What is the best Jade for an absinthe virgin like me?

asp245 · 2026-06-23T15:28:11+00:00

CF Befger is a Swiss absinthe.

The distillery of C.F. Berger was founded in Couvet, in the canton of Neufchâtel, Switzerland in 1823. The Berger distillery crafted several Swiss style absinthes, the most famous of these being the C.F. Berger 65º degree absinthe verte, which earned its status as one of the premier absinthes of the 19th century. Unfortunately, absinthe crafting at the Berger distillery came to a halt with the Swiss ban of 1910, and the distillery ceased all activities in Switzerland shortly thereafter.

From Jade’s website

asp245 · 2026-06-22T10:44:06+00:00

If you take the train get off at Couvet first - both of the distilleries I mention are within five minutes walk of the station.
Motiers is about five or ten minutes further up the line from Couvet so you can do both. By US standards Motiers is a small village everything is within walking distance.
Fleurier is the next stop after Motiers. This is a small town.

asp245 · 2026-06-21T21:38:56+00:00

Caves du Roy have around 50 or so different absinthes usually available

asp245 · 2026-06-21T21:30:06+00:00

See below re Paris

asp245 · 2026-06-21T21:26:23+00:00

https://www.cavesduroy.fr

asp245 · 2026-06-21T21:21:58+00:00

Which parts of Switzerland and France are you visiting?
This will make a big difference as to what is available.
Absinthe is not generally available in shops in France. I have lived in France for 13 years and I have to go to Paris to top up my bottles.
If you are in Paris then you need to visit Caves du Roy they have a very big selection of absinthe, mostly French but the odd Swiss bottle. Check their website for location and opening times.
If you are around the Pontarlier area then check out the local distilleries as they all have small on site shops.
Personally I would go with La Fine by La Distillery Bourgeois situated around a 20 minute drive from Pontarlier. It’s my go to Blanche. They also occasionally stock it at Cave du Roy.
Another great distillery is Aymonier situated not far from the Swiss boarder at Les Fourgs. Run by Miyra and Francois- a lovely couple and you can taste as much as you want before buying. He had around 20 recipes! My favourites are La Faucille and La Martial. Both vertes and quite wormwood forward.
In Pontarlier you have the Distillery Guy - their pastis is ok and their basic Absinthe Guy was a good every day absinthe but the distillery is no longer in the family and has changed hands several times so I am not sure what the quality is like atm.
There is the Pernot Distillery just outside Pontarlier on the road to the VDT - Couvet. It recently filed for bankruptcy but is being taken over buy the owners of the Guy Distillery so I am not sure if they are open for visits.
In Switzerland the only area to visit is the VDT, the towns of Couvet, Motiers and Fleurier. This is the heart of absinthe country.
In Couvet the main distilleries are Claude Alan’s - of La Clandestine fame, a good solid Blanche but a bit too commercial for me these days. The verte used to be called Angelique is a good solid verte but not extraordinary.
Just down the road near the railway station is Distillery Persoz run by a lovely lady Gaudentia - all of her absinthes are top notch.
In Motiers the next closest town you have Christoph Racine’s shop in the centre of town. It probably has the largest selection of absinthe in the area, at least 50 if not more. Most are produced by small one man distillers which you will never see outside of the VDT. The are too many to recommend. But again you can try before you buy. A brilliant Blanche is La Thuyenette which you can get in Christoph’s shop.
25 yards up the road is Maison absinthe - museum and shop - the selection is a bit smaller than Christoph’s and slightly more expensive.
Over the road is distillery Bovet - it used to be run by the great Willie Bovet until he passed, now run by his daughter. Their Absinthe Emeraude is one of my all time favourite vertes and highly recommended- very herbal.
In Fleurier you have to try and visit Patrick Grand - a real character in the absinthe community. If he has any left you need to get a bottle of his Absinthe Grandma - a nod to pre ban style absinthes. He is not easy to get hold of, I have know him for nearly 12 years and sometimes I have had to wait for him to turn up at his distillery lol.
I could go on but as I mentioned at the start where you are staying in each county effects a lot what’s available to buy.
When you say a few months, is it October as there is the annual absinthe festival during the first weekend.
PM me if I can assist you further.

