Cherries drove significant growth in the Fougerolles distillation industry in the late nineteenth century, but that's not the whole story! What is less widely known is that absinthe also made a major contribution to the town's meteoric rise.
At the time, Fougerolles had a number of distilleries specialising in the distillation of cherries and other stone fruit. The village experienced considerable growth with distilleries and related industries (cooperage, demijohn manufacturing, etc.) in the ascendency. Moreover, the railway gave Fougerolles access to the whole of France.
The problem was that some people were opposed to absinthe. They claimed that it drove people mad and secured its prohibition in 1915.
While this was happening, absinthe had rapidly become very popular. Once the preserve of the Paris artistic elite, the green fairy was now accessible to all. Such was its popularity that even women began drinking it in cafés, which was unheard of at the time!
Skyrocketing demand led the Fougerolles distilleries to start producing absinthe, with the Abel Bresson distillery at the forefront quickly dominating the market. The Distillerie Paul Devoille produced the beverage until 1915. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Fougerolles distilleries produced 16% of all absinthe consumed in France. That's a lot!