As if absinthe didn’t have enough going against it, there exists the incredibly ancient—and extraordinarily dark—history and lore of wormwood working against the drink when it came to popularity.  In spite of the fact wormwood had been used for medicinal purposes as far back as ancient Egypt, the word “absinthe” is most likely derived from the Greek word apsinthion ("undrinkable”) which, in turn, is a Biblical reference.

In Revelation 8:10-11, “Wormwood” is the name of  a falling star.  When the end of the world comes, seven trumpets will sound and bring seven horrors onto the world.  At the sound of the third trumpet, Wormwood will crash into the Earth and turn a third of the world’s water supplies bitter, poisonous, and undrinkable, killing off a huge part of the population.

Well…phooey.  I guess we're going to need a bigger sugar cube.