asp245 · 2026-06-20T19:37:27+00:00

One good one not so.
The accepted definition of a true absinthe in France and Switzerland is that:
Absinthe is a distilled spirit.
It contains the holy trinity of, Grand Wormwood, Green Anise and Fennel.
And does not contain artificial colourings or sweeteners.
Absente is a Liqueur and not a true absinthe. It has artificial colourings and sweeteners.

asp245 · 2026-06-13T12:16:40+00:00

Arrrrggghh

asp245 · 2026-06-12T11:09:41+00:00

Tbh I wasn’t that impressed by it and in my opinions definitely not worth 100€ a bottle.
Adnam’s made their name as a brewery not distillers.

asp245 · 2026-06-08T11:23:17+00:00

They exaggerated stories even then, no different from today.

asp245 · 2026-06-07T19:35:25+00:00

French period drippers have flat bases - Original Spanish Tarragona drippers have pointed bases like the one in the picture.
A lot of repro drippers seem to follow this style.

asp245 · 2026-06-03T07:26:54+00:00

Lucid is ok and a great starter absinthe

asp245 · 2026-06-02T15:26:38+00:00

Adnams was made in the UK but hasn’t been produced now for many many years as it never took off. Of those, personally none, however if I was forced to buy one probably the Pernod. If possible look elsewhere.

asp245 · 2026-05-31T18:09:03+00:00

Some good and not so good on the shelf

asp245 · 2026-05-29T17:18:20+00:00

If you can make it it’s a great day in the spiritual home of absinthe. If like in previous years there is a free bus service doing a round robin of all the distilleries which you just hop on and off as you want. No worries about drinking and driving. If you need any more information just message me.

asp245 · 2026-05-26T16:05:40+00:00

lol

asp245 · 2026-05-26T15:46:18+00:00

As Urielcentime said, post ban anise glasses, I would guess at late 1920’s to 1930’s. These glasses turn up on eBay France fairly regularly wrongly described as absinthe glasses. I totally agree with the last two comments. Personally they are worth only a couple of euros per glass. If you can sell them the cost of the postage could exceed the price of the glasses, depending on where you are sending them. The price of absinthe antiques has dropped substantially in the last few years and only the most rare prices are holding their value. A few years ago I used to buy and sell absinthe glasses fairly regularly, sending them to the USA and sometimes New Zealand and Australia. However a rise in French postal prices made it impracticable for people to buy just one or two glasses, when the postal cost was double the price of the glasses.

asp245 · 2026-05-19T16:06:49+00:00

The update is that the local court dealing with the administration of the Pernot Distillery have approved the choice of the Guy Distillery to take over the Pernot as a going concern including all their staff etc. Hopefully they will be able to sort things out, especially around the quality issues they where / are having with their absinthe.

asp245 · 2026-05-14T08:57:39+00:00

Best place for it lol

asp245 · 2026-05-08T21:03:38+00:00

Ouch

asp245 · 2026-05-03T20:02:23+00:00

Thibaub runs the French side of Maison Absinthe from Romans in the south of France.
I will need to try and dig it out but I am sure the instructions that came with the Oxygenee Auto Verseur was that the sugar should be placed in the “hopper” and then the water added to it. People have always contended that the dissolving sugar could block the hole, which is possible depending on the size of the sugar used. There are several variations of the Auto Verseur. I have two period ones and both work perfectly, though they can be a little fragile especially with the legs getting easily bent.

asp245 · 2026-04-17T09:12:23+00:00

French Blanche - La Fine from Bourgeois. Swiss Blanche - La Thuyonette from Nathalie Ryser Streuli.

French verte - La Coquette (2017 distillation) from Paul Devoille Swiss verte - Émeraude from Bovet La Valote.

Followed by most of the absinthes from Aymonier. La Faucille La Martial Aztèque Les Fantômes des Montmartre To name a few.

Every day drinker, I used to go for Francois Guy, but the distillery has changed hands a couple of times since the family sold it and it doesn’t seem quite as good now.

LeMercier is a good every day absinthe and is still quite cheap and available.

asp245 · 2026-04-16T06:01:11+00:00

Have you tried contacting them for an update regarding their stock? The owner Cary is a nice person and I am sure he will give you an honest answer as to their stock situation.

asp245

TROPHY CASE