Recommended Amount of Absinthe?
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 you need to buy quality Absinthe, rich in essential oils and which 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 find it hard to find a good quality Absinthe then you should try making your own using essences from AbsintheKit.com.
Once you have got your Absinthe, you will need to learn The Ritual called La Louche. the traditional French or Swiss method of preparing Absinthe and it uses one shot of Absinthe. The instructions:-
To perform the Ritual, you will need a slotted Absinthe spoon, a lump of sugar, an Absinthe glass, and iced water.
– Pour 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into the glass.
– Rest the special Absinthe spoon on the rim of the glass and then place a cube of sugar in it.
– Slowly drip 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. Slowly dripping it will give the sugar time to dissolve and drip through the slots of the spoon. You will see a lovely “louche” effect as the water mixes into the alcohol. The Absinthe louches because the oils of the herbs which are alcohol soluble, make the mixture ilky when water is added.
– Sit back 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 generally scorned by Absinthe followers.
Instructions and tips for using the Bohemian method:-
– Pour between 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass and dip the cube of sugar into the Absinthe and soak the sugar.
– Place the cube of sugar on the Absinthe spoon and rest on the rim of the glass.
– To allow the sugar to melt and carmelize, 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 Absinthe and pour the iced water into the Absinthe to put out any flames and to cause the Absinthe to louche.
– Enjoy the drink.
For real enjoyment of your Absinthe 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 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 a US shot glass full or approximately 45 ml. You can search online for recipes to use Absinthe in cocktails.
