“The Alpes de Haute-Provence department is rich with some of the most abundant and varied flora in France, and is no doubt unique in the number of plant and botanical groups to be found there.” The geographical situation of the Lure mountain, between the Alps and the Mediterranean, means that this area benefits from a unique climate ideal for the development of all types of plants. And it is this link that it has maintained with the place and practices of its origins which gives the Distillery its strength. It is heir to a tradition that developed in the region of Forcalquier at the foot of the Lure mountain dating back thousands of years, that of the travelling apothecary. Why Distilleries et Domaines de Provence are established at Forcalquier? Today our specialities are sold in over 78 countries all around the world. Certain emblematic brands have existed since the first days of the Distillery, and other have been created over the years to correspond to the evolution in tastes and drinking habits.

Then in 1974 Alain Robert and his small team took the helm of the company now known as Distilleries et Domaines de Provence.

It contains between 55 % and 75 % of alcohol.ĭistillerie de Lure, founded in 1898 at Forcalquier, in Provence, knew a succession of owners for nearly 80 years, amongst whom was Henri Bardouin, a man with a passionate interest in plants and herbs. Absinthe is made by macerating plants (grand wormwood, petite wormwood, green anise, fennel,…) in a mixture of alcohol and water, followed by a distillation. Very appreciated for its taste of wormwood and its green reflections, this alcohol seduced many artists of which Van Gogh, Baudelaire, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Oscar Wilde… The famous tasting ritual is still practiced according to the tradition, by pouring water on the absinthe, through a perforated spoon supporting a sugar. It is only in 2011 that its level of thujone (molecule present in the plant which, in strong dose, was supposed to make mad) is fixed at a maximum of 35 mg/kg. This is a clever blend of absinthe, artemisia, green anise and balm : delicate, sweet and slightly spiced.Ībsente is issued from the distillation of Artemisia Absinthium associated with the subtle blending of alcohol, mugwort infusion, star anise essence, balm, peppermint and anise distillates… With its limpid and bright color, Absente was the first legal absinth liqueur containing thujone launched in 1998.Ībsinthe, nicknamed “green fairy” and banned in 1915, was authorized again in 1988.

Absente absinthe