At the beginning of 2007, customers asked if we’d be able to make absinthe. They knew us as manufacturers of genuine natural spirits and liqueurs and they wondered how we’d cope with this task. Until then we’d only known the infamous Czech absinth cold-manufactured from alcohol, flavouring and colouring agents. And we didn’t want this.

We took an interest in this matter – and discovered the beauty of the original herb spirit that ruled Switzerland and France for some 115 years.

And then things started rolling. On 7 May 2007, I sent an e-mail to Martin T. Pecina, whose calligraphy I liked; we received the first preview on 10 June; in October, we distilled the initial batch; and the famous food-blogger, Mr. Cuketka, received the first bottles for testing on 4 February 2008.

This is the first time we have shown the initial preview of the label, with the proposed name of the product. Yes, our St. Antoine was to be called Paradox, as we found it paradoxical that the first absinthe distilled according the original recipe was to be made by our fruit distillery.

And the absinthe became a phenomenon, our most popular export product, one that is recognised all over the world, ranking among the best on the market.

Vive la révolution!