There is 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 recommended 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 Absinthe substitute and fake Absinthes on sale that contain southernwood or roman wormwood instead of common wormwood (artemisia absinthium). It is important that 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.
Once you have got your Absinthe, you will need to learn The Ritual, or La Louche. This traditional way of preparing Absinthe using one shot of Absinthe. Following are the instructions:-
To perform the Ritual, you will need a lump of sugar, a slotted Absinthe spoon, iced water, and Absinthe glass.
– Pour between 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass.
– Place the special spoon over the rim of the glass and place a cube of sugar on it.
– Drip slowly iced water over the sugar either by dripping from the tap of the fountain or by using a steady hand to pour from a carafe. Dripping it slowly will give the sugar chance to dissolve and drip through the slots of the spoon. You will see a “louche” effect as the water mixes into the alcohol. The drink louches as the oils of the herbs are souble in alcohol but not in water and therefore make the mixture cmoudy when water is added.
– Sit down, relax and enjoy your Absinthe.
Similar to the Ritual is the Bohemian or Czech Method and is a modern way of preparing cheap Czech Absinthes. The Bohemian method is scorned by Absinthe followers.
Here are the instructions and tips for using the Bohemian method:-
– Pour between 25 – 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass and dip the sugar cube into it to soak the sugar.
– Plcace the cube of sugar on the Absinthe spoon and rest the spon on the rim of the glass.
– To allow the sugar to melt and carmelize, set the sugar cube on fire for one minute. The sugar should drip thru the slots of the spoon and into the Absinthe.
– Put the spoon into the Absinthe, pour the iced water into the Absinthe to put out any flames and to cause the Absinthe to louche.
– Enjoy your Absinthe drink.
To properly enjoy your Absinthe then you will want some Absinthiana – Absinthe glasses, spoons and even an Absinthe fountain to control the flow of the water. Replicas of antique glasses and 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 so to a Google search to find recipes online.