy trinity". Many other herbs may be used as well, such as petite wormwood ( Artemisia pontica or Roman wormwood), hyssop , melissa , star anise , angelica , peppermint , coriander , and veronica . One early recipe

2484-706: The Bahamas to Galveston, Texas , the Louisiana swamps, and Alabama coast. By far the biggest Rum Row was in the New York/Philadelphia area off the New Jersey coast, where as many as 60 ships were seen at one time. One of the most notable New Jersey rum runners was Habana Joe , who could be seen at night running into remote areas in Raritan Bay with his flat-bottom skiff for running up on

2576-516: The Old West and Canada West or local prohibitions like the one on Prince Edward Island between 1901 and 1948. Industrial-scale smuggling flowed both ways across the Canada–United States border at different points in the early twentieth century, largely between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan . Although Canada never had true nationwide prohibition, the federal government gave

2668-502: The Reo II . Specialized high-speed craft were built for the ship-to-shore runs. These high-speed boats were often luxury yachts and speedboats fitted with powerful aircraft engines, machine guns, and armor plating. Often, builders of rum-runners' ships also supplied Coast Guard vessels, such as Fred and Mirto Scopinich's Freeport Point Shipyard . Rum-runners often kept cans of used engine oil handy to pour on hot exhaust manifolds in case

2760-706: The Saint Lawrence Seaway and down the west coast to San Francisco and Los Angeles . Rum-running from Canada was also an issue, especially throughout prohibition in the early 1900s. There was a high number of distilleries in Canada, one of the most famous being Hiram Walker who developed Canadian Club Whisky . The French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon , located south of Newfoundland, were an important base used by well-known smugglers, including Al Capone , Savannah Unknown, and Bill McCoy. The Gulf of Mexico also teemed with ships running from Mexico and

2852-683: The Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933. At first, there was much action on the seas, but after several months, the Coast Guard began reporting decreased smuggling activity. This was the start of the Bimini–;Bahamas rum trade and the introduction of Bill McCoy . With the start of prohibition, Captain McCoy began bringing rum from Bimini and the rest of the Bahamas into south Florida through Government Cut . The Coast Guard soon caught up with him, so he began to bring

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2944-642: The chlorophyll gradually becomes oxidized, which has the effect of gradually changing the color from green to yellow green, and eventually to brown. The colour of absinthe that has completed this transition was historically referred to as feuille morte ("dead leaf"). In the pre-ban era, this natural phenomenon was favourably viewed, for it confirmed the product in question was coloured naturally, and not artificially with potentially toxic chemicals. Predictably, vintage absinthes often emerge from sealed bottles as distinctly amber in tint due to decades of slow oxidation. Though this colour change presents no adverse impact to

3036-521: The 1860s that the hour of 5 pm was called l'heure verte ' the green hour ' . It was favoured by all social classes, from the wealthy bourgeoisie to poor artists and ordinary working-class people. By the 1880s, mass production had caused the price to drop sharply, and the French were drinking 36 million litres (9,500,000 US gal) per year by 1910, compared to their annual consumption of almost 5 billion litres (1.1 × 10  imp gal; 1.3 × 10  US gal) of wine. Absinthe

3128-682: The 1940s and almost vanished into obscurity. Catalonia has seen significant resurgence since 2007, when one producer established operations there. Absinthe has never been illegal to import or manufacture in Australia, although importation requires a permit under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulation 1956 due to a restriction on importing any product containing "oil of wormwood". In 2000, an amendment made all wormwood species prohibited herbs for food purposes under Food Standard 1.4.4. Prohibited and Restricted Plants and Fungi. However, this amendment

3220-530: The 1990s, following the adoption of modern European Union food and beverage laws that removed long-standing barriers to its production and sale. By the early 21st century, nearly 200 brands of absinthe were being produced in a dozen countries, most notably in France, Switzerland, Austria , Germany , the Netherlands, Spain , and the Czech Republic . The French word absinthe can refer either to

3312-515: The 19th-century spirit. In 2000, La Fée Absinthe became the first commercial absinthe distilled and bottled in France since the 1914 ban, but it is now one of dozens of brands that are produced and sold within France. In the Netherlands, the restrictions were challenged by Amsterdam wineseller Menno Boorsma in July 2004, thus confirming the legality of absinthe once again. Similarly, Belgium lifted its long-standing ban on January 1, 2005, citing

