A vintage Pernod Fils ad. Note the Swiss emblem on the bottle. Absinthe originated in Switzerland.

Pernod Fils (pronounced [pɛʁnofis]) was the most popular brand of absinthe during the period before prohibition of absinthe throughout most of Europe (1915). Like most absinthe, the herbs wormwood, fennel, melissa and anise were first macerated in high-proof grape spirit in a copper alembic still where they were then distilled, to produce a transparent liquor. Part of the distillate was then steeped with more green-colored herbs, such as hyssop and petite wormwood, to produce a green colored liquor that was then filtered and mixed with the main part. This was mostly to impart additional flavour and aroma to the absinthe, but also had the additional benefit of enhancing its visual appeal. The final product was roughly 68% alcohol. The predominant flavor in Pernod Fils, like all absinthe, was anise, which has a pronounced liquorice taste. A vintage Pernod Fils ad. ... A vintage Pernod Fils ad. ... The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation devised by linguists to accurately and uniquely represent each of the wide variety of sounds (phones or phonemes) used in spoken human language. ... A reservoir glass filled with a naturally colored verte next to an absinthe spoon. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Herbs: basil Herbs (IPA: hÉ™(ɹ)b, or əɹb; see pronunciation differences) are plants grown for culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual value. ... Species See text Artemisia is a large, diverse genus of plant with about 180 species belonging to the Sunflower family Asteraceae. ... Binomial name Foeniculum vulgare Mill. ... Species See text. ... Binomial name Pimpinella anisum L. Anise or Aniseed, less commonly anís (stressed on the second syllable) (Pimpinella anisum) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia. ... Strathisla whisky distillery in Keith, Scotland Distillation is a method of separation of substances based on differences in their volatilities. ... Spirits redirects here. ... Binomial name Glycyrrhiza glabra L. Liquorice (Br. ...

This absinthe brand's roots can be traced back to 1792, which makes it the oldest of all of the brands of liquors we call absinthe today. According to legend, it was in this year in Neuchâtel, Switzerland that Dr. Pierre Ordinaire worked out a wormwood liqueur made with anise, melissa, and chamomile. The recipe then came into the hands of Henri Louis Pernod through the means of a business deal and in 1797 he and Daniel Henri Dubied opened the first absinthe distillery in Couvet, Switzerland. 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Spirits redirects here. ... Location within Switzerland Neuchâtel 47. ... Species See text. ... Chamomile flowers The name Chamomile or Camomile is ambiguous and can refer to several distinct species. ... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Couvet is a municipality in the district of Val-de-Travers, in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. ...

Pernod later built another distillery in Pontarlier, France in 1805. This then set the tone that caused Pontarlier to forever be one of Europe's most famous absinthe towns. Soon after the plant's opening in Pontarlier, a string of knock-off absinthe brands appeared, including Pernot, Armand Guy, Oxygénée, and Terminus, among others. In 1901, a fire broke out at the factory, destroying the original distillery. A new, bigger distillery was built in its place. In its prime, the absinthe distillery was producing as much as 30,000 liters of absinthe per day. Pontarlier is a commune of northeastern France, sous-préfecture of the Doubs département. ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

A shot of the Pernod Fils factory in Pontarlier, dated 1905.

With the new temperance movement growing around the world, many prominent French politicians and scientists turned their interest to France's new, most popular alcoholic beverage: absinthe. A view of the Pernod Fils factory, 1905. ... A view of the Pernod Fils factory, 1905. ... A cartoon from Australia ca. ...

By the late 1800s, France's rate of absinthe consumption had topped 13 million liters of absinthe per year. Scientists conducted studies involving the exposure of pure wormwood essence to small animals. They found it to be a mild convulsant at high levels, and even though these tests were flawed because essence contains a much higher concentration of wormwood than absinthe, they pushed for the popular drink's ban across Europe. By 1915, absinthe was completely illegal throughout much of Europe, including France. All of the absinthe distilleries in Pontarlier and all over France had to then close their doors. This meant the demise of Pernod Fils in France. Events and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). ... Species See text Artemisia is a large, diverse genus of plant with about 180 species belonging to the Sunflower family Asteraceae. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

However, Pernod, unlike many other absinthe companies, did not completely disappear. They opened new distilleries in Spain, where absinthe had never been formally banned. However, the drink never quite caught on as much as it did in Northern Europe, and by the late 1950s Pernod closed their Spanish factories. They also, along with many other former absinthe producers in France, produced what is known as pastis, which is an absinthe-like liquor (albeit with a different herb mix and production process), but without the wormwood. They did this with moderate success, leaving us with the modern French Pernod-Ricard company. However, the pastis drink never fully caught on to the same success that absinthe once enjoyed. It was drunk the same way as absinthe, using a tall, goblet-style glass, a pitcher of ice water or a fountain, a sugar cube, and a slotted spoon, on which the sugar cube is placed and disintegrated into the water (modern usage simply dilutes the pastis with cold water). Most French found their distaste with the drink to be that it was simply too sweet, lacking the aromatic and slightly bitter element that the herbs once placed in it. The sugar used to serve the drink only added to this sweetness. The 1950s were the decade that traditionally speaking, spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur and aperitif from France, typically containing 40-45% alcohol by volume, although there exist alcohol-free varieties. ... Pernod Ricard (Euronext: RI) is a French company producing alcoholic beverages. ... Magnified view of refined sugar crystals. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Today, with the legalization of thujone and wormwood in alcoholic beverages in the European Union, Pernod-Ricard has attempted to recreate what they thought would be the new Pernod-Fils absinthe. However, taste trials with the drink reveal it to be more akin to its cousin, the pastis, than the actual pre-1915 French absinthe. With absinthe gaining some commercial stardom by appearing in a range of movies, including From Hell, Euro Trip, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Moulin Rouge, the new Pernod absinthe has had some moderate success throughout France and other countries in the EU. Other modern brands have also appeared with varying success rates. Absinthe was made illegal in the United States in 1912 and has yet to be decriminalized, however it is not illegal to possess or to consume absinthe in the United States. Thujone (C10H16O) is a chemical compound. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The cover of the From Hell collected edition. ... EuroTrip is a 2004 American comedy film about a group of young Americans and their adventures traveling around Europe. ... Bram Stokers Dracula is a 1992 horror/romance film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. ... Moulin Rouge (French for red mill) is a traditional cabaret, built in 1889 by Joseph Oller who already owned the Paris Olympia. ...

External links

• The Virtual Absinthe Museum- A comprehensive online museum of absinthe history, lore, art and antiques.

Pernod Fils is also a Paranormal rap artist from West Michigan - operating under the self-created label Under Ground Control Entertainment. The music is dark, eerie, and thought provoking. Subject matter is vast, ranging from everyday stressors to paranormal activity, outer space, extraterrestrials, speculation about reincarnation, and everything in between. The name is derived from the first factory to commercially manufacture Absinthe - a drink popular amongst poets and artists around the turn of the 20th century. Absinthe contained an element called wormwood oil extract, which produced hallucinogenic effects when consumed. This property allowed those seeking creative energy to effectively induce an open mind.

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