Many Absinthe aficionados would like to know more details on the drink of the Green Fairy and its history. So, let’s learn
where is the birthplace of Absinthe.
Legend has it that Absinthe was created by Dr Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor in the Swiss Val de Travers town of Couvet. Ordinaire made Absinthe as being an elixir or tonic for his patients and it was believed to have extraordinary outcomes on his patients.
The crucial ingredient of Ordinaire’s elixir was the plant worwmood, artemisia absinthium, a plant titled after the goddess Artemis. Wormwood has been used for thousands of years in medicine so it was obviously a good choice for Ordinaire’s tonic. Wormwood has a chemical known as thujone and it was this chemical substance that caused the banning of Absinthe during the early 1900s. Thujone was claimed to be psychoactive and also to trigger psychedelic effecs like THC in cannabis. We now know that thujone just isn’t like THC and, though it can effect the GABA receptors within the brain, a person needs to ingest considerable amounts of thujone for this to happen and Absinthe only contains very tiny amounts.
Couvet is within the Swiss canton of Neuchatel inside the Val de Travers region. It is actually famous for being the birth place of Absinthe as well as for being the home of the distillery of bootleg Absinthe distiller and also artisan, Claude-Alain Bugnon. Bugnon was presented with an Absinthe recipe by a friend that his aunt, distiller Charlotte Vaucher, has been using since 1935. Bugnon chose to utilize the recipe to distill his personal bootleg clandestine Absinthe during the Absinthe ban. He was the first Absinthe distiller to inquire about the Swiss government to get a license to distill Absinthe in 2004. In March 2005, the Absinthe ban was removed and Bugnon can legally distill his Absinthes as well as La Clandestine was put on sale.
Bugnon’s distillery “C A Bugnon Artemisia Distillerie Artisanale” now distills his excellent range of Absinthes using the best traditional Absinthe herbs and also alpine plants. His assortment includes:-
La Clandestine Originale РThis was the initial Absinthe to be distilled by the Artemisia distillery in 2005. It is actually created from 10 various herbs, such as wormwood and anise (or anis̩) and is a winner of a gold medal during the Concours Nationale des Spiritueux Suisses. La Clandestine is 53% abv or 106 proof. La Clandestine is really a classic Swiss La Bleue (clear) Absinthe.
La Clandestine together with wine alcohol base – This is just similar to La Clandestine but is manufactured using wine alcohol which was used by Pernod in the 19th century but is not a conventional base for Swiss clandestine Absinthes. Bugnon describes this Absinthe as giving a “roundness inside the mouth”.
La Capricieuse – This Absinthe is a tougher Absinthe having a higher alcohol content (72% abv, 144 proof). It is in accordance with the recipe for La Clandestine but with a larger alcohol content.
Recette Marianne – Bugnon developed this absinthe since he wanted to take part in the Absinthiades in Pontarlier, France. France continue to have stringent rules regulating Absinthe – Absinthe drinks cannot be labeled Absinthe as well as complying to EU regulation concerning thujone, they also have to possess low fenchone levels. Fenchone is definitely the chemical present in fennel, a classic Absinthe ingredient. Bugnon developed this low fenchone Absinthe particularly for the French market plus it won the Golden Spoon award at the Absinthiades in 2005, 2006 and 2007. It has an abv of 55% (110 proof).
Angelique Verte Suisse – This is a classic Swiss verte, or green, style Absinthe and is manufactured using 12 herbs which includes wormwood and angelica. It has got an abv of 72% (144 proof) and was released by Bugnon in 2007.
Bugnon’s Absinthes are available to buy on some websites including his own absinthe-suisse.com.
You can create your personal Swiss style La Bleue by using the Absinthe Clear essence via AbsintheKit.com. This essence may be ordered online for $3.95 for 20ml that produces one 750ml bottle of Absinthe or as part of a kit to make 14 bottle of Absinthe for $29. AbsintheKit’s essences are made by distilling natural Absinthe herbs and you just have to mix the essence with vodka or everclear to manufacture a real wormwood Absinthe.
So, where is the birthplace of Absinthe? Couvet is definitely the birthplace of Absinthe as well as being the location of some terrific modern day Absinthes.