3404-533: The Bohemian method involves allowing the fire to extinguish on its own. This variant is sometimes referred to as "cooking the absinthe" or "the flaming green fairy". The origin of this burning ritual may borrow from a coffee and brandy drink that was served at Café Brûlot, in which a sugar cube soaked in brandy was set aflame. Most experienced absintheurs do not recommend the Bohemian Method and consider it

3496-477: The French brand Lucid became the first genuine absinthe to receive a Certificate of Label Approval for import into the United States since 1912, following independent efforts by representatives from Lucid and Kübler to overturn the long-standing U.S. ban . In December 2007, St. George Absinthe Verte produced by St. George Spirits of Alameda, California became the first brand of American-made absinthe produced in

3588-406: The French method, a sugar cube is placed on a slotted spoon over a glass containing one shot of absinthe. The sugar is soaked in alcohol (usually more absinthe), then set ablaze. The flaming sugar cube is then dropped into the glass, thus igniting the absinthe. Finally, a shot glass of water is added to douse the flames. This method tends to produce a stronger drink than the French method. A variant of

3680-798: The Suppression of the Contraband Traffic in Alcoholic Liquors of 1925), the smugglers managed to bypass anti-smuggling laws, e.g., through the use of flags of convenience . Absinthe Absinthe ( / ˈ æ b s ɪ n θ , - s æ̃ θ / , French: [apsɛ̃t] ) is an anise -flavored spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise , sweet fennel , and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Historically described as

3772-741: The United States since the ban. Since that time, other micro-distilleries have started producing small batches in the United States. The French Absinthe Ban of 1915 was repealed in May 2011 following petitions by the Fédération Française des Spiritueux , which represents French distillers, and the French Senate voted to repeal the prohibition in April 2011. In Switzerland, the village of Môtiers , Val-de-Travers , near Neuchâtel , became

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3864-619: The United States. Again, this illegal international trade undermined the support for prohibition in the receiving country, and the American version ended (at the national level) in 1933. One of the most famous periods of rum-running began in the United States when Prohibition began on January 16, 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect. This period lasted until the amendment was repealed with ratification of

3956-406: The absinthe. The final preparation contains 1 part absinthe and 3–5 parts water. As water dilutes the spirit, those components with poor water solubility (mainly those from anise , fennel , and star anise ) come out of solution and cloud the drink . The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche (Fr. opaque or shady , IPA [luʃ]). The release of these dissolved essences coincides with

4048-514: The alcoholic beverage, or less commonly, to the actual wormwood plant. Absinthe is derived from the Latin absinthium , which in turn comes from the Greek ἀψίνθιον apsínthion ' wormwood ' . The use of Artemisia absinthium in a drink is attested in Lucretius ' De Rerum Natura (936–950) , where Lucretius indicates that a drink containing wormwood is given as medicine to children in

4140-531: The ancient Greeks. Moreover, some evidence exists of a wormwood-flavoured wine in ancient Greece called absinthites oinos . The first evidence of absinthe, in the sense of a distilled spirit containing green anise and fennel, dates to the 18th century. According to popular legend, it began as an all-purpose patent remedy created by Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor living in Couvet , Switzerland, around 1792 (the exact date varies by account). Ordinaire's recipe

4232-418: The beach, making his delivery, and speeding away. With that much competition, the suppliers often flew large banners advertising their wares and threw parties with prostitutes on board their ships to draw customers. Rum Row was completely lawless, and many crews armed themselves not against government ships but against the other rum-runners, who would sometimes sink a ship and hijack its cargo rather than make

4324-486: The bottle, creating an irreversible precipitate, and adversely impacting the original flavour. Absinthe has been frequently described in modern times as being hallucinogenic , a claim refuted by modern science. The belief that absinthe induces hallucinogenic effects is rooted, at least partly, in the findings of 19th century French psychiatrist Valentin Magnan , who carried out ten years of experiments with wormwood oil. In

