One of my favorite recipes that I have developed in Switzerland is my Absinthe Bundt Cake. You might think that baking with absinthe seems a bit non-traditional, but it’s really not. Absinthe may have a reputation as being a toxic alcoholic beverage that makes you hallucinate. However, distillers in the Val-de-Travers have been making le fée verte (the green fairy) for centuries. In some cases, with recipes that have been passed down for generations.

I had absinthe cake for the first time last spring during a local Nuit des musées (Night of the museums) event, and since then, I’ve been experimenting with absinthe to flavor one of my favorites styles of cake — the Bundt. I often refer to Bundt cake as an American version of the gugelhopf, a typical cake found in Switzerland.

Along with my Bundt recipe, I’m sharing my recommendation for a good Swiss absinthe for baking, and where you can find it!

La Valote Martin: An Absinthe Distillery in Val-de-Travers

In the heart of the Val-de-Travers, considered the birthplace of absinthe, you will discover La Valote Martin — an award-winning distillery.

I had heard of this distillery before, but I first stumbled across it by accident, when I missed my bus stop in Môtiers. As I walked from Fleurier to Boveresse, on my way to the Séchoir for the Nuit des musées event, I stopped immediately when I saw the impressive façade of the 18th century “Maison des Chats” (the house of cats). The green shutters seemed an appropriate color choice, as a hint that the green fairy can be found behind its walls.

Visiting an absinthe distiller

The owner and distiller of La Valote Martin, Philippe Martin, offers guided tours of his distillery in English, French or German, and with reservations made in advance. My husband recently organized a tour for us and several of our friends. I was eager to find a bottle of absinthe that Philippe would recommend for my baking project.

La Valote Martin currently offers eight different types of absinthe, and the distillery has a very good reputation. For example, in 2015-2016 the national Swiss distillers competition, Distisuisse, awarded the gold medal to La Valote Martin’s Esmeralda absinthe. Furthermore, its Nirvana and the Grenouillarde absinthes both received silver medals. His absinthe has also been recognized internationally by the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles for 2016. In this competition, Esmeralda won the Grand Gold, and Nirvana earned Gold.

During the tour, you’ll hear lots of family anecdotes from Philippe about absinthe, as well as the history of this strong alcoholic beverage in the Val-de-Travers. For example, to be considered a true absinthe, it must have four key ingredients: small wormwood, large wormwood, fennel and green anise. Furthermore, you’ll hear about when he was growing up, why he wouldn’t usually be allowed to take a bath on rainy days (Hint: It has to do with the ban on absinthe in Switzerland from 1910 to 2005).

An absinthe garden

Philippe grows the plants used to make his absinthe in the garden across the street from his distillery. As part of the tour, you will visit the garden, the plants from which he dries in the attic of the Maison des Chats. He is one of the few distillers in the region that still makes absinthe in this traditional way, with plants he grows and dries himself.

According to Philippe, who learned to make absinthe from his father, if you’re planning to make a dessert with absinthe, he recommends the Marilyn. Made with 10 plants from the Val-de-Travers, it has a sweeter flavor than some of his other absinthes. Also, he describes it on his website as having multiple flavors that tend to linger on your palate. The Marylin absinthe is lovely for sipping with ice-cold water–one part absinthe, two parts water, when it takes on a cloudy appearance. I also like using it in my new absinthe Bundt cake recipe. Imagine a traditional American pound cake flavored with absinthe, having hints of fennel, anise and lime.

How to make it:

La Valote Martin, Rue du Quarre 10, 2113 Boveresse, Switzerland, Tel: +41 32 861 2654, info@absinthe-originale.ch

What kinds of cooking or baking do you do with absinthe? What is your favorite kind of absinthe for your recipes? Please leave a comment below or send me an email. Thanks!

Updated: October 1, 2023