The name on the bottle is the one that started it. Pernod built the first great absinthe house, watched the spirit become the drink of Belle Époque Paris, and watched it banned outright in 1915. This is the modern bottling of that recipe — green, ferociously aromatic, and made to be transformed by a slow thread of iced water.
The Pernod name becomes attached to absinthe production in Switzerland, where the spirit began as a herbal remedy in the Val-de-Travers.
1805
Henri-Louis Pernod opens a distillery across the border at Pontarlier in France. It becomes the largest absinthe house in the world.
1915
France bans absinthe outright, after decades of moral panic and pressure from a wine industry that had lost ground to it. The green hour ends.
The Return
Nearly a century later the ban is unwound across Europe, and Pernod returns with a bottling built on its pre-1915 recipe.
What Sets It Apart
The Original House
The name absinthe was built on, before the ban
Grande Wormwood
With green anise and fennel — the holy trinity
It Performs
The louche — clear green clouding to opal — is theatre
68% ABV
Full strength, as it was always meant to be diluted from
Tasting Profile
Anise
Wormwood
Fennel
Intensity
Green AniseWormwoodFennelHerbal BitternessVery Long Finish
How to Serve It
The Louche
Iced water dripped slowly over a sugar cube, five parts to one
Sazerac Rinse
A wash around the glass, then discarded — that is all it takes
Death in the Afternoon
A measure topped with champagne — Hemingway's own
Pairs Well With
Dark Chocolate
Cocoa is one of the few things loud enough to answer
Oysters
By way of a Sazerac, the New Orleans way
Shaved Fennel
With citrus — the botanical, on the plate
Liquorice
Leaning into it rather than away
The Finishing Touches
Green Velvet Gift Box
Our signature presentation box, added at checkout.
Hand-Tied Ribbon
Wide cream satin, tied by hand into a full bow.
Signature Gift Bag
Our matching gift bag, so it's ready to hand over on arrival.
Your Message
Add a personal note at checkout — we'll include it with the delivery.
Sending it as a surprise? Enter the recipient's address at checkout and we'll deliver straight to their door, boxed, ribboned and carrying your message — in as little as 30–45 minutes anywhere in London.
How We Deliver
London · 30–45 Minutes
Delivered to your door 24/7, 365 days a year, across Greater London.
UK-Wide Delivery
Express in 1–2 business days, standard in 3–5. Rates shown at checkout.
Tracked & Confirmed
Shipment confirmation with live tracking sent to your email.
Challenge 21
Age verified on delivery — 18+ ID required. Responsible retailing, always.
At a Glance
Origin
France
Style
Absinthe verte
Key Botanicals
Grande wormwood, anise, fennel
Signature Serve
The louche, 5:1 iced water
ABV
68%
Bottle Size
70cl
Questions
Will it make me hallucinate?
No. The thujone-in-wormwood scare that drove the bans has not survived scientific scrutiny — the quantities involved are far too small to have any such effect. What absinthe will do is get you drunk, because it is 68% alcohol. That is the whole of the mystery.
How do I prepare it properly?
Pour a measure into a glass, rest a slotted spoon with a sugar cube across the rim, and drip iced water over the cube — slowly, about five parts water to one of absinthe. The spirit clouds from clear green to pale opal as the oils come out of solution. That clouding is the louche, and it is the point.
Should I set fire to it?
Please do not. The flaming sugar cube is a Czech invention from the 1990s with no historical basis, and at 68% you are lighting a fire on your table for no gain. It also scorches the botanicals you have paid for.
Who is this a good gift for?
Someone with a taste for ritual. Absinthe is one of the few spirits that asks you to do something before you drink it, and the transformation in the glass is genuinely lovely to watch. Good for cocktail makers, and for anyone drawn to the Belle Époque.
Can you deliver it directly to the person I'm gifting?
Yes — enter their address at checkout and add your message. In London it can be at their door within 30–45 minutes, any hour of the day. The recipient must be 18+ with ID for our Challenge 21 check.
Why Buy From Drinks House 247
✔ 100% authentic stock✔ 4.8★ Google · 223 reviews✔ Gift-boxed and ribboned✔ Open 24/7, 365 days✔ London's 24-hour spirits house, based in Battersea
18+ Please enjoy Pernod Absinthe responsibly — it is 68% ABV and should always be diluted. For guidance and support, visit drinkaware.co.uk.
