All:

I seem to recall reading that absinthe was never banned in some countries where it is produced, such as Spain, Portugal and Andorra.

If this is the case, are there any current brands that were produced commercially and available in their countries of origin through most of the 20th Century?

Mr.GreenGenes

montana in spain...the recipe, however, was changed at least a couple of times...

And the Coca-Cola of 1903 isn't the Coke of today either.

MrGreengenes

Goddamit. I think I would have liked the old formula better.

Probably nothing being produced now has the same recipe as it did at the turn of the century, if it existed then. Which is not quite what you asked, but I think it's what you really meant.

Possible exceptions:

Segarra? Didn't Julian's great-grandfather start the distillery? (Peter?)

Huguet (and if so, does anyone really care?)


The others all figured out somewhere along the line (1950s or '60s) that they could switch to making a cheap oil mix and it wouldn't matter that much.

Segarra would be my vote.

So anyone in Spain at any time in the past 100 years had the opportunity to enjoy the sunset with a glass of genuine absenta from a bottle marked Segarra or Montana.

What a shame it was Hills that sparked the absinthe revival in thr UK.

MrGreenGenes

the segarra history is not quite clear, but i think it only dates back to the 1920's when the cask of 'gran maestro' brandy was distilled. it is my guess that they didn't make absenta until relatively recently, most of their focus being on brandy and anise, which is much more popular in spain than absenta.
julian segerra considers absenta a 'farmer' drink, certainly not in the same league as brandy for him...his mother died recently and she was the glue of the family business. i was told that the distillery may not last much longer...

That is truly sad news.

Ahh, damn. I like Segarra. Let's hope for the best, even if it means that it ends with dignity. You know, the opposite of Pernod.

Damn, I just started enjoying Segarra. Coincidentally having one right now.