Swiss celebrate National Absinthe Day
![](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2017/03/d2f5baeaa1da1030ab865a574c504731-184648594-jpg-data.jpg)
Sunday was National Absinthe Day, and Swiss fans of the “Green Fairy”, which originated in the Val-de-Travers near Neuchâtel in the 18th century, no doubt raised a few glasses to the legendary alcoholic spirit.
Absinthe was banned in Switzerland in 1910, ostensibly over fears it was damaging public health, and wasn’t legalised until 2005. But bootleggers in Val-de-Travers continued to distil the drink in secret.
![JTI Certified](https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/wp-content/themes/swissinfo-theme/assets/jti-certification.png)
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.