From the Source: Swiss Absinthe

The Green Fairy was friend to many including Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh and Ernest Hemingway. However, the origins of the great muse are somewhat surprising. Drawing its power from four simple ingredients, the concoction was first made in Switzerland during the late 18th century.

Pierre Ordinaire, a doctor living in Couvet, Switzerland, manufactured and sold the spirit
as a medical elixir. After passing the recipe down to the Henrod sisters, it was sold to Major
Dubied just five years later. Major Dubied then opened the first distillery known as Dubied Père et Fils in Couvet. The second distillery built appeared just across the border in
Pontarlier, France in 1805. Pontarlier’s brand, Maison Pernod Fils, would become one of the most popular and is commonly found in Hemingway’s novels.

Until the green liquor was banned in 1914, absinthe was wildly popular. After the 1990s
revival, the modern understanding of absinthe is closer to a distilled spirit with fennel and green anise. Take a trip with us down the absinthe trail for a closer look at the emerald elixir.

Photo: Ania /Flickr

As the home of absinthe, Switzerland is the only country to form a legal definition of the
liquor which requires distillation rather than cold mixing. The overall process is similar to high-quality gin production.

First distillation produces 72 percent ABV which is reduced and can be bottled clear known as la bleue absinthe. However, most absinthe is green and receives its color from the second step.The maceration of whole herbs such as petite wormwood or hyssop produces the green hue from the plant’s chlorophyll. The natural color process is critical for aging because the chlorophyll remains chemically active. When steeped in distillate, the absinthe gains herbal complexity. Such absinthe is known as absinthe verte.

The drink is prepared and served in a specific fashion. First, an absinthe fountain is filled
with ice water. Next, the absinthe is poured into an absinthe glass and an absinthe spoon is
balanced across the rim. Sugar cubes are most often poised atop the spoon before the glass is placed under a spigot of the fountain. Slowly, the ice water drips overs the sugar cube until it is dissolved and equally dispersed in the now opaque absinthe. Sweetness helps to balance the bitterness of the herbs.

To truly appreciate the Route de L’Absinthe it is important to know how the Green Fairy survived prohibition. During the dry years, la bleue absinthe was carefully obscured in a crevice under tree roots near the Pouetta-Raisse gorges. Only initiated members to the Fontaine à Louis knew to find the liquor which would then be clouded by the icy spring. Since re-legalization in 2005 a small box was installed containing a bottle with which visitors can attempt the tradition.