The Green Fairy’s Triumphant Return. Kubler Absinthe at Victor's!

The Green Fairy’s Triumphant Return. Kubler Absinthe at Victor's! (served tableside)

Banned since 1912, Absinthe is legal again in the United States. Among the most mysterious and misunderstood spirits in history, Absinthe gained its notoriety in the late 19th century during the Belle Époque in France. Reputed to provide a visionary consciousness it became the creative fuel for artists like Degas, Manet, Van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec and a host of literati that included Verlaine, Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway described the spirit as opaque, bitter, tongue numbing, brain-warming, stomach-warming, idea changing liquid alchemy in his famous novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The mystique of Absinthe, however, does not end with its reputed capacity to inspire creativity. A 19th century French doctor who studied Absinthism described its symptoms as “sudden delirium, vertigo and hallucinations.” Perhaps in support of this, drinking Absinthe became known as Dancing with The Green Fairy. The sprit developed multiple nicknames around The Green Fairy, including The Green Muse, The Green Goddess, and The Glaucous Witch.

At the center of all the excitement lies the notorious Grand Wormwood (Artemesia Absinthium), the protagonist in any authentic Absinthe formula. Wormwood contains the chemical Thujone which has long been reputed to induce the visions and amorous inclinations so closely tied to the Absinthe reputation. Science has long since dispelled these myths and it is fact over fiction that opened the doors to the United States where the government requires that all Absinthes have less than 10 parts per million of Thujone content.

Kübler Swiss Absinthe Superieure, founded in 1863, hails from the birthplace of Absinthe, the Val-de-Travers, Switzerland and is the only brand available on the market today that can make this claim. It is still being produced there by a direct descendant of the founder and is being presented to the US market with every ingredient used in the original formula.

Our Kübler tasting notes detect the following:

Appearance
Clear white liquid without any (artificial) coloring that clouds up strongly and develops the typical creamy bluish-white louche-effect of an authentic Swiss La Bleue when adding cold water.

Nose
Extremely clean. Pleasant and slightly sweet odor of Anise, Fennel and a little Star Anise. Well balanced with the herbal notes of Artemisia Absinthium, Mint, Balm, Coriander and Hyssop. Remarkable purity of alcohol.

Flavour
Taste of perfectly made licorice with the bitterness of quality Wormwood stimulating tongue and palate. Pleasant sweetness from Fennel and Anise without being sugared. Strongly but harmoniously mouth filling. Well balanced without any overtones. No spinach taste of chlorophyll colorants. Long lasting leaving all the nuances of the distilled herbs, plants and spices for a very, very long time. Truly authentic Absinthe as distilled in the traditions of the historical cradle of genuine Absinthe.

From its original site in the Val-de-Travers. Yves produces Kübler according to the brands original formula and it includes all the elements presented to the market in 1863.

The principal ingredients in Absinthe are the herbs Grand Wormwood and Anise that provide the balance between bitter and sweet and make the taste of the spirit so compelling. Kübler uses a grain neutral base of Swiss wheat and also includes Hyssop, Lemon Balm, Coriander, Star Anise, Fennel, Artemisia Pontica and Mint according to its original formula. Each of these ingredients is grown locally in the Val-de-Travers. Kubler is 106 proof (53 ABV).

Kübler was launched in 1863 by J. Fritz Kübler in Motiers, Switzerland. Motiers is the capital of the Val-de-Travers, the birthplace of Absinthe. This stunningly beautiful and mythical region sits on the Eastern border of France. Its unique microclimate is a key factor in the quality of the ingredients that are grown in the region and used in the production of Kübler Absinthe. Fritz opened his Blackmint Distillery in 1875 and was the recipient of numerous awards and medals in competitions around the European theater before the Swiss government banned Absinthe in 1910.

In 2001, the Swiss ban was lifted and the brand was revived by Fritz’s great grandson, Yves Kübler, who runs the present day distillery only a few miles from its original site in the Val-de-Travers. Yves produces Kübler according to the brands original formula and it includes all the elements presented to the market in 1863.