Girond Absinthe Pyrogene

Ceramic match holder advertising for the Girond distillery and its L’Aiglon absinthe

Absinthe Girond was an absinthe brand produced in Saint-Étienne (Loire) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the golden age of the “Green Fairy.”

The Girond company

The company was run by the liquorist-distiller J. Girond.
It was first located at 23 Rue de Roanne (now Rue Bergson) in Saint-Étienne, before moving in 1900 to 50 Rue de la Préfecture.

Surprisingly, the company advertised itself as a “Great Parisian distillery,” a claim that even appeared on the factory building according to some period invoices. It remained in operation until 1913, shortly before the ban on absinthe in France (1915).

The products

Girond notably offered:

• Absinthe Girond “oxygenated green and white”
• A “very old rectified” version
• Alcohol content ranging from around 65% to 68%
• Another absinthe named Jygée (created from the initials J.G. of J. Girond)

The brand won a gold medal in Paris in 1900.

Advertising items

Like many distillers of the era, Girond distributed numerous promotional materials: blotters (advertising desk pads), match holders, carafes, etc. Some of these objects still circulate today among collectors of absinthe and Belle Époque advertising memorabilia.

Context

Absinthe Girond is part of the abundant regional absinthe production that existed in France before the 1915 ban. Saint-Étienne was not a major production hub (which was primarily located in Pontarlier), but the city had several liquorists who marketed their own absinthe.

The brand disappeared with the prohibition of absinthe and was not revived thereafter.