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Absinthe Herb Cultivation in Pontarlier
While  green anise is grown largely in Spain and in the south of France, and Florence fennel
comes from Italy, the other 4 major herbs in a typical Pontarlier absinthe blend were all
historically grown in the region: grand wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), petite
wormwood (Artemisia pontica, aka Roman wormwood), melissa (aka lemonbalm), and
hyssop.

With the century-long ban on absinthe, the tradition of cultivating these herbs around
Pontarlier died out, and the priceless knowledge of local growing conditions was largely
lost. In the last few years, we at Archive Spirits have been instrumental in helping rebuild
this lost heritage, by working with local farmers to once again plant the classic Pontarlier
absinthe herbs, in some cases in the very same fields that, on the evidence of old
photographs, once supplied the absinthe distillers of the Belle Epoque. We're proud that all
the absinthe herbs used in our Roquette range are locally grown, just a few miles from the
distillery.

It seems appropriate to quote here an extract from Ernest Tisserand's 1922 "Éloge de la
très précieuse liqueur d’Absinthe", an elegiac memoir of the absinthe era:

There are no sweeter names than those borne by the plants from which the mild liquor is
distilled. And I don't know in all the world of plants more vivid and more proud. They are
the very flower of the spirited hyssop, the fennel that scents the mullet grilled for kings, the
melissa that restores color to swooning women, the anise that makes food resound, the
angelica embedded like sticks of joy in children's gingerbread, the star anise nurtured by
mandarins like the Dutch tend their tulips, the coriander that bleaches the saliva, the mint
that drives love, the oregano that makes the eyes of maidens shine, and it is the wormwood
finally, the grande wormwood and the petite, chaste ornament of the mountains and
seashores , daughter of the pure high winds, wheat of virgin spaces, emblem of untamed
freedom.
A year-old wormwood field in the
village of La Rivière Drugeon,
about half an hour's drive from
Pontarlier. It's believed that this
particular field was devoted to
absinthe cultivation in the pre-ban
era as well - it's immediately
adjacent to a disused railway
track, which, a century ago, run
directly to  a siding at the Pernod
Fils factory.
Another newly planted field, on the outskirts of the industrial area of Pontarlier. To conserve moisture and prevent weed growth, the
young plants are grown through black plastic sheeting.
At La Rivière Drugeon, outside Pontarlier, absinthe grows wild on the edges of gardens and along
the roads. These are mature plants with flowering tips, in commercial terms ready for harvesting.
In another revival of an old tradition, an
annual harvest festival is now held in
July each year in Pontarlier - amidst
much festivity, a wagon load of newly
dried absinthe is paraded through the
streets, and stalks are handed out to
the assembled populace.
The beautiful and delicate petite absinthe plant, smaller in every respect than its more famous cousin, and
harder to grow, as the plant is less vigorous. Much less bitter than grand absinthe, it's used primarily in the
colouring step.
Young melissa or lemonbalm plants - part of the mint family.
Another essential herb for colouring absinthe - hyssop. As the plants mature they produce small blue flowers - a sign the
stalks are ready for harvesting.