Absinthe Shop

Absinthe Drink Preparation

The traditional method for preparing Absinthe is pouring into a glass over a specially designed slotted spoon. Next place a sugar cube in the bowl of the spoon and pour ice cold water over the sugar cube until the drink is diluted 5:1 to 3:1. During this process, the components that are not water soluble, mainly the fennel and anise come out of mix and cloud the drink. This creates a milky opalescence called the louche. Adding water is very important this causes the herbs to "blossom" and brings out many of the unique flavors that is normally overpowered by the anise. Most people agree that a good quality absinthe should not require sugar, but it is added for taste and will also thicken the feel of the drink. Major Swiss, French, and Spanish absinthe distillers recommend their absinthes without adding sugar.

Although many bars served absinthe in standard glasses, a number of glasses were specifically made for absinthe, having a dose line, bulge, or bubble in its lower portion to mark how much absinthe should be poured into it, one "dose" of absinthe is around 1 oz (30 ml), and most glasses used this as the standard amount, but some drinkers would use as much as 1 1/2 oz (45 ml).

Absinthe Spoon

A slotted spoon is used for dissolving a single sugar cube into the absinthe, in order to sweeten the absinthe drink and counteract the natural bitter taste of the abinsthe. The bowl of the spoon is flat and has a notch in the handle where it can rests on the rim of the glass. Originating in the 1860s, absinthe spoons were usually engraved with the brand names or logos, very similar too modern alcohol paraphernalia. The "Les Cuilleres" spoons, which is a not so common variation of the absinthe spoon, are very similar to iced tea spoons. These spoons have a normal bowl and the sugar holder is built into the handle.

Absinthe Ritual

Check out this video on how to prepare Absinthe.