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video How to Prepare Absinthe
This is one method of preparing absinthe: pour it over a sugar cube (or sugar) which you then light on fire to caramelize it. Then, mix with water. A sugar cube would work better than the loose sugar that I used, since it will burn longer (and caramelize more thoroughly.)
The more traditional method is simply to run a slow stream of water over ice, called "louching" which creates the same beautiful clouding of the Absinthe liquor. Here's a Youtube video showing that method.
The more traditional method is simply to run a slow stream of water over ice, called "louching" which creates the same beautiful clouding of the Absinthe liquor. Here's a Youtube video showing that method.
This phenomenon is associated with what passed for absinthe in Eastern Europe since ~1999 and has been gradually fading away since real absinthe was re-legitimized in the E.U. and the U.S.
Much more info at the Fee Verte and Wormwood Society forums and my blargh at http://spiritof72.blogspot.com.
You can also drive your car with your hands on the pedals and feet on the steering wheel.
But why?!
Of course there are any number of ways to get absinthe in your body, but it's a flavorful drink that /should/ be enjoyed for its flavor, and there *is* a traditional method of drinking it that maximizes your enjoyment of it. That method is adding water (and maybe sugar) slowly to draw the oils out of suspension.
Tricks like burning some on a sugar cube only detract from the work that went into making it an awesome drink.
Sante!
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Good news: Absinthe was legalized in the US, last year. Hangar One (the distillery that produced the bottle you see in the video) is one of the few licensed producers of the real stuff.
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