Absinthe's popularity grew slowly. In the 1840s absinthe was given to French soldiers as a malaria treatment. When the troops returned home, they started to drink absinthe with water. It became popular at bars and bistros. After the 1860s absinthe had become so popular that it was for sale in most cafés and cabarets. By the 1880s the price had dropped a lot, the market got bigger, and absinthe soon became "the" drink of France. By 1910 the French were drinking 36 million litres of absinthe per year. 