4416-638: The care of the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society. In 1984 Reo II was deemed unfit for repair, and was scuttled off Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1985. Reo II was designed specifically with rum running in mind. The ship was built with a low silhouette and was painted grey in order to avoid detection from the United States Coast Guard and Canadian coastal patrols. The ship was built in Meteghan , Nova Scotia ,

4508-409: The classic New Orleans-style Sazerac cocktail , anise-flavored liqueurs and pastis have often been used as a substitute if absinthe is unavailable. The traditional French preparation involves placing a sugar cube on top of a specially designed slotted spoon, and placing the spoon on a glass filled with a measure of absinthe. Iced water is poured or dripped over the sugar cube to mix the water into

4600-400: The coloring process, the resulting product is diluted with water to the desired percentage of alcohol. The flavor of absinthe is said to improve materially with storage, and many distilleries, before the ban, aged their absinthe in settling tanks before bottling. Many modern absinthes are produced using a cold-mix process. This inexpensive method of production does not involve distillation, and

4692-411: The course of this research, he studied 250 cases of alcoholism and concluded that those who abused absinthe were worse off than those who abused other alcoholic drinks, experiencing rapid-onset hallucinations. Such accounts by opponents of absinthe (like Magnan) were cheerfully embraced by famous absinthe drinkers, many of whom were bohemian artists or writers. Two famous artists who helped popularise

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4784-517: The demand for moonshine was at an all-time high in the 1920s, but an era of rampant bootlegging in dry areas continued into the 1970s. Although the well-known bootleggers of the day may no longer be in business, bootlegging still exists, even if on a smaller scale. The state of Virginia has reported that it loses up to $ 20 million a year from illegal whiskey smuggling. The Government of the United Kingdom fails to collect an estimated £900 million in taxes due to alcohol smuggling activities. Absinthe

4876-427: The distillate. Chlorophyll from these herbs is extracted in the process, giving the drink its famous green color. This step also provides a herbal complexity that is typical of high-quality absinthe. The natural coloring process is considered critical for absinthe ageing, since the chlorophyll remains chemically active. The chlorophyll serves a similar role in absinthe that tannins do in wine or brown liquors. After

4968-471: The final e ) is a spelling variant most commonly applied to absinthes produced in central and eastern Europe, and is specifically associated with Bohemian-style absinthes . The precise origin of absinthe is unclear. The medical use of wormwood dates back to ancient Egypt and is mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus , around 1550 BC. Wormwood extracts and wine-soaked wormwood leaves were used as remedies by

5060-650: The fish pens below to accommodate as much contraband as she could hold. She became one of the most famous of the rum-runners, along with his two other ships hauling mostly Irish and Canadian whiskey as well as other fine liquors and wines to ports from Maine to Florida . In the days of rum running, it was common for captains to add water to the bottles to stretch their profits or to re-label it as better goods. Often, cheap sparkling wine would become French champagne or Italian Spumante ; unbranded liquor became top-of-the-line name brands. McCoy became famous for never adding water to his booze and selling only top brands. Although

5152-401: The flavour of absinthe, it is generally desired to preserve the original colour, which requires that naturally coloured absinthe be bottled in dark, light resistant bottles. Absinthe intended for decades of storage should be kept in a cool ( room temperature ), dry place, away from light and heat. Absinthe should not be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, as the anethole may polymerise inside

5244-496: The focal point of production and promotion of the liquor after a ban of nearly 100 years was lifted. The national Maison de l'Absinthe (Absinthe Museum) is located in the former courthouse, where absinthe distillers were formerly proscecuted. The 21st century has seen new types of absinthe, including various frozen preparations, which have become increasingly popular. Most countries have no legal definition for absinthe, whereas

5336-400: The former is generally considered far superior in quality to the latter, an absinthe's simple claim of being 'distilled' makes no guarantee as to the quality of its base ingredients or the skill of its maker. Absinthe that is artificially coloured or clear is aesthetically stable, and can be bottled in clear glass. If naturally colored absinthe is exposed to light or air for a prolonged period,

