History

In ancient times Absinthe was known for its therapeutical effects.

Wormwood was added to wine e.g. Absinthe, as we know it today was invented and commercialized in Switzerland. It was in the small village of Couvet in western Switzerland where Major Dubied, his son Marcellin and his son in law (Henri-Louis Pernod) had their first company. In a tiny little room they produced 16 liters of Absinthe per day. Only 7 years later, the company moved to Pontarlier in France to stop the trouble they had with the French customs. Within 100 years the daily production had risen up to 125.000 liters! In the meantime the region around Pontarlier was home to approximately 25 Absinthe distilleries. But not only in Pontarlier, also in Fougerolles, Marseilles and Paris they produced Absinthe.

There was a time, when there were more places to buy alcohol, than backers. Especially Bohemians loved Absinthe, but also everyone else. Absinthe was extremely popular. The end came between 1910 and 1923 in nearly every European country. There were a number of reasons for this. The temperance movement that was far-reaching throughout Europe at the beginning of the 20th century made Absinthe it's scapegoat for all alcohol, then findings were published showing that thujone was a neurotoxin in large quantities which was said to cause convulsions and death in laboratory animals. Also during this time the wine producers seeing Absinthes' popularity takeing away from their sales, helped fuel the anti-Absinthe movement.

The straw that broke the fairy's back was the 'Absinthe Murder' of 1905. The story goes that Monsieur Lanfray shot and killed his entire family after drinking Absinthe. Prohibitionist?s overlooked the fact that he had also consumed several liters of wine and a substantial amount of brandy and blamed the tragic event on Absinthe alone. Two years later absinthe was banned in Switzerland, and, by the start of the First World War absinthe had also been banned in the US and every country in Europe except France, Spain and England. Approximately 80 years later the legal rights in the EC where changed, so Absinthe was legal again, but it was and is regulated. Since then Absinthe is again very popular. There are Absinthes in all different qualities, colours, countries of origin, and alcohol strength. It's pretty interesting, that there are some French distilleries producing again, what they did ages ago. There are even some brands that do not differ that much from the original!

It's sensational, that there's even one in Switzerland (where Absinthe is still prohibited), who can now legally produce Absinthe again. We are always researching and testing "new" products for you to continue the tradition of the green fairy. We also provide a large section of accessories for your " l'heure verte " - the green hour.


We would like to mention that Absinthe as with many alcoholic drinks is very potent. So "Drink stylishly, but drink responsibly".