Hand-crafted in the Birthplace of Absinthe

Absinthe was born in the small village of Couvet in the Val-de-Travers region of Switzerland in the second half of the 18th century and there are many stories associated with its birth. Several characters have been named as possible inventors of this mythical drink, including Dr. Ordinaire, the Henriod sisters, Major Dubied, Mother Henriod, and Abram-Louis Pernod. In 2009, Jacques Kaeslin published a book about the pioneers of absinthe and the distilleries of Couvet. This comprehensive work is based on state, church and public archives, and tells the story of each character involved, studying their links with absinthe ...... see more

La Clandestine

About two hundred years after the first birth of absinthe, Claude-Alain Bugnon, who had been born in the region but who had worked in the oil business, first became interested in the drinks enjoyed over generations by his ancestors. Like many families in the region, he started to make his "clandestine" absinthe at home, fighting for space in the laundry with his wife!

Starting in 2000, he gained a reputation that started to spread beyond Switzerland. Using a recipe that dated back to 1935, he developed an absinthe that he dedicated to its creator, Charlotte. Americans discovered his "Clandestine La Bleue" (or CLB as some called it) through various… "channels of distribution."

And then in 2005, as absinthe developed throughout the world, Claude-Alain became the first distiller in the town where absinthe had been born to "go legal."

"Hand-crafted in the birthplace of absinthe," La Clandestine need no longer be a secret pleasure! .... see more