Absinthe Blog

The original recipe created by Ordinaire in Switzerland, through business transactions, became the first commercially produced absinthe called Pernod. The first French Pernod distillery was built in 1805 in Pontarlier. The beverage took over Europe and was said to be the favorite of many of the day’s artists including Picasso, van Gogh, Hemingway, and others. Pernod absinthe also spawned many imitators and competitors. The original Pernod distiller burnt down in 1901 and was replaced soon after. At its height of production, Pernod was producing as much as 30,000 liters of absinthe every day. Today, imbibers can once again purchase the famous Pernod absinthe.

La Fee Parisian is one of the four La Fee types of absinthe available today. La Fee Parisian uses up to twelve different herbs, including both tall and petite wormwoods, to create what the company claims to be the world’s only absinthe brand that captures the original bouquet of traditional absinthe. Developed in a French distillery under the guidance of Madame Delahaye, it was first produced in July, 2000. Although it does contain chlorophyll-containing plants, it is artificially colored. Overall, award-winning La Fee Parisian absinthe is available, and well-received, on today’s market. Try it today for the experience of yesterday!

Another popular French absinthe is called Absinthe Amer. Absinthe Amer is today produced in one of the original, pre-ban distilleries located in Fougerolles, France. The distillery itself was founded in 1811.
When the absinthe ban was lifted, Absinthe Amer came into the market classified as a bitter liquor. Being a liquor, Absinthe Amer has no added sugar. Being a “bitter” liquor implies that Absinthe Amer has up to three times the thujone content of “normal” absinthes. It presses the limits of 35ml thujone per liter of product produced. In the International Fruit Brandies Contest of 2004, it was the bronze medal winner. With a heavy anise bouquet, and high wormwood content and aroma, this intoxicant that symbolizes a rich heritage of absinthe production is sure to please the discerning pallet.

French Absinthe – An Examination of French Absinthes

French absinthe is generally considered the original absinthe of the planet. First produced as a medicinal cure-all by Pierre Ordinaire, a Frenchman in exile in Neuchatel, Switzerland shortly after the French revolution, it became a legendary hard beverage for adults worldwide. Traditional French absinthe was created through a process of macerating tall wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), Florence fennel, and anise in ethanol. The juice that resulted was then distilled. This distillate was extremely bitter and showed no color. Water was then added to achieve the desired alcohol content, between 45 and 75 percent.

The next step in the creation of true French absinthe was a secondary maceration with chlorophyll-containing herbs and plants such as hyssop, angelica, veronica, and petite wormwood. This secondary blending not only served to mellow and enhance the flavor bouquet of the concoction, but also gave the French absinthe the familiar green hue that is commonly associated with it. This green hue also led to the drink becoming known worldwide as le fee verte, The Green Fairy.

In France, as well as much of the planet, absinthe was banned from production because of a chemical released from the Artemisia absinthium called thujone. This chemical served as the component in French absinthe that supposedly caused the vanquishing of inhibitions, greatly enhanced creativity, and ravenous sexual appetites. It also became known, due to over-conservative governmental interference, as a catalyst of violent madness. With modern chemical analysis and testing, it has become evident that the only danger inFrench absinthe was the high alcohol content.