The colour is transparent with slightly greenish reflex. On the nose mainly anice and liquorice, which are clearly perceived also in the mouth. Very hot, due to the high alcohol content (72%). The aftertaste is savoury and pleasant. It last for a long time. When water is added (as it should), the colour becomes a cloudy milky white, the flavours more nuanced and the alcohol less prominent.
Absinthe is a spirit obtained from the distillation of the holy trinity of artemisia absinthium (grand wormwood), anise and fennel seeds. Added to this are various aromatic plants, such as green anise, lemon balm and hyssop, depending on the recipes, which are often closely guarded.
Absinthe is traditionally bottled at a high level of alcohol by volume, but it is normally diluted with water before being consumed.
Absinthe originated in the Val-de-Travers, a valley in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. The first recipe is thought to have been invented by Mère Henriod in the mid-18th century to exploit the benefits of wormwood, a plant that was recommended for the treatment of digestive disorders.
Val-de-Travers borders with France, where absinthe soon became popular, particularly among Parisian artists and writers, whose romantic associations with the drink still linger in popular culture.
In France absinthe is often referred to as la Fée Verte (“The Green Fairy”) because of its coloring. In the French style, absinthe is made with a longer maceration process, which extracts more from the herbs, including chlorophyll. Hence the deeper, darker green colour. The Swiss style use a shorter maceration and produce a more transparent colour.
In Paris at l’heure verte (the green hour), fans would get together in cafés, sitting around their absinthe fountains as water was poured drop by drop over sugar cubes placed on perforated spoons made of silver.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, a number of high-profile scandals shook public opinion as some crimes were blamed on absinthe. The popular belief was that the drink could make people go mad due to a molecule called thujone. While absinthe does contain this molecule, it is only present in minuscule quantities, and recent studies have shown that scientifically it cannot be blamed for causing hallucinations or madness. In any case, in 1910 Switzerland banned absinthe through a popular vote. France, Germany and the United States followed suit a few years later.
During the ban years absinthe was only sold on the black market. In Switzerland it was legalised again in 2005. Today, around twenty microdistilleries produce absinthe in the Val-de-Travers.
I bought this bottle at the Maison de l’absinthe in Môtiers for 58 CHF.
Country: Switzerland
Region: Val-de-Travers
Grapes: Wormwood, Anise, Fennel
Type: Spirit
Vintage: N/A
Producer: Absinthe La Valote Martin
Price range: Extra (50-100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5