5428-461: The future of the country. Edgar Degas 's 1876 painting L'Absinthe can be seen at the Musée d'Orsay epitomising the popular view of absinthe addicts as sodden and benumbed, and Émile Zola described its effects in his novel L'Assommoir . In 1905, Swiss farmer Jean Lanfray murdered his family and attempted to kill himself after drinking absinthe. Lanfray was an alcoholic who had drunk

5520-404: The illegal goods to just outside U.S. territorial waters and let smaller boats and other captains, such as Habana Joe, take the risk of bringing it to shore. The rum-running business was very good, and McCoy soon bought a Gloucester knockabout schooner named Arethusa at auction and renamed her Tomoka . He installed a larger auxiliary, mounted a concealed machine gun on her deck, and refitted

5612-401: The inclusion or omission of sugar was strictly an individual preference, as was the amount of water used. As the popularity of the drink increased, additional accoutrements of preparation appeared, including the absinthe fountain , which was effectively a large jar of iced water with spigots , mounted on a lamp base. This let drinkers prepare a number of drinks at once – and with

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5704-422: The method of production and content of spirits such as whisky , brandy , and gin are globally defined and regulated. Therefore, producers are at liberty to label a product as "absinthe" or "absinth" without regard to any specific legal definition or quality standards. Producers of legitimate absinthes employ one of two historically defined processes to create the finished spirit – distillation or cold mixing. In

5796-403: The notion that absinthe had powerful psychoactive properties were Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent van Gogh . In one of the best-known written accounts of absinthe drinking, an inebriated Oscar Wilde described a phantom sensation of having tulips brush against his legs after leaving a bar at closing time. Notions of absinthe's alleged hallucinogenic properties were again fuelled in the 1970s, when

5888-473: The phrase appears in print in 1882, this is one of several false etymologies for the origin of the term " The real McCoy ". On November 15, 1923, McCoy and Tomoka encountered the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca just outside U.S. territorial waters. A boarding party attempted to board , but McCoy chased them off with the machine gun. Tomoka tried to run, but Seneca placed a shell just off her hull, and William McCoy surrendered his ship and cargo. McCoy

5980-657: The popularity of pastis , and to a lesser extent, ouzo , and other anise-flavoured spirits that do not contain wormwood. Following the conclusion of the First World War, production of the Pernod Fils brand was resumed at the Banus distillery in Catalonia , Spain (where absinthe was still legal), but gradually declining sales saw the cessation of production in the 1960s. In Switzerland, the ban served only to drive

6072-564: The production of absinthe underground. Clandestine home distillers produced colourless absinthe ( la Bleue ), which was easier to conceal from the authorities. Many countries never banned absinthe, notably the United Kingdom, where it had never been as popular as in continental Europe. British importer BBH Spirits began to import Hill's Absinth from the Czech Republic in the 1990s, as the UK had never formally banned it, and this sparked

6164-568: The prohibition of absinthe was written into the Swiss constitution. In 1906, Belgium and Brazil banned the sale and distribution of absinthe, although these were not the first countries to take such action. It had been banned as early as 1898 in the colony of the Congo Free State . The Netherlands banned it in 1909, Switzerland in 1910, the United States in 1912, and France in 1914. The prohibition of absinthe in France eventually led to

6256-542: The provinces an easy means to ban alcohol under the War Measures Act (1914), and most provinces and the Yukon Territory already had enacted prohibition locally by 1918 when a regulation issued by the federal cabinet banned the interprovincial trade and importation of liquor. National prohibition in the United States did not begin until 1920, though many states had statewide prohibition before that. For

6348-476: The reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language root * spend , meaning "to perform a ritual" or "make an offering". Whether the word was a borrowing from Persian into Greek, or from a common ancestor of both, is unclear. Alternatively, the Greek word may originate in a pre-Greek substrate word, marked by the non-Indo-European consonant complex -νθ -nth . Alternative spellings for absinthe include absinth , absynthe , and absenta . Absinth (without

6440-689: The run to Canada or the Caribbean for fresh supplies. At the start, the rum-runner fleet consisted of a ragtag flotilla of fishing boats, such as the schooner Nellie J. Banks , excursion boats, and small merchant craft. As prohibition wore on, the stakes got higher and the ships became larger and more specialized. Converted fishing ships like McCoy's Tomoka waited on Rum Row and were soon joined by small motor freighters custom-built in Nova Scotia for rum running, with low, grey hulls, hidden compartments, and powerful wireless equipment. Examples include

