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Swiss celebrate National Absinthe Day

An absinthe spoon with a sugar cube lies on top of a glass in the absinthe distillery Artemisia in Couvet, Val-de-Travers Keystone

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.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR