| Absinthe Ephemera X - Eucalypsinthe & the Fraternal War on Absinthe |
From the 1870's onwards, the temperance movement-led campaign against absinthe intensified. Rival manufacturers
of other drinks - quinquinas, fortified wines, herbal tonics - rather than standing by the beleaguered absinthe
manufacturers in a spirit of fraternal solidarity, sought to capitalize on the campaign to demonize La Fée Verte,
usually by contrasting the alleged health giving virtues of their product with the claimed deleterious effects of
absinthe. In some cases, aperitifs were specifically created to attack the absinthe market - a fine example is shown
below: Eucalypsinthe was an absinthe-like drink with the wormwood replaced - bizarrely - by Eucalyptus leaves.
of other drinks - quinquinas, fortified wines, herbal tonics - rather than standing by the beleaguered absinthe
manufacturers in a spirit of fraternal solidarity, sought to capitalize on the campaign to demonize La Fée Verte,
usually by contrasting the alleged health giving virtues of their product with the claimed deleterious effects of
absinthe. In some cases, aperitifs were specifically created to attack the absinthe market - a fine example is shown
below: Eucalypsinthe was an absinthe-like drink with the wormwood replaced - bizarrely - by Eucalyptus leaves.
A promotional leaflet for the absinthe-substitute
Eucalypsinthe, printed for the Universal Exhibition in 1878,
where the product was displayed in the Tasting Pavilion.
In a classic example of the pseudo-scientific style beloved of
late 19th century advertisers, the text on the reverse
expounds at tremendous length on the alleged marvellous
health-giving properties of the drink (not just stimulating the
digestion and the appetite, but even helping to cure
cholera!), and contrasts them to absinthe, which it finds
"Dimunue l'appétit, trouble la digestion, pervertit
l'intelligence et le raisonnement, abolit la mémoire et
amène la dégradation morale, en surexcitant tout le système
nerveux."
Click on the images to to see enlarged versions..
Eucalypsinthe, printed for the Universal Exhibition in 1878,
where the product was displayed in the Tasting Pavilion.
In a classic example of the pseudo-scientific style beloved of
late 19th century advertisers, the text on the reverse
expounds at tremendous length on the alleged marvellous
health-giving properties of the drink (not just stimulating the
digestion and the appetite, but even helping to cure
cholera!), and contrasts them to absinthe, which it finds
"Dimunue l'appétit, trouble la digestion, pervertit
l'intelligence et le raisonnement, abolit la mémoire et
amène la dégradation morale, en surexcitant tout le système
nerveux."
Click on the images to to see enlarged versions..
The full page caricature by Gantner from a 1906 issue of the Swiss satirical journal "Guguss" (at the time of the
Vaud anti-absinthe referendum) graphically shows how the Swiss wine producers (and the manufacturers of rival
aperitifs) conspired to ensure absinthe's downfall. "Coueste" was Genevois patois for absinthe - the title means
"Absinthe - Vaud wine (wrestling) match".
Vaud anti-absinthe referendum) graphically shows how the Swiss wine producers (and the manufacturers of rival
aperitifs) conspired to ensure absinthe's downfall. "Coueste" was Genevois patois for absinthe - the title means
"Absinthe - Vaud wine (wrestling) match".
A lithographed tin
advertising sign
(44 x 20cm) for
La Morarde, an
aperitif produced by
the Bonal distillery
that appears to have
targeted both the
absinthe and the
Chartreuse markets!
Click on the images
to enlarge.
advertising sign
(44 x 20cm) for
La Morarde, an
aperitif produced by
the Bonal distillery
that appears to have
targeted both the
absinthe and the
Chartreuse markets!
Click on the images
to enlarge.
Manufacturers rushed to exploit the prevailing
anti-absinthe hysteria - here a drinker of Byrrh
(a quinine based tonic wine) kicks away a
ghostly figure with an absinthe.
Click on the image to enlarge.
anti-absinthe hysteria - here a drinker of Byrrh
(a quinine based tonic wine) kicks away a
ghostly figure with an absinthe.
Click on the image to enlarge.
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