How to Drink Absinthe

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By Ursula Anderson
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A dangerously seductive drink.

Since the early part of the 20th century, buying and consuming Absinthe in the United States has been illegal. Recently, it's become legal again, as long as the consumer is of legal drinking age. You'd think that the only instructions one would need to drink any alcohol drink would consist of three steps: 1. Open Bottle. 2. Pour into glass. 3.Drink. But Absinthe is a very odd drink, and requires an unusual little ritual to drink it. Here's the simplest way to drink this historic drink.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A bottle of Absinthe
An Absinthe spoon
An Absinthe glass
Ice water
Sugar cubes
An eyedropper (optional)
A shot glass or other measuring device

Step 1

A genuine French "Absinthe Fountain."

Buy the best Absinthe you can afford. When you are ready to begin drinking it, gather your glass, ice water, special spoon, sugar cubes, eyedropper, if used, and the Absinthe itself. Open the bottle.
Step 2

There are different Absinthe drinks you can make, but the most basic is this: 1 ounce of Absinthe to 2 ounces of ice water, with one sugar cube added gradually. But don't just dump them all together.
Step 3

Absinthe spoons.

Pour the ounce of Absinthe into the glass. Absinthe glasses are thin, and have a narrow base and a wide opening. Rest the Absinthe spoon across the glass so that the holes in the spoon are directly above the Absinthe in the glass. Place one sugar cube on the spoon, over the holes.
Step 4

Mixing the water and the sugar cube.

Using an eyedropper, or carefully drizzling from a small pitcher or glass, drizzle a drop or two of water onto the sugar cube. Stop when it begins to become saturated with water.
Step 5

One of many depictions of the

When the water begins to drip through the sugar cube, into the glass, watch as it swirls into the liquor below. It will make fancy shapes, which earlier drinkers of Absinthe have likened to a "Green Fairy" which is supposed to enhance one's creativity. However, it's just sugar dissolving into the viscous, syrupy drink. Alcohol temporarily destroys inhibitions and slows the brain and nervous system, which could be confused with increased creativity, but it's not really that.
Step 6

When the sugar cube stops dripping, put a little more water on it so that it continues dripping. Repeat this process until all the sugar is in the Absinthe. If you have any more ice water left of the two ounces you started with, add it now. You will notice that, as the cold water is added, the once clear green Absinthe becomes cloudy and opaque.
Step 7

Once all the water has been added to the Absinthe, you may drink it. Do not gulp it down all at once; sip it and savor it. Absinthe has a strong anise taste, rather like licorice, with herbal undertones. Different brands use different herbs. The main ingredient in the drink is wormwood, which is bitter and poisonous, and is said to cause hallucinations. The Absinthe currently being sold in this country has very little of this ingredient, and is unlikely to cause hallucinations or other neural symptoms, but drink with caution, all the same. Never drink more than three Absinthe drinks at a sitting.

Comments

tundranut said

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on 3/12/2009 Great information. I won't go the extra mile to acquire Absinthe, but it's good to know about it. Thanks. 5*

MotherDove said

on 12/10/2008 Interesting article. I've heard Absinthe referred to as "liquid heroin" - nice, right? Thanks for laying out the ritual step-by-step. I'm sure that's some of the appeal.