There is much interest in Absinthe, which is also known as Green 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 be sure to buy a quality Absinthe which is rich in essential oils and that contains wormwood. There are many Absinthe subsitutes on sale that contain southernwood or roman wormwood instead of common wormwood. Be sure you buy a proper real Absinthe. If you are in a country where it is hard to find a good quality Absinthe then you can make your own using essences from AbsintheKit.com.
After you have your Absinthe, you will need to learn the Ritural, or La Louche. This traditional way of preparing Absinthe using one shot of Absinthe. Here are the instructions to follow:-
To perform the Ritual, you will need a lump of sugar, a slotted Absinthe spoon, iced water, and Absinthe glass.
– Pour between 25 – 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass.
– Rest the special spoon over the rim of the glass and place a cube of sugar on it.
– By either pouring from a carafe or dripping from the tap of the fountain, slowly drip iced water over the sugar. Dripping it slowly will give the sugar chance to dissolve and drip through the slots of the spoon. You will probably see a lovely “louche” effect 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.
The Czech or Bohemian Method is very similar to the Ritual but is a modern way of preparing cheap Czech Absinthes. The Bohemian method is scorned by Absinthe followers.
Tips and instructions for using the Bohemian method:-
– Pour between 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass and dip the sugar cube into it to soak the sugar.
– Place the cube of sugar on the Absinthe spoon and rest on the rim of the glass.
– Set the sugar cube on fire for one minute to allow the sugar to melt and caramelize. The sugar should 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 the Absinthe drink.
To really enjoy your Absinthe properly then you will want some Absinthiana – Absinthe glasses, spoons and perhaps even an Absinthe fountain to control the flow of the water. Replicas of antique spoons can be purchased from AbsintheKit.com.
So, what is the recommended amount of Absinthe to use when preparing an Absinthe drink? Use about 45 ml or a US shot. Obviously, Absinthe can be used in cocktails – search for recipes online.