Swiss absinthe Suisse La Bleue is a unique drink. In no other country in the world has there been a case when a government commission, having carefully studied the composition and properties of illegally manufactured alcohol, recognized its high quality, allowed the sale and did not punish the manufacturing company in any way.
The homeland of absinthe is Couve, a Swiss city in the picturesque valley of Val de Travers. From time immemorial, local peasants have been making medicinal tinctures from the local fragrant herbs. When absinthe became fashionable among European bohemia, there was no such village in the Val de Travers where they would not distill wormwood tincture according to their own unique recipe.
The prosperity of Couve came to an end in 1907, when the production and sale of absinthe was banned in Switzerland. But the Swiss did not accept this. Absinthe, of course, continued to insist and distill. Its variety La Blue (“blue”) has become especially popular.
This distilled absinthe was colorless and clear, like water. In the light in the depths of the bottle, blue highlights appeared, and when the drink was diluted with water, it became cloudy white with a bluish tint. “La Blue” was so similar to water that it was even served to regular customers in restaurants.
In the 30s of the XNUMXth century, absinthe produced at the distillery of Charlotte Vauchet was especially fond of Swiss fans of wormwood tincture. Madame Charlotte was a talented blender, she herself made recipes for drinks and improved the distillation technique.
No wonder they say that brilliant ideas are in the air. In 1989, Claude-Alain Bunion, a refinery technologist, became interested in the distillation of wormwood tincture. A native of the Val de Travers, Bunyon knew a lot about aromatic herbs. Having bought a 12-liter alambic at the flea market, Monsieur Claude-Alain experimented with different versions of absinthe at his leisure. The results of the experiments invariably pleased the friends of the novice distiller.
It so happened that one of Bunyon’s friends was the natural nephew of that same Madame Vaucher. He gladly shared with his friend the records of the late aunt, gathering dust in the closet.
In 2001, Monsieur Bugnon bought several 145-liter alambiques and started producing absinthe on an industrial scale. From each such alambik, exactly 95 liters of a transparent aromatic drink were obtained (note that a strict ban on its production was still in effect).
In 2004, when the question of abolishing the ban on absinthe was being discussed in the Swiss government, Monsieur Bunion applied for a license and simultaneously exported the first batch of the drink to neighboring Germany (the master delicately avoids the word “smuggling”). In Germany, where absinthe was allowed much earlier, the products of the Bunyon distillery made a splash.
For a whole year, a government commission studied the composition and technology of absinthe production in the Artemisia Bugnon distillery. In 2005, when the ban that had been in place for almost a hundred years was lifted, Monsieur Bunion became the first official producer of absinthe in Switzerland.
Claude-Alain Bunion was the initiator of the creation in his native Couva of the historical “village of absinthe” – a museum-distillery. In 2007, in partnership with a local florist, he opened Fleur-Bleu, a shop selling flower arrangements and absinthe bottles. In the same year, Artemisia Bugnon began exporting products to Japan, the UK and Canada, and the following year to the US.
Absinthe variety Marianne La Clandestine was awarded gold medals in the Absinthiades competition four years in a row: from 2005 to 2008.
When asked how to make a good absinthe, Claude-Alain Bunion always answers: “Good absinthe will only come from someone who gives him love and passion.” All Artemisia Bugnon Distillery absinthes are made from natural raw materials, without artificial additives.
Types of absinthe Suisse La Bleue
Artemisia Bugnon Distillery produces the following types of Swiss La Blue absinthe (thujone content – 35 mg per liter):
La Clandestine is an absinthe with a strength of 53% with a rich aroma of anise, wormwood and dill. The taste is fresh, with wormwood bitterness and a slight anise-honey tinge. The drink is made according to the original recipe of Charlotte Vaucher;
La Clandestine Wine Alcohol – La Clandestine absinthe, aged for several years in oak barrels. The longer this drink is stored, the better it becomes;
Absinthe Marianne La Clandestine is a 53% ABV absinthe that was originally made for export to France. The drink is fragrant with mint and lemon balm, wormwood bitterness in taste is set off by cool minty notes;
La Capricieuse – absinthe with a strength of 73% with an anise-wormwood smell and a long fresh aftertaste;
Opaline is an absinthe with a strength of 68% with the aroma of meadow herbs and a pronounced bitter taste.