Absinthe

My first glass of absinthe was served to me by my landlord who had invited me to dinner along with his wife-to-be. It was 1990 and I had just moved to Motiers, a tiny village in the Vals de Travers. 

They spoke no English, I spoke no French, but he had been helpful in my settling in, taking me to a local fête, offering me a corner of the vegetable garden to plant. I watched as he poured a little in the glass, put a sugar cube on top and poured water over the cube melting it into a glass.

What a lovely ritual I thought. I sipped. Licorice. I hate licorice. I was polite and didn't spit it out. I was trying to integrate into my new country.

The next day at work when I told my co-worker about it, they told me absinthe was created in the Vals de Travers with Motiers being one of the producers. It had been illegal since 1909 but was still being moonshined all over the valley.

Absinthe is made from wormwood, anise, fennel and other herbs. It is a pretty green giving it its name, La fée verte of the green fairy.

Although popular with some of the famous artists like Hemingway, Joyce, Baudelaire, Picasso, Proust, etc., conservatives disapproved. It contained a chemical that made it somewhat addictive leading it to be banned country by country around the world where it was sold. Recent studies show the claims were exaggerated.

My cousin who lived in Garmish, Germany was fascinated and asked if I could buy some for him. I did, but I put it in a Ricard bottle. It too was a licorice tasting drink, which I found equally vile. I had no problems throwing the Ricard away and I figured if the bottle was examined by the police for any reason, I wouldn't be prosecuted for bootlegging.

Later in the 1990s,  a revival began and it is now legal.

Visiting my old home of Motiers today, I saw that the grocery store had become an absinthe store. Another place had become an absintherie, using the letters rie much like boulangerie for bakers or boucherie for butchers.

I'm sure the moonshiners of old are not the businessmen behind the local sales. Throughout the world there are some 200 brands, I've been told. I'm happy for them, as long as I don't have to taste it.