Absente

Distilleries et Domaines de Provence is a historic spirits producer based in Forcalquier, in the heart of Provence, where the landscapes are full of the aromatic plants that have shaped the region’s drinks-making traditions for generations. The distillery traces its roots to 1898, when the Distillerie de Lure was established, and has since developed a range of spirits and liqueurs inspired by the herbs, flowers and botanicals of southern France. This is a part of the world where wild thyme, mint, fennel, anise and wormwood are more than just ingredients: they’re part of the local landscape and a long tradition of making characterful drinks from what grows around you.

The distillery’s approach is built around botanicals and traditional herbal know-how. Rather than focusing on a single spirit category, its range explores the flavours of Provence through aniseed aperitifs, liqueurs and other aromatic spirits. The company has continued to develop its portfolio over the years, balancing established regional recipes with products aimed at drinkers looking for something a little different. There’s a distinctly Provençal feel to the range, with a focus on herbs, spice and freshness rather than sweetness alone. It’s a good reminder that France’s spirits traditions extend well beyond Cognac and Armagnac, with a whole world of regional liqueurs that deserve a bit more attention.

Absente is the distillery’s take on the famously misunderstood world of absinthe. The original drink became hugely popular in nineteenth-century France, particularly among artists, writers and café culture, before being banned in France in 1915 amid concerns about alcohol abuse and the supposed dangers of wormwood. Absinthe returned to legal production decades later, but its reputation has never entirely escaped the mythology surrounding the Green Fairy. Absente taps into that history while offering a more approachable, modern expression of the category, built around the distinctive flavours of wormwood, green anise, star anise, mint and lemon balm.

In the glass, Absente is all about intensely aromatic herbal character, with aniseed freshness up front, followed by cooling mint, fragrant botanicals and a gentle bitterness from the wormwood. Compared with the driest, traditionally distilled absinthes, Absente has a softer, sweeter profile, making it an accessible introduction to this distinctive style of spirit. It can be enjoyed in small measures, mixed into cocktails or served in the traditional way with chilled water, which opens up the aromas and softens the intensity of the anise. It’s a spirit with plenty of personality, and one that rewards a little experimentation rather than being tucked away at the back of the drinks cabinet.

What we like about Distilleries et Domaines de Provence is its connection to the herbal traditions of southern France. There’s a sense of place running through the range, with botanicals and regional recipes taking centre stage rather than being treated as an afterthought. Absente is the more theatrical side of that story: a spirit with a colourful past, a striking herbal profile and enough character to work both as a traditional after-dinner drink and as a more adventurous cocktail ingredient. For anyone curious about absinthe but unsure where to start, it offers an approachable route into a category that has far more to it than its notorious reputation suggests.