LA CLANDESTINE ABSINTHE

'La Clandestine Absinthe' is a popular ^[1], prize-winning ^[2], ''La Bleue'', or clear, Swiss absinthe brand produced by Artemisia-Bugnon distilleries. It is a highly alcoholic, anise-flavored, distilled liquor containing the herb wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), and when prepared with cold water will louche.
La Clandestine Absinthe comes in five styles: La Clandestine Originale at 53% abv (alcohol by volume); the stronger La Capricieuse at 72% abv; the Recette Marianne at 55% abv, a low fenchone absinthe created to meet French fenchone regulations; a wine-based version of La Clandestine Originale; and Angélique Verte Suisse at 72% abv, a ''verte'', or green, absinthe.

Contents

La Clandestine Absinthe

La Capricieuse

La Recette Marianne

Angélique

References

External links

La Clandestine Absinthe

La Clandestine Absinthe was officially launched in 2005, when Swiss absinthe was re-legalized nearly one-hundred years after the ban. It is produced and sold by Artemisia-Bugnon, set up by a hitherto "underground" distiller, Claude-Alain Bugnon. The brand website states that it is based on a 1935 recipe from a Swiss distiller known as "Charlotte." ^[3]
La Clandestine had been circulating unofficially for several years prior to 2005,^[4] but the Swiss legalization of absinthe on March 1, 2005, encouraged Bugnon to apply for an official license, and he was one of the first distillers in the historically important Val-de-Travers region to receive such a license.
While La Clandestine can be drunk in the traditional manner, adding chilled water poured over a sugar cube, its distiller recommends drinking it without sugar. ^[5]

La Capricieuse

La Capricieuse, at 72%, was added in summer 2005, in response to the demand for a stronger absinthe in several of company's markets worldwide.

La Recette Marianne

La Recette Marianne, at 55%, was launched in autumn 2005, in response to fenchone regulations in France. It was this absinthe which won the Golden Spoon award at the Pontarlier Absinthiades in 2005 and 2006.

Angélique

Angélique, at 72%, is the first Verte Suisse absinthe from the La Clandestine distillery, and was launched at the 10th Annual Absinthe Festival at Boveresse, Switzerland, in June 2007.

References

1. Wormwood Society list of preferred absinthes Absinthe Forum list with "community favorites listed nearer the top."
2. Absinthiades results Recette Marianne: the Golden Spoon winner for the second consecutive year.
3. Brand history Retrieved 19 May 2007
4. New York Times article Retrieved 19 May 2007
5. Reference to drinking "au naturel," i.e. without sugar Retrieved 20 May 2007

External links

★ La Clandestine Absinthe - Brand website

★ Worwood Society vote - Absinthe Forum voting on preferred brands (at the time of voting there were an estimated 250 absinthes available).

★ Fée Verte Review - Independent website confirming that La Clandestine had been sold for "years" prior to its official launch.

★ Swiss Spirits Awards - Winner of the Best Label and Presentation for all Spirits and Absinthe Gold Medal Winner.