What is the Recommended Amount of Absinthe?

There is renewed interest in Absinthe, which is also known as the Greeny Fairy or La Fee Verte. Before preparing a drink, people want to know how to buy Absinthe, what type to buy, how to prepare it and what is the recommonded amount to use.

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). Make sure you buy a real Absinthe. For those who have a hard time finding good quality Absinthe then you can make your won Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com.

Once you have got your Absinthe, you will need to learn The Ritual, or La Louche. the traditional French or Swiss method of preparing Absinthe and it uses one shot of Absinthe. The instructions are:-

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

- Pour 25-50 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. Give the sugar a chance to dissolve and drip slowly through the shots of the spoon. You see a lovely "louche" effect as the water mixes into the alcohol. The Absinthe louches because the oils of the herbs are soluble in alcohol but not water and make the mixture cloudy or milky 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 generally scorned by Absinthe followers.

Tips and instructions for using the Bohemian method:-

- Pour 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass then dip the sugar cube into it to soak the sugar.
- Place the Absinthe spoon on the rim of the glass and place the cube of sugar on the spoon.
- Set the sugar cube on fire for one minute to allow the sugar to caramelize and melt. The sugar will drip through the slots of the Absinthe 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. Replicas of antique glasses and spoons can be purchased from AbsintheKit.com.

What is the recommended amount of Absinthe to use when preparing an Absinthe drink? Use approximately 45 ml or a shot glass full. You can search online for recipes to use Absinthe in cocktails.