Absinthe Blog by ALANDIA

ALANDIA Absinthe Party 2002

Here you can check out the images of the very first ALANDIA Absinthe Party. We hosted it in a traditional Cologne bar back in 2002. This was right after establishing ALANDIA in 2001. With our party, we wanted to spread the word of the Green Fairy. Because Absinthe was still quite unknown. Looking at the people’s lucky faces, you will recognize yourself, it was a success! The Absinthe Party Vol. I took place on 26.07.2002, what a night, this was a blast!

Absinthe Facts: Fire at the Pernod Factory

Absinthe Studies: Learn more about Absinthe

Pernod had on of its biggest distilleries in Pontarlier, France, next to the river Doubs. Daily production was up to 125,000 liters of Absinthe per day in 1896. A notable disaster occured on a Sunday, August 11, 1901. Mr. Borel, the plant manager was away the day a ferocious thunderstorm broke over the town. Lightning hit the central dome of the plant and ran through the metal framework. The electrical charge reached the tanks full of alcohol and set the whole plant into fire! Inside the factory Absinthe bottles melted or exploded with the heat.

Road Trip: Old Distilleries and Absinthe Museum

On day three of our road trip we returned to France and visited Pontarlier once again. Our aim was to find some evidences for the legendary history of the town. We knew that the old Pernod Absinthe distillery is now used by Nestlé, and therefore we checked out if we still could find some old parts of the former building. We could not enter the factory site, but based on old postcards we looked for the famous oval windows which should be visible from the bordering streets. Our second station was the Deniset Absinthe distillery.

Road Trip: La Fete de l’Absinthe in Boveresse

After a very nice evening with the Green Fairy (little fairies dancing in my head..) the agenda for our second day was visiting the Absinthe Festival in Boveresse (La Fete de l’Absinthe). Our hotel was in the nearby town Couvet which is also known for its absinthe roots. For example, in the times of the Belle Epoque Pernod Fils had a second distillery here besides their headquarters in Pontarlier. Nowadays, the only legal Swiss Absinthe Kübler is distilled in Couvet. Of course, we made a visit and although everything was closed we took some pictures with our James Bond spy camera…

Road Trip: Absinthe town Pontarlier

The home of the Green Fairy can be identified in the small valley “Val de Travers” in the Swiss Jura, next to the French border. Here the Green Fairy was born as Dr. Pierre Ordinaire started to distribute a special digestive – “Bon Extrait d’Absinthe” – in the 18th century, which soon should become famous under the name ABSINTHE. Now, more than 100 years later, the little town Boveresse in the Val de Travers organizes every year an absinthe festival – “La Fete de l’Absinthe”.

Absinthe Facts: Absinthe and Sugar

Absinthe Studies: Lean more about Absinthe

Historically, Absinthe was drank with sugar. Pernod and other traditional Absinthe brands promoted the sugar ritual in their advertising. The intent of using sugar was not to mask the bitterness of Absinthe, moreover the use of sugar reflects the preference for sweetness during the 19th century.