Clandestine Absinthe is bootleg Absinthe that has been distributed over the Black Market during Absinthe prohibition.
Absinthe was prohibited and made illegal in France, Switzerland and plenty of other countries in th early 1900s after becoming a popular liquor since its creation on the turn of the 19th century.
Absinthe have been especially popular with the Bohemian art set in the Montmartre area of Paris. Artists and writers such as Van Gogh, Gauguin, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway were all enthusiasts of the Green Fairy, as Absinthe is typically known.
Anti-alcohol campaigners started to paint a negative picture of Absinthe throughout the late 19th century and early twentieth century, blaming it for France’s growing troubles with alcoholism and proclaiming that the substance thujone (from wormwood) was psychoactive and was having psychedelic consequences. Many asserted that if Absinthe isn’t banned then France will be a nation of mad, insane people. Absinthe was even blamed for an alcoholic murdering his family despite the fact that he had been drinking other spirits right after the Absinthe. Absinthe was restricted and prohibition began.
Clandestine Absinthe in Switzerland
During prohibition, there was obviously still a market for Absinthe and in Switzerland bootleg distillers still created and sold Absinthe. Switzerland was home to Absinthe. It is actually claimed that Absinthe was created by a doctor, Pierre Ordinaire, as a tonic for his patients in 1789 in the Swiss town of Couvet within the Val de Travers, the Swiss Jura. Soon enough, Couvet had become the Swiss capital of Absinthe production and was obviously badly affected by prohibition. One distiller, Claude-Alain Bugnon, is considered to have persisted distilling Absinthe and distilled it with a recipe of another bootleg distiller Charlotte Vaucher. The Val de Travers was well known for its fantastic bootleg Absinthe.
Absinthe was legalized in several countries in the 1990s but legalization in Switzerland didn’t take place until 2005. Claude-Alain Bugnon immediately sent applications for a license to market Absinthe and was the first distiller to be awarded a license for Absinthe creation in Switzerland.
Claude-Alain Bugnon’s organization, Artemisia-Bugnon distilleries now produce various sorts of Absinthe:-
– The well-known La Clandestine Originale – This Absinthe is an excellent premium La Bleue, 53% ABV (alcohol by volume). It’s actually a clear Absinthe in a blue bottle and several people point out that it got its name from the blue reflections noticed once the Absinthe louches.
– La Capricieuse – This Absinthe was created to satisfy the flavour for pre-prohibition stronger Absinthe and it has an ABV of 72%.
– Recette Marianne – This Absinthe was manufactured to be sold to the French market which has strict Fenchone regulations and doesn’t allow bottles labeled Absinthe to be marketed. Fenchone is the essential oil of fennel and it is regarded as psychoactive. This liquor is 55% ABV and won the exclusive Golden Spoon Award in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
– La Clandestine Originale Alcool du Vin – A distillation of La Clandestine Originale utilizing a wine base.
– Angelique Verte Suisse – Produced for those who want their Absinthe to be a little more bitter and to have the traditional green color. The stunning label on this bottle is just like antique labels depicting the Green Fairy.
The Artemisia-Bugnon uses herbs grown in the region like grande and petite Artemisia Absinthium (wormwood), hyssop and lemon balm to flavor its anise flavored liquor. No synthetic colors or additives are utilized and many talk about the Absinthes using a “bouquet” of Alpine meadows, of honey and flowers.
The Clandestine Absinthe of the Artemisia-Bugnon distillery can be obtained to buy on their internet store but if you intend to try your hand at generating your individual Absinthe containing wormwood then you can make use of the essences from AbsintheKit.com to make your individual premium Absinthe.