Absinth is a very strong, bitter, usually green alcoholic drink, flavoured with anise and with wormwood, a plant that tastes sharp and medicinal. People sip it slowly, often with water and sugar, because it is so strong and so bitter on its own. Though actually, the spelling you will see far more often is absinthe, with an e at the end; absinth is the same drink, just a less common way to write the word, and older books sometimes use it for the wormwood plant as well. In the 1800s it was famous among artists in France, and for a long time many countries banned it because they believed it could make people unwell or see things that were not there. Today you can buy it again in many places, often as a curiosity. It is not everyday tea-break English; it names that one drink.

苦艾酒