Learning Where is the Birthplace of Absinthe?
Many Absinthe aficionados wish to know a little more about the drink of the Green Fairy and its particular history. So, let’s find out
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where is the birthplace of Absinthe.
Legend has it that Absinthe was developed by Dr Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor in the Swiss Val de Travers area of Couvet. Ordinaire developed Absinthe as being an elixir or tonic for his patients and it was thought to have remarkable outcomes on his patients.
The key ingredient of Ordinaire’s elixir was the herb worwmood, artemisia absinthium, a plant named after the goddess Artemis. Wormwood has been used for thousands of years in medicine so it was a good choice for Ordinaire’s tonic. Wormwood contains a chemical substance referred to as thujone and it was this chemical that induced the banning of Absinthe in early 1900s. Thujone was claimed to be psychoactive also to lead to psychedelic effecs just like THC in cannabis. We now know that thujone is not like THC and, even though it can effect the GABA receptors in the brain, one needs to ingest considerable amounts of thujone to do this and Absinthe only consists of very small amounts.
Couvet is in the Swiss canton of Neuchatel in the Val de Travers region. It is noted for being the birth place of Absinthe and also for being home to the distillery of bootleg Absinthe distiller and also artisan, Claude-Alain Bugnon. Bugnon was given an Absinthe recipe by a friend that his aunt, distiller Charlotte Vaucher, had been using since 1935. Bugnon chose to utilize the recipe to distill his very own bootleg clandestine Absinthe in the Absinthe ban. He was the first Absinthe distiller to inquire about the Swiss government to get a license to distill Absinthe in 2004. In March 2005, the Absinthe ban was raised and Bugnon was able to legally distill his Absinthes as well as La Clandestine was put on sale.
Bugnon’s distillery “C A Bugnon Artemisia Distillerie Artisanale” now distills his excellent variety of Absinthes using the best classic Absinthe herbs and alpine plants. His range includes:-
La Clandestine Originale РThis was the initial Absinthe to become distilled by the Artemisia distillery in 2005. It is made from 10 diverse herbs, including wormwood and anise (or anis̩) and is a winner of a gold medal within the Concours Nationale des Spiritueux Suisses. La Clandestine is 53% abv or 106 proof. La Clandestine is really a classic Swiss La Bleue (clear) Absinthe.
La Clandestine along with wine alcohol base – This is just like La Clandestine but is manufactured using wine alcohol which was used by Pernod in the nineteenth century but is not a traditional base for Swiss clandestine Absinthes. Bugnon identifies this Absinthe as giving a “roundness within the mouth”.
La Capricieuse – This Absinthe is a tougher Absinthe having a higher alcohol content (72% abv, 144 proof). It is in accordance with the recipe for La Clandestine however with a greater alcohol content.
Recette Marianne – Bugnon produced this absinthe as he wished to take part in the Absinthiades in Pontarlier, France. France still have strict rules regulating Absinthe – Absinthe drinks can’t be labeled Absinthe and as well as complying to EU regulation concerning thujone, they also have to have low fenchone levels. Fenchone is definitely the chemical substance found in fennel, a classic Absinthe ingredient. Bugnon made this low fenchone Absinthe especially for the French market and it won the Golden Spoon award at the Absinthiades in 2005, 2006 and 2007. It has an abv of 55% (110 proof).
Angelique Verte Suisse – It’s a classic Swiss verte, or green, style Absinthe and it’s manufactured using 12 herbs including wormwood and angelica. It features an abv of 72% (144 proof) and was introduced by Bugnon in 2007.
Bugnon’s Absinthes are obtainable to buy on many websites including his personal absinthe-suisse.com.
You can make your own Swiss style La Bleue by using the Absinthe Clear essence coming from AbsintheKit.com. This essence could be ordered online for $3.95 for 20ml which makes one 750ml bottle of Absinthe or as part of a kit to produce 14 bottle of Absinthe for $29. AbsintheKit’s essences are manufactured by distilling natural Absinthe herbs and you simply ought to mix the essence with vodka or everclear to make a true wormwood Absinthe.
So, where is the birthplace of Absinthe? Couvet is the birthplace of Absinthe and is also the location of some good current day Absinthes.