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Absinthe: in the land of the green fairy
The history of absinthe goes back to the end of the 18th century, when a herbalist named Marguerite Henriette Henriod created the absinthe elixir. The first industrial distilleries were created and absinthe – also called “Fée verte” or “Bleue” (“Green fairy,” or “Blue”) – became a real success. It was quickly exported outside its original borders and became fashionable in artistic, intellectual, and working-class circles.
Unfortunately, detractors accused it of driving people mad: absinthe was caught up in the turmoil and banned for nearly 100 years. But in the Val-de-Travers, its production and sale continued underground until 2005, the year absinthe was rehabilitated in Switzerland. Since then, the Association Interprofessionnelle de l’Absinthe as well as the Maison de l’Absinthe have been created and are campaigning to obtain a protected geographical indication (IGP).
Today, the Val-de-Travers counts about thirty distillers producing spirits with unique and varied flavours. Visits to distilleries, absinthe tastings and “fairy fountains” hidden in the woods await you in the cradle of Absinthe.
Absinthe, Fée verte, Bleue. Order this speciality from Val-de-Travers!
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Plan your visits
Maison de l'absinthe, 10, Grande Rue, Môtiers NE, Val-de-Travers, Neuchâtel, 2112, Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera/Svizra
What is Absinthe?
At the base of Absinthe: the plantsManufacture of AbsintheAbsinthe TastingA tormented historyImportant dates to rememberIn the literary and visual artsYour visit to the Maison de l’Absinthe
At the base of Absinthe: the plants
Absinthe is obtained by the maceration and distillation of various plants. While each recipe is different, four plants form the base of the recipe: grand wormwood, petite wormwood, green anise, and fennel. The two wormwood plants are essential to the taste of the spirit. Anise and fennel bring to the drink the cloudiness that occurs when mixing alcohol with water.
In addition to these four plants, several other plants are regularly used in recipes: peppermint, lemon balm, hyssop, star anise, citronella, coriander, angelica, speedwell, and sweet flag.
Manufacture of Absinthe
Absinthe is a spirit obtained by the maceration and distillation of different plants – among which the grand and petite wormwood that gave it its name. It can be white or green.
Each distiller has his own recipe, often inherited from previous generations in the greatest secrecy. While some recipes incorporate only four plants, others may use a dozen – or even twenty. This is why no two absinthes are alike. Some may be very aniseed-flavoured, while others will be more minty or bitter.
What are the steps to make absinthe?
- Grand wormwood is harvested between June and July, while the flowers are still budding and the essential oil content is at its highest. Hand picking is preferred in order not to damage the plant. In the Val-de-Travers, five farmers cultivate absinthe and supply the region’s distillers.
- During two to six weeks, the plants are laid down in the shade and regularly turned over until they are completely dry. This phase is also called “drying”.
- They will then be crushed and macerated with grain alcohol and water, allowing the extraction of the essential oils of the plants. This phase, which generally lasts between two and twelve hours, is carried out cold in copper or stainless-steel containers.
- Then the macerate is distilled in a still, usually made of copper. A volume of water equivalent to the total volume of alcohol is added to the macerate. The distillate thus obtained has an alcohol content of between 70° and 80° by volume. To obtain the desired alcohol content, the distillate must be “reduced” with demineralized water. This rate generally oscillates between 48 and 77 degrees, making Absinthe the distilled drink with the highest alcohol content. This phase can extend over three days.
- Before bottling, the distillate is filtered and aerated in an open tank for 12 to 48 hours
Absinthe Tasting
Absinthe is almost always consumed diluted in water, which will create a “cloudiness” and make the liquid more opaque.
Absinthe tasting is very ritualized.
- The Absinthe is served in an Absinthe Glass, which appeared at the end of the 19th century. Its shape allows the optimal diffusion of the flavours and the perfect dosage of the absinthe.
- The Absinthe Fountain, which also appeared at the end of the 19th century, makes it possible to dilute absinthe to perfection. The reservoir contains fresh water, which is released by turning on the taps. The goal is to dose the water flow with great precision.
- The Absinthe Spoon is used to sweeten the more bitter absinthes. A sugar cube is placed on the top of this perforated spoon. By adding water, it will dissolve and mix with the drink.
A tormented history
The featured drink of the Val-de-Travers in the canton of Neuchâtel, banished underground for almost a century until 2005, absinthe, or wormwood, has been known since Antiquity for its medicinal virtues. Hippocrates and Pythagoras already praised its benefits and its aphrodisiac power. However, it was not until the end of the 18th century that we discovered its special taste. The archives and history books agree: this drink made from medicinal plants from the region would have been invented in Couvet by a woman who was born in 1734, Marguerite Henriette Henriod.
