I Made It Up.
(And just for the record, there is
no such thing as normorephedrine.)
THIS FROM WIKIPEDIA: Absinthe is an anise-flavoured* spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium (a.k.a. “grand wormwood”), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Absinthe traditionally has a natural green colour but may also be colourless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as “la fée verte” (the green fairy).
It arose to great popularity in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. Owing in part to its association with bohemian culture, the consumption of absinthe was opposed by social conservatives and prohibitionists. Ernest Hemingway, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, Vincent van Gogh and Oscar Wilde were all known absinthe drinkers.
*Anise is a flowering plant native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor has some similarities with liquorice, fennel, and tarragon.