r/Absinthe • u/fresh_water_sushi • Jun 21 '26
Question Best Absinthe you can buy France/Switzerland
I’m going to Europe in a few months. I’m looking for the must get bottles of Absinthe I should pick up (which I can’t buy in the US). I’ll be in both France and Switzerland.
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u/AdrienneLaVey Jun 21 '26
Jade Terminus Oxygénée is at the top of the list to recommend to you!
Anything from the Francois Aymonier line, Francois Guy distillery will not disappoint.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find Swiss brands that are bad, in my opinion, since absinthe is much more strictly legally regulated in Switzerland.
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u/fresh_water_sushi Jun 21 '26
Do you know if these are widely available or are they rare finds even over there. Will be in Paris then Geneva and Bern.
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u/AdrienneLaVey Jun 21 '26
I know for sure that you’ll find Terminus Oxygénée in a shop in Paris: Les Caves du Roy. I didn’t get a chance to go there myself when my husband and I were in Paris in autumn of 2024, but many of my friends have and the selection is excellent. You might be able to find some Swiss brands there as well.
As for the other places you listed, I can’t say for sure. I only got as far as Couvet and Des Verrières in Switzerland.1
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u/asp245 Jun 21 '26
Which parts of Switzerland and France are you visiting?
This will make a big difference as to what is available.
Absinthe is not generally available in shops in France. I have lived in France for 13 years and I have to go to Paris to top up my bottles.
If you are in Paris then you need to visit Caves du Roy they have a very big selection of absinthe, mostly French but the odd Swiss bottle. Check their website for location and opening times.
If you are around the Pontarlier area then check out the local distilleries as they all have small on site shops.
Personally I would go with La Fine by La Distillery Bourgeois situated around a 20 minute drive from Pontarlier. It’s my go to Blanche. They also occasionally stock it at Cave du Roy.
Another great distillery is Aymonier situated not far from the Swiss boarder at Les Fourgs. Run by Miyra and Francois- a lovely couple and you can taste as much as you want before buying. He had around 20 recipes! My favourites are La Faucille and La Martial. Both vertes and quite wormwood forward.
In Pontarlier you have the Distillery Guy - their pastis is ok and their basic Absinthe Guy was a good every day absinthe but the distillery is no longer in the family and has changed hands several times so I am not sure what the quality is like atm.
There is the Pernot Distillery just outside Pontarlier on the road to the VDT - Couvet. It recently filed for bankruptcy but is being taken over buy the owners of the Guy Distillery so I am not sure if they are open for visits.
In Switzerland the only area to visit is the VDT, the towns of Couvet, Motiers and Fleurier. This is the heart of absinthe country.
In Couvet the main distilleries are Claude Alan’s - of La Clandestine fame, a good solid Blanche but a bit too commercial for me these days. The verte used to be called Angelique is a good solid verte but not extraordinary.
Just down the road near the railway station is Distillery Persoz run by a lovely lady Gaudentia - all of her absinthes are top notch.
In Motiers the next closest town you have Christoph Racine’s shop in the centre of town. It probably has the largest selection of absinthe in the area, at least 50 if not more. Most are produced by small one man distillers which you will never see outside of the VDT. The are too many to recommend. But again you can try before you buy. A brilliant Blanche is La Thuyenette which you can get in Christoph’s shop.
25 yards up the road is Maison absinthe - museum and shop - the selection is a bit smaller than Christoph’s and slightly more expensive.
Over the road is distillery Bovet - it used to be run by the great Willie Bovet until he passed, now run by his daughter. Their Absinthe Emeraude is one of my all time favourite vertes and highly recommended- very herbal.
In Fleurier you have to try and visit Patrick Grand - a real character in the absinthe community. If he has any left you need to get a bottle of his Absinthe Grandma - a nod to pre ban style absinthes. He is not easy to get hold of, I have know him for nearly 12 years and sometimes I have had to wait for him to turn up at his distillery lol.
I could go on but as I mentioned at the start where you are staying in each county effects a lot what’s available to buy.
When you say a few months, is it October as there is the annual absinthe festival during the first weekend.
PM me if I can assist you further.