6532-582: The ship was scuttled at an explosive dumping ground. The wheelhouse was kept as a static monument on the dock outside the Lunenburg Marine Museum. Rum-running Smuggling usually takes place to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. In the United States, the smuggling of alcohol did not end with the repeal of prohibition. In the Appalachian United States , for example,

6624-446: The sole country (Switzerland) that does possess a legal definition of absinthe, distillation is the only permitted method of production. Distilled absinthe employs a method of production similar to that of high-quality gin. Botanicals are initially macerated in distilled base alcohol before being redistilled to exclude bitter principles, and impart the desired complexity and texture to the spirit. The distillation of absinthe first yields

6716-623: The term absinthism . The chemical compound thujone , which is present in the spirit in trace amounts, was blamed for its alleged harmful effects. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States and in much of Europe, including France , the Netherlands , Belgium , Switzerland , and Austria-Hungary , yet it has not been demonstrated to be any more dangerous than ordinary spirits. Recent studies have shown that absinthe's psychoactive properties (apart from those attributable to alcohol) have been exaggerated. A revival of absinthe began in

6808-552: The three-mile limit became known as "Rum Line" with the ships waiting called " Rum row ". The Rum Line was extended to a 12-mile (19 km) limit by an act of the United States Congress on April 21, 1924, which made it harder for the smaller and less seaworthy craft to make the trip. Rum Row was not the only front for the Coast Guard. Rum-runners often made the trip through Canada via the Great Lakes and

6900-463: The two-year interval, enough American liquor entered Canada illegally to undermine support for prohibition in Canada, so it was slowly lifted, beginning with Quebec and Yukon in 1919 and including all the provinces but Prince Edward Island by 1930. Additionally, Canada's version of prohibition had never included a ban on the manufacture of liquor for export. Soon the black-market trade was reversed with Canadian whisky and beer flowing in large quantities to

6992-472: The use of artificial food coloring to create the green color. Additionally, at least some cheap absinthes produced before the ban were reportedly adulterated with poisonous antimony trichloride , reputed to enhance the louching effect . Absinthe may also be naturally coloured pink or red using rose or hibiscus flowers. This was referred to as a rose (pink) or rouge (red) absinthe. Only one historical brand of rose absinthe has been documented. Absinthe

7084-476: The vessel was completed in 1931. In Canadian naval service, the ship was measured at 96 feet 1 inch (29.29 m) long, with a beam of 17 ft 5 in (5.31 m) and a draught of 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), had a displacement of 129 tonnes (127 long tons ) and a maximum speed of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph). In Canadian naval service, the ship had a complement of four officers and 32 ratings . During Prohibition , Reo II

7176-412: The western Bahamas transported cheap Caribbean rum to Florida speakeasies . However, rum's cheapness made it a low-profit item for the rum-runners, and they soon moved on to smuggling Canadian whisky , French champagne , and English gin to major cities like New York City , Boston , and Chicago , where prices ran high. It was said that some ships carried $ 200,000 in contraband in a single run. It

7268-488: The word-form "bootlegger" as in use from 1889 onwards. According to the 2011 PBS documentary Prohibition , the term bootlegging was popularized when thousands of city dwellers sold liquor from flasks they kept in their boot legs all across major cities and rural areas. The term rum-running was current by 1916, and was used during the Prohibition era in the United States (1920–1933), when ships from Bimini in

7360-510: Was exported widely from France and Switzerland and attained some degree of popularity in other countries, including Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Czech Republic. It was never banned in Spain or Portugal, and its production and consumption have never ceased. It gained a temporary spike in popularity there during the early 20th century, corresponding with the Art Nouveau and Modernism aesthetic movements. New Orleans has

7452-403: Was found inconsistent with other parts of the pre-existing Food Code, and it was withdrawn in 2002 during the transition between the two codes, thereby continuing to allow absinthe manufacture and importation through the existing permit-based system. These events were erroneously reported by the media as it having been reclassified from a prohibited product to a restricted product. In 2007,

