Swiss Absinthe: The First Absinthe?

Madness in a bottle. Absinthe is purely French. This propaganda was and is still what people think of when the word "absinthe" is mentioned. Nothing could be further from the truth and these long held falsehoods have been proven wrong. For centuries, absinthe held the unwarranted notoriety of unleashing the imp buried inside a person's head. Yet, for people who live in the place where absinthe was said to have originated, they know that the stories behind absinthe weren't exactly true. That is why, the Swiss, even during the banning of absinthe in their homeland (in 1910 - 2003), they continued to drink it at parties and in their homes. More than one cellar distillery popped up after the ban especially in the Jura Mountain region which became famous for the Clandestine 'La Bleue' Swiss absinthe created in the region.

Although there may be in existence of an absinthe concoction older than the Swiss absinthe, the very first bottle of Swiss absinthe which Dr. Pierre Ordinaire had created is still the first official absinthe that the world recognizes. Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, although a Frenchman, had discovered absinthe while living in Switzerland, which is why Switzerland is known as the home of absinthe. So, for people who had been circulating black propaganda against absinthe during the late 1800's, they proclaimed cruelly that devil(s) were you-know-who and lives in you-know-where. Now, that's a nasty thing to think about the Green Fairy (or Ludivines in Switzerland).

Absinthe connoisseurs from yesterday and today, however, think otherwise. They share what the Swiss believe absinthe is. For the Swiss, absinthe can bring out creativity in a person because of the lucid drunkenness that it brings. Absinthe devotees such as Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, and Van Gogh are great artists and writers who were believed to enjoy as visit with the Green Fairy when they were penning or brushing their greatest work.

This is why in 2005, the Swiss rejoiced and opened bottles and bottles of Swiss absinthe to celebrate the lifting of the Swiss absinthe ban. This means no more back-of-the-door Swiss absinthe delivery; no more small flask filled with green absinthe; and no more high-priced Swiss absinthe since it is readily available at local liquor stores. However, this happiness wasn't shared by a few Swiss, by the few people who were in the absinthe manufacturing business. It saddened them to think that they cannot sell Swiss absinthe any longer to Hollywood stars, socialites and party-goers and clubbers at ridiculously high prices. With the ban lifted, it means that they had to compete with other absinthe distillers and go with the lower prevailing market rate.

While most Swiss absinthe of today is crystal clear (La Bleue), there are still some Swiss absinthe bottles out there that are in their natural green (verte). Absinthe has been called Green Fairy because of its natural green color, produced by chlorophyll from herbs (petite wormwood, lemon balm, etc.) stepped in the spirits after distillation process.

Some of the clandestine Swiss absinthe distillers have continued on have the removal of the ban and produce some of the finest absinthe the world has to offer. Perhaps the best known is Claude-Alain Bugnon. Bugnon is an artisan distiller in Couvet, Val-de-Travers, Switzerland and the absinthe he produce is of the highest quality and typifies Swiss absinthe. If you have the chance to sample his Absinthe 'Clandestine' or 'Capricieuse' (both authentic La Bleues) you’ll be in for quite a treat.