Val-de-Travers
Since I´ve written about Pontarlier, then it would be almost a sin not to write about Val-de-Travers, wouldn’t it? Val-de-Travers is a valley, high up in the Jura-mountains, on the border between France and Switzerland. It is also what we in Sweden would call a ”kommun”, I think that the best word for it in English would be county or parish. It is said to be the birthplace of absinthe itself, and the Mekka of all absintheurs.
As you might remember from an earlier post, Val-de-Travers has a tradition of absinthe since the 18th century, even if it back then was used as medicin instead of the yummylicious drink we know it as today. Then, enter our dear Henri-Louis Pernod who bought it with him to Pontarlier, France, and there the path of absinthe was forked. Today Val-de-Travers is home to more absinthe distilleries than any other place, part of the historic location, but also because the climate is perfect for cultivating wormwood!
Then came the ban on absinthe and it was no longer allowed to make the product that the region was known for. However, the people of Val-de-Travers gave the absinthe ban the finger and continued to make absinthe, although now in secret. A lot of alcohol is needed for making absinthe though, and it would look suspicious if a region known for it´s absinthe production had loads of bace alkohol laying around. What to do? Well, the people of the valley put the alkohol in identical bottles and distributed among the households, and if someone wondered why they had alkohol they would say it was for cleaning. Could be they kept it in the same bottles even after they mad absinthe from it. And since they made they made absinthe blanche it wouldn’t look too suspicious. There is actually an absinthe by Philippe Martin that caries the exact same label even today: Fée Verte du Val de Travers. You have to be crafty and cunning if you are going to make absinthe in secret ;P
In the woods all around Val-de-Travers you can find ”secret” water faucets, some springs directly from the ground, others from tree trunks or the like. If you find one of them, you can be sure that there are a hidden bottle of absinthe and a glass nearby, a happy surprise for weary travelers. If the bottle should be empty, there is an anonymous number to which you can send a message and someone from a nearby distillery will come out and replace the bottle! There is usually a guest book to write in too. This tradition probably comes from the time of the ban, when distillers hid their absinthe in the woods so that true absinthe enthusiasts could take part of the Green Fairy. Now the tradition is thought to be kept alive by enthusiastic absinthe producers nearby and the bottles aren’t as well hidden so that even people who don’t already know where they are will be able to find them.
As I said earlier: there are a lot of distilleries in Val-de-Travers, La Valote Martin, Gaudentia Persoz, Maison des Chats och Willy Bovet to name a few, and they are making absinthe like the cows make milk! In the village of Boveresse they have a annual absinthe festival and so I will end this post with a few words about that:
THE BOVERESSE ABSINTHE FESTIVAL
This festival in originally called “Fête de l’Absinthe” and has been a part of Val-de-Travers since 1997. As events and festivals go, this is a relatively small one, since the absinthe community isn’t really a huge one. But it is a very social event, absintheurs from all over meet to test absinthe from the local distilleries, chat and have a good time. The festival is usually helt in the heart of the village, near the distilleries and the historic drying room and a barn sale, which you can visit of course. There are some stalls where you can buy a lot of different things, not all absinthe related though. One of the different absinthe related paraphernalia you can buy is an absinth spoon created for just this festival and it has a different design every time. The day is ended with a great party with lots of food, drink and dance!