DID YOU KNOW: www.worldabsintheday.com
Potted history on Absinthe Renaissance and its modern revival since 1900
Main World Absinthe Bans: Switzerland 1910 ~ United States of America (USA) 1912 ~ France 1915:These Bans were gradually overturned or circumvented since Bohemia Beer House (BBH Spirits Ltd.)/George Rowley (Brand Owner La Fée Absinthe Supérieure and NV Absinthe) applied and with Paul Passi (Hertfordshire , United Kingdom Trading Standards Office), signed off using the EU directive EEC Directive [88/388/EEC 442 & 443]on spirits including Thujone for Absinthe ~ triggering Absinthe commercial revival enabling Absinthe’s classic serve and use in over 280 cocktails again…
1998, 21st June: First tests on Thujone levels in the Absinthe category (since the 1910 / 1915 bans) were commissioned by Rowley at the University of Prague, by enabling them to recalibrating their Spectron Analytics machine, including Thujone. Rowley imported from the USA and gifted the University the Thujone needed and other missing elements needed to complete the full directive tests ~ These landmark tests, proved Absinthe was within EU governed tolerance for consumed spirits (Directive ~ including Thujone) ~ the Thujone limit was 10ppm Spirits and 35ppm Bitters, setting the legal presidency all absinthe follow to this day…https://lafee.com/absinthe-revival/
France, 25th May 2000: La Fée Launched: French 1915 Ban circumvented by George Rowley & Marie-Claude Delahaye (Owner and Curator of the French Absinthe Museum Auvers-Sur-Oise, thereby returning commercial absinthe distilling to France with La Fée Absinthe (first distilled, Paris), hence its name La Fée Parisienne, this was done by obtaining French Tax office confirmation for Export only out of France under the existing French Ban.
Sold UK/EU and overseas commercially & Private Purchases USA ~ we latter sold under the Ban in France by labelling La Fée not as ABSINTHE but as ‘Aux Plantes d’Absinthe’ (made from Absinthe plants) which circumvented the selling of Absinthe in France under the existing Ban
USA, 19.8.2003: La Fée Brand Trade Mark register for ‘Absinthe’ Reg. No 2,751,670 ~ likely the first legal document in USA referencing Absinthe since there Ban 1912
France, Circa 2003: Pernod around this time join the party/market
Switzerland, 1.3.2005: Switzerland lift their 1910 ban on Absinthe. Soon after Kubler, Clandestine spirits & then 2006 La Fée XS Suisse (Rowley designated these as ‘Spirit Amer’ ~ allowing more wormwood/sub 35ppm Thujone)
Why the 5th March for World Absinthe Day?
USA: 2007 : Lucid on 5th March 2007 obtain label approval from TTB COLA under class 699, as a ‘Thujone Free’ product in the USA closely followed by Kubler from Switzerland under the USA structured Ban ~ So WorldAbsintheDay.com was set up around USA joining the Absinthe revival based on Lucid’s filling date.
The USA never rescinded their Ban, they just agreed to follow the EU tolerance at 10 ppm Thujone for spirits as identified above. To this day the USA do not recognise the ‘Absinthe’ category as with ‘Gin’ and ‘Vodka’ and to this day it is illegal to label Absinthe as just ‘Absinthe’ in the USA ~ you must accompany the word Absinthe with a fanciful name such as with La Fée (Brand Name) Category Absinthe as ‘Absinthe Supérieure’ or as with NV Absinthe Verte ~ same applies to all USA marketing.
So at La Fée we celebrate both the 5th March 2007 and absinthe’s return to France 7 years earlier with La Fée on the 25th May 2000
Happy Absinthe Day!