7544-496: Was historically bottled at 45–74% ABV. Some modern Franco–Suisse absinthes are bottled at up to 83% ABV, while some modern, cold-mixed bohemian-style absinthes are bottled at up to 89.9% ABV. The modern-day interest in absinthe has spawned a rash of absinthe kits from sellers claiming they produce homemade absinthe. Kits often call for soaking herbs in vodka or alcohol, or adding a liquid concentrate to vodka or alcohol to create an ersatz absinthe. Such practices usually yield

7636-409: Was included in 1864's The English and Australian Cookery Book . It directed the maker to "Take of the tops of wormwood, four pounds; root of angelica, calamus aromaticus, aniseed, leaves of dittany, of each one ounce; alcohol, four gallons. Macerate these substances during eight days, add a little water, and distil by a gentle fire, until two gallons are obtained. This is reduced to a proof spirit, and

7728-551: Was legally exported on large ships as tax-free produce via ports like Hamburg, Tallinn, Kiel and particularly the Free City of Danzig . Similar to the Rum Row near the U.S. coast, these ships usually did not leave international waters and the alcohol was clandestinely loaded onto smaller boats that illegally brought it into the destination countries. Despite various efforts led by Finland to fight contraband (Helsinki Convention for

7820-416: Was not long after the first taxes were implemented on alcoholic beverages that someone began to smuggle alcohol . The British government had "revenue cutters " in place to stop smugglers as early as the 16th century. Pirates often made extra money running rum to heavily taxed colonies . There were times when the sale of alcohol was limited for other reasons, such as laws against sales to American Indians in

7912-497: Was opposed by social conservatives and prohibitionists, partly due to its association with bohemian culture. From Europe and the Americas, notable absinthe drinkers included Ernest Hemingway , James Joyce , Lewis Carroll , Charles Baudelaire , Paul Verlaine , Arthur Rimbaud , and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec . Absinthe has often been portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen , which gave birth to

8004-590: Was passed on to the Henriod sisters of Couvet, who sold it as a medicinal elixir. By other accounts, the Henriod sisters may have been making the elixir before Ordinaire's arrival. In either case, a certain Major Dubied acquired the formula from the sisters in 1797 and opened the first absinthe distillery named Dubied Père et Fils in Couvet with his son Marcellin and son-in-law Henry-Louis Pernod. In 1805, they built

8096-523: Was smuggled into the United States until it was legalized in 2007. Cuban rum is also sometimes smuggled into the United States, circumventing the embargo in existence since 1960. It is believed that the term bootlegging originated during the American Civil War of 1861–1865, when soldiers would sneak liquor into army camps by concealing pint bottles within their boots or beneath their trouser legs. The Oxford English Dictionary records

8188-413: Was spurred by fabricated claims and smear campaigns, which he claims were orchestrated by the temperance movement and the wine industry. One critic claimed: Absinthe makes you crazy and criminal, provokes epilepsy and tuberculosis, and has killed thousands of French people. It makes a ferocious beast of man, a martyr of woman, and a degenerate of the infant, it disorganizes and ruins the family and menaces

8280-612: Was then sold in 1946. In 1970, Reo II was purchased by the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society, who placed her on display at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg. She remained there until 1984, when marine architects determined that the boat was not fit for repair. Reo II was taken from her mooring at the museum on 24 February 1985, and was towed out to sea roughly 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Halifax where

8372-415: Was used as a coastal freighter . Reo II was chartered by the Royal Canadian Navy on 30 July 1940, but was not commissioned until 23 January 1941. Reo II served the navy mainly as an auxiliary minesweeper at Shelburne, Nova Scotia , but also as an examination vessel and coil skid towing vessel. She ended her naval duties on 19 October 1945, when she was declared surplus and paid off . The ship

8464-665: Was used for five years as a supply vessel for illegal liquor and spirits , also known as rum-running . Under direction of its captain , Aubrey Backman, the ship made countless trips along the North Atlantic Coast. The usual trip saw Reo II leave Nova Scotia for St. Pierre , where she would load up on goods. She then travelled down the United States to various drop off points, and returned to Nova Scotia. Reo II often visited other ports in Nova Scotia, such as Halifax and Lunenburg . After Prohibition ended, Reo II

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