How Much Absinthe is Recommended?

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 you need to buy quality Absinthe, rich in essential oils and which contains wormwood. Fake Absinthe substitues on sale which contain southernwoord or roman wormwood instead of the common wormwood. 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 called La Louche. This traditional Swiss or French method of preparing Absinthe, uses one shot of Absinthe. Following are the instructions:-

To perform the Ritual, you will need an Absinthe glass, a slotted Absinthe spoon, a lump of sugar and iced water.

- Pour 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into the glass.
- Rest the special Absinthe spoon over the rim of the glass and place a cube of sugar in 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. After giving the sugar a chance to dissolve and drip it slowly through the slots of the spoon. You see a lovely “louche” effect as the water mixes into the alcohol. The Absinthe louches because the essential oils of the herbs are soluble in alcohol but not in water and so make the mixture cloudy or milky when water is added.
- Sit back and enjoy your Absinthe drink.

The Bohemian Method is similar to the Ritual but is a modern way of preparing cheap Czech Absinthes. Absinthe followers rather scorn the Bohemian method.

The Bohemian method - tips and instructions:-

- Pour between 25 - 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass and dip the cube of sugar into it and soak the sugar.
- Place the sugar cube on the Absinthe spoon and rest the spoon on the rim of the glass.
- Set the sugar cube alight for one minute to allow the surgar 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.

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. Online you can find replicas of antique spoons and glasses for purchased from AbsintheKit.com.

So, what is the recommended amount of Absinthe to use when preparing an Absinthe drink? About 45 ml or a shot glass full in the US. You can search online for recipes to use Absinthe in cocktails.

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