LaClandestineAbsinthe(700mL)

<p>No odd neon colors or uncomfortable ceremonies needed… just pour, sip and experience what premium Swiss Absinthe was always meant to be. </p><p><em>Artemisia-Bugnon Distillery</em> was founded by <em>Claude-Alain Bugnon</em>… let’s just say that he started distilling his <em>Absinthe</em> in <em>Switzerland </em>sometime BEFORE it became legal to do so in 2005.</p><p>But this rebel-with-a-cause produced as much as he could… um… for private consumption, as far as we know. And all that <em>“practice”</em> positioned him perfectly so that when the ban was lifted, he was the first to request a license and started bottling product before the ink on his business permit had even dried. </p><p><em>Claude</em> loves <em>Absinth</em> and knows that there are more varieties of the <em>“green monster” </em>than there ever were. His small mountain distillery — <em>located in in the birthplace of Absinthe </em>— now produces no less than six varieties of premium Absinthe, including a blanche/bleue, a vert, and an opaline. </p><p>You will be forgiven for thinking of the color green when you hear the word Absinthe. Most Absinthes are, indeed, bright green, since the chlorophyl from the <em>wormwood</em> leaves steeps into the alcohol like tea. But a lot of the finest Absinthes are clear. Folks <em>“n the know” </em>call them either <em>“blanche” or “bleue”</em> Absinthes. <em>La Clandestine Absinthe</em> is one of those premium Absinthes, so don’t be surprised when you pour a silvery clear Liqueur from the bright blue bottle. </p><p>Something else to note… there is a traditional “ceremony” of Absinthe drinking that involves a special spoon, a sugar cube, and matches that can feel uncomfortably like a laboratory scene from <em>Breaking Bad.</em> Forget all that. You do not have to be <em>Mr. Wizard</em> or <em>Walter White </em>to make this fine Spirit worth drinking. The sweetness you need is already inside <em>La Clandestine Absinthe,</em> so just pour, sip and experience what premium <em>Swiss Absinthe</em> was always meant to be. </p><p><u>Smartass Corner: </u><em>Many Absinthes demonstrate the “Louche Effect.” Sometimes called the “ouzo effect,” it is common in quality anise-flavored liquors. If cold water is added to a clear liquor containing anise, the liquid will immediately turn milky-white in the glass as the hydrophobic essential oils emulsify.</em></p>