Swiss Absinthe

Where was absinthe invented? Switzerland is where it all began.

Swiss absinthe is all high quality, and the country has a legal definition of absinthe. The most common Swiss absinthe, known as "La Bleue", is clear. That Swiss absinthe tends to be white is not at all down to chance, but for a very good and surprising reason: That is - absinthe was banned, and the people in the Val de Travers, the centre of the absinthe world, refused to give up their absinthe and started distilling it illegally at home. Clear liquid was easier to disguise than green... Read on for more.

Absinthe in Switzerland during the Belle Epoque



Absinthe originally comes from Switzerland. As of the XVIIIth century in Couvet, Switzerland, Henriette Henriod, know as the "Mère Henriod", started producing an absinthe elixir used against number of diseases.

The popularity of this drink grew rapidly. Having noticed that, major Dubied bought the recipe and partnered with his son-in-law Henri-Louis Pernod with who he opened the company "Dubied Père & Fils in 1798". When he saw the business was working well, Henri-Louis Pernod decided to open a company of his own. He created his first distillery in Couvet, but when it became too small for him he crossed the border line and opened the first French distillery: the Pernod Fils company. By doing that, Pernod forged an inextricable link between his name and absinthe forever.

Absinthe was then a victim of its own success. Various incidents convinced the lawmakers that absinthe was dangerous enough to be forbidden, and on October the 7th 1910, absinthe was banned in Switzerland (following the lead of Belgium, Brazil and the Netherlands).

Soon after that, the air of the countryside was filled with a smell of burnt tires. The clandestine distillers had found a good way of hiding the characteristic smell of the cooking of absinthe. That is why between its ban and its re-legalisation (2005), absinthe never stopped existing in Switzerland!

Absinthe in Switzerland nowadays



On March the 1st 2005, absinthe was finally legal again in Switzerland, after 95 years of clandestine production and an untold number of bottles sold under the table.

Since then, quite a few former clandestine distillers and their relatives have started distilling legally, including Gaudentia Persoz, Claude-Alain Bugnon, and Philippe Martin of La Valote.

The fact that Swiss absinthe is doing so well proves that its quality is recognized and appreciated. The credit goes to the Val-de-Travers, cradle of birth of this delicious beverage.

Swiss absinthe is among the Absinthes.com team's favourites!
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10 items,

Three of the most fascinating and delicious absinthes from the Artémisia Bugnon...

The Artemisia Bugnon AbsinthExplore Set offers you three of Switzerland's finest, most famous absinthes: La Clandestine, Angélique Verte Suisse and the Absinthe Butterfly.The distillery started off as a genuinely clandesti ...

£32
In stock

In the Gaudentia Persoz AbsinthExplore Set, you can find three of renowned disti...

When Gaudentia Persoz and her husband moved into their house in Couvet, Switzerland, they found an old, small still in the cellar, along with an absinthe recipe from 1898. This set her off on her journey to becoming one of Switzerland's finest absinthe distillers, whic ...

£32
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A set containing 3 x 20cl of the best absinthes from Artémisia Bugnon and an Abs...

Discover those three absinthes that are as brilliant and they're different from one another. Claude-Alain Bugnon really knows what he is doing! This set comes with a nice wooden box and a Boheme absinthe spoon.

 £116/Liter  £69.50
In stock

A gift set with three bottles of fine Swiss absinthe from the La Valote Martin d...

A wooden box with sliding lid contains 3 bottles of the finest absinthe, produced by Philippe Martin. The set is composed of the following 3 Swiss absinthes (10cl each): - Absinthe La Valote Martin - Belle Epoque - Absinthe La ...

 £151.50/Liter  £45.50
In stock

With this set you get a bottle of Absinthe des Poètes and Absinthe des Poètes Ve...

With this set you get a bottle of Absinthe des Poètes and Absinthe des Poètes Verte, produced by Christophe Racine in the Val-de-Travers in Switzerland.

 £84.50/Liter  £118.50
In stock

Set Green Velvet - 1.4L

Switzerland
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A set of two Swiss Premium-Absinthes: Green Velvet - Absinthe Originale

 £114.50/Liter  £160
Out of stock

A gift set with three bottles of fine Swiss absinthe from the La Valote Martin d...

A wooden box with sliding lid contains 3 bottles of the finest absinthe, produced by Philippe Martin. You'll receive a 10cl bottle of each of the following absinthes: - Absinthe La Valote Martin – Martin - Absinthe La Va ...

 £151.50/Liter  £45.50
Out of stock

Get the whole La Maison des Chats family: Absinthe des Chats and La Feline!

Get the whole La Maison des Chats family: Absinthe des Chats and La Feline!

 £79.50/Liter  £111.50
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With this set you get a bottle of each of the following absinthes: DuVallon, Sev...

This set includes all absinthes of DuVallon: Sevil, Veuve Verte, DuVallon and Blandine.

 £82.50/Liter  £182
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With this set you get all of the clear absinthes from Philippe Martin.

This set contains the following absinthes from Philippe Martin: Marylin, L'Originale, Fée Verte du Val-de-Travers, Belle Epoque, La Grenouillarde and Martin.

 £53.50/Liter  £319.50
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