The first industrial distillery opened its doors in 1798 in a village of the Val-de-Travers. Its founders were Daniel-Henri Dubied and his son-in-law Henri-Louis Pernod, whose name evokes the worldwide epic of aniseed-flavoured drinks. Fashionable in Parisian intellectual circles and among workers in the 19th century, the green fairy enjoyed its heyday until the beginning of the 20th century thanks to Henri-Louis Pernod who crossed the Franco-Swiss border in 1805 with his recipe. Ten million litres of absinthe are then distilled every year in Pontarlier and the bottles were sent all over the world.
However, this did not account for its detractors. The success of absinthe led to a sharp drop in sales of wine, prompting winegrowers to launch a propaganda campaign to ban the Green Fairy. Because of thujone, an active substance contained in the wormwood plant and toxic in very high doses, they accused wormwood of causing harm, both physical and mental. Prohibited in Switzerland from October 1910, its consumption will be forbidden in 1912 in the United States and in France in 1915.
Despite a long period of prohibition that ended in Switzerland in 2005, the Valloniers, attached to their traditions, have continued to distil in clandestinity, never ceasing to improve their recipes. Founded in 2005, the Association Interprofessionnelle de l’Absinthe counts 18 members today, who are vying to obtain a protected geographical indication (IGP).
In 2014, the Administrative Court admitted appeals filed against an AOC application whose purpose was to limit the use of the names “Absinthe”, “Bleue” and “Fée verte” to the Val-de-Travers alone.
In 2017, the Federal Office of Agriculture struck once again by publishing the application to register Absinthe du Val-de-Travers as IGP. A recognition that producers attached to their terroir and know-how are still impatiently expecting.
While waiting for the question to be decided, discover the traditions taking root on the paths of the green fairy.
Important dates to remember
18th century: Marguerite Henriette Henriod invents the absinthe elixir in Couvet.
1798: The first industrial distillery opens.
1805: The recipe is exported beyond its original borders.
19th – 20th century: Absinthe lives its hours of glory in artistic, intellectual and working-class circles.
1910: Absinthe is prohibited in Switzerland.
2005: The prohibition of Absinthe is lifted in Switzerland. The Association interprofessionnelle de l’Absinthe is created.
2007: The project of the Absinthe Route, linking Noiraigue to Pontarlier, is completed.
2012: The Fondation de la Maison de l’Absinthe is created.
2013: Work begins on the Maison de l’Absinthe in Môtiers. It is inaugurated on July 3, 2014.
2014: An AOC application is filed to limit the use of the names “Absinthe”, “Bleue” and “Fée verte”.
2017: An IGP application is filed.
In the literary and visual arts
Although Absinthe has had an eventful history, it can boast of having inspired the greatest artists of the Belle Epoque and of having played a notable role in various artistic movements – in the visual arts as well as in literature.
Painted by Van Gogh, Degas, Lautrec and Manet, poetized by Musset, Verlaine, Apollinaire and Baudelaire, the Blue is described as a source of inspiration for many artists. Unfortunately, it was also held responsible for the demise of some of them who fell into alcoholism.
The Swiss painter Anker represented it in the centre of several popular scenes of rural life in the 20th century, where it occupied a prominent place.
Several works can be admired at the Maison de l’Absinthe.
Your visit to the Maison de l’Absinthe
In the heart of Môtiers, the Maison de l’Absinthe welcomes visitors from Tuesday to Saturday between 10 am and 6 pm and on Sunday between 10 am and 5 pm.
An exhibition invites you to rediscover the history of the beverage, from its creation to its rehabilitation, through the decades of prohibition. A bar allows you to taste nearly 30 different kinds of absinthes from the region, while the boutique allows you to leave with tasty souvenirs from the region. A demonstration kitchen is also on site, allowing visitors to develop absinthe-based recipes during culinary workshops.
Claude Frôté’s recipe
Tasted as an aperitif or as a digestive, Absinthe can also be used in different derivative products – such as chocolates or syrup for example – but also in different recipes. It goes particularly well with fish or desserts.
Claude Frôté, former Chef of Le Bocca Restaurant (for 36 years!), has created a special recipe for the Great Sites of Taste. Discover the video and reproduce the recipe at home!
Risotto with Absinthe and Fleur des Alpes
Regional actors
