The 10 Trippiest Vintage Absinthe Ads
The list of history’s famous absintheurs reads like a catalog of artistic genius, from the vibrant paintings of Vincent Van Gogh to the legendary short stories of Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway. The green goddess was a vital muse for many of the world’s finest minds, a bewitching stimulant with the purported side effects of vertigo, hallucinations and insanity, of course.
With such a menacing reputation, is it any wonder that absinthe ads eventually displayed the same otherworldly characteristics associated with the spirit itself? No theme was too outrageous for vintage absinthe posters. Many celebrated the free-spirited bohemian side of the long-banned jade liquid—wormwood-induced reveries and all. We ranked some of the trippiest absinthe ads of all time on a scale from one to ten. Let’s get weird.
Absinthe Bourgeois
Trip Factor: 2
Little-known fact: Cats can really hold their liquor. Even if this famous poster didn’t help sell more absinthe, it proved that you can’t leave a thirsty feline alone with a good bottle of booze. That’s what the cat community calls a rookie mistake.
(Photo courtesy Absinthes.com)
Pierrot Absinthe Clown
Trip Factor: 3
Ever wonder how clowns unwind? That mystery is finally put to bed, thanks to this slightly unsettling old-school ad. A glass of absinthe would surely help this fellow forget the embarrassment of acting like a fool all day, sporting around town in ghost-white makeup and an Elizabethan collar for the amusement of others. Pour him a second, garçon: He’s had a hard day.
(Photo courtesy AllPosters)
Tipsy Cherubs
Trip Factor: 6
There’s no way that this fab foursome is of legal drinking age, even with all their years combined. Depicting a slightly more innocent spin on absinthe’s classic green fairy symbol, these naked winged toddlers are downright giddy about that oversized glass. Go home cherubs. You’re drunk.
(Photo courtesy Art-Sci Blog)
Absinthe Pear Man
Trip Factor: 8
You’ve just caught this mustachioed fruit-man mutant in the full throes of the green hour—most likely lamenting his pear-shaped problems over an evening cigar and a glass of the strong stuff. He may be feeling a bit overripe, but kicking back with a few sips of absinthe should soothe any fruit-fly onslaughts. Drink up, pear man.
(Photo courtesy Musee Absinthe)
Absinthe Barth & Cie.
Trip Factor: 5
Glazed eyes? Check. Daffy grin? Check. Slurred speech and wild, roving hand gestures? Check, check. This monocled imbiber is visibly intoxicated and likely two sips away from an embarrassing bout of karaoke at the nearest dive bar. At least he’s well-dressed. If you’re going to drink absinthe, you’d better don your starchiest collar and walking cane—like a gentleman.
(Photo courtesy Absinthes.com)
Absinthe Terminus
Trip Factor: 7
Supposedly, the artist behind this 1892 poster used the likeness of French film actress Sarah Bernhardt as inspiration. Unfortunately for the brand, Sarah did not approve and sued the manufacturer, which resulted in every copy of the image being removed from the walls of Paris. Anecdotes aside, there seems to be a common thread emerging between the green spirit and clowns—they’re basically the absinthe ambassadors of yesteryear.
(Photo courtesy Prints Place)
Triple Vision Van Gogh Absente
Trip Factor: 9
Van Gogh was perhaps the most famous absinthe aficionado of all, and he enjoyed the mystical spirit to such extremes that absinthe is often blamed for his ear incident. That said, the artist had a similar penchant for quaffing unhealthy amounts of oil and turpentine from his paints—so it might be time to let absinthe off the hook for Van Gogh’s mental troubles.
(Photo courtesy a.b. journey blog)
Absinthe Cyclists
Trip Factor: 10
Look out, lady bottles: Your many spirit suitors are lining up to get a glimpse of your bare ankles astride those absinthe-powered bicycles. Is this ad bizarre? Undeniably. But it’s meant to extol the virtues of the manufacturing process behind Absinthe Oxygénée, a spirit that stimulates the nerves to such an extent that even those with the core strength of glass will experience Tour de France–level endurance after a few sips.
(Photo courtesy Musee Absinthe)
The Man in the Goblet
Trip Factor: 10
Yes, this melancholy Frenchman may bear an alarmingly unbalanced noggin in proportion to his tiny frame, and yes, he may be trapped inside a golden goblet, but the man knows how to pour an absinthe. The painting inquires whether he’s in heaven or hell, but surely a mustache of that scale accompanied by a glass of absinthe and a wine chaser tips the scale in favor of heaven. He’s got the essentials covered.
(Photo courtesy Absintheposters.com)
Absinthe Propaganda
Trip Factor: 9
Sinister skeletal figures and deathly creatures frequently accompanied vintage absinthe images, and this morbid depiction certainly skews toward the anti-absinthe angle compared to the previous ads. But why not look at the bright side? That bartender’s clearly got a heavy-handed pour and you’ve picked a prime spot for al fresco imbibing. Things are starting to look up.
(Photo courtesy Art-Sci Blog)
