There is much renewed interest in Absinthe, which is also known as the Greeny Fairy or La Fee Verte. People want to know how to buy it, what type to buy, how to prepare it and what is the amount of Absinthe to use when preparing a drink.
First you need to buy quality Absinthe, rich in essential oils and which contains wormwood. Be sure to buy Absinthes that contains wormwood instead of the many fake or substitute Absinthe that are on sale. Make sure you buy a proper real Absinthe. If you live where a good quality Absinthe is hard to find, then you can make your own using essences from AbsintheKit.com.
When you have your Absinthe, you will need to learn The Ritual or La Louche. This is the traditional French or Swiss way of preparing Absinthe and it uses one shot of Absinthe. Here are the instructions to follow:-
The Ritural is peformed with a slotted Absinthe spoon, a lump of suger, iced water and Absinthe glass.
– Pour 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass.
– Rest the Absinthe spoon over the rim of the glass and place a cube of sugar on it.
– Slowly drip iced water over suger either by dripping from the tap of the fountain or by using a steady hand to pour from a carafe. Slowly dripping it will give the sugar time to dissolve and drip through the slots of the spoon. You should see a “louche” effet as the water mixes into the alcohol. The drink louches because the oils of the herbs are soluble in alcohol but not in water and so make the mixture cloudy when water is added.
– Sit down and enjoy your drink.
Another method similar to the Ritual is the Czech Method which is a modern way of preparing cheap Czech Absinthes. Absinthe followers rather scorn the Bohemian method.
Instructions for using the Bohemian method:-
– Pour 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into the glass and dip the cube of sugar into the Absinthe and soak the sugar.
– Place the sugar cube on the Absinthe spoon and rest the spoon on the rim of the glass.
– To allow the sugar to carmelize and melt, set the sugar cube on fire for one minute. The melted sugar will drip through the slots of the spoon and into the Absinthe.
– Put the spoon into the glass while pouring the iced water into the Absinthe to put out flames and to cause the Absinthe to louche.
– Enjoy your Absinthe drink.
If you want to enjoy your Absinthe properly the you will want some Absinthiana – Absinthe glasses, spoons and perhaps even an Absinthe fountain to control the flow of the water. Replicas of antique glasses and spoons can be purchased from AbsintheKit.com.
What amount of Absinthe is recommended to use when preparing an Absinthe drink? About 45 ml or a shot glass full in the US. You can use Absinthe in cocktains – search for recipes online.