Our third and final cocktail is the Absinthe Ritual. this is the traditional French way of drinking absinthe; you may see it under the name of Absinthe Drop Cocktail.
As well as being very strong (assuming you buy the real thing), Absinthe is also quite a bitter spirit, so you will never see it being drunk neat the way you will with a whiskey, brandy or rum. The absinthe ritual uses water and sugar to both weaken the strength and also add sweetness to make the absinthe more palatable.
In 19th century Parisian cafés, upon receiving an order for an absinthe, a waiter would present the patron with a dose of absinthe in a suitable glass, sugar, absinthe spoon, and a carafe of iced water. It was up to the patron to prepare the drink, as the inclusion or omission of sugar was strictly an individual preference, as was the amount of water used. As the popularity of the drink increased, additional accoutrements of preparation appeared, including the absinthe fountain, which was effectively a large jar of iced water with spigots, mounted on a lamp base. This let drinkers prepare a number of drinks at once – and with a hands-free drip, patrons could socialise while louching a glass.
AuthorThe Cocktails Must FlowCategoryAbsinthe, Sugar, WaterDifficultyBeginnerThe traditional French way of drinking absinthe; a simple combination of absinthe, sugar, water and, most of all, time to wait for the louche effect to take place.
Pour the absinthe into an absinthe glass (or tumbler if, like me, you don't have one).
Balance the absinthe spoon over the glass and place a sugar cube on top.
Carefully pour the chilled water onto the sugar cube until it is soaked.
Wait for the sugar cube to begin dissolving and then wait some more.
When the sugar cube has dissolved, gently pour more water over the sugar to wash the last into the glass (90-150ml chilled water depending on taste).
Remove the absinthe spoon.
In 19th century Parisian cafés, upon receiving an order for an absinthe, a waiter would present the patron with a dose of absinthe in a suitable glass, sugar, absinthe spoon, and a carafe of iced water. It was up to the patron to prepare the drink, as the inclusion or omission of sugar was strictly an individual preference, as was the amount of water used. As the popularity of the drink increased, additional accoutrements of preparation appeared, including the absinthe fountain, which was effectively a large jar of iced water with spigots, mounted on a lamp base. This let drinkers prepare a number of drinks at once – and with a hands-free drip, patrons could socialise while louching a glass.
Although many bars served absinthe in standard glassware, a number of glasses were specifically designed for the French absinthe preparation ritual. Absinthe glasses were typically fashioned with a dose line, bulge, or bubble in the lower portion denoting how much absinthe should be poured. One "dose" of absinthe ranged anywhere around 2–2.5 fluid ounces (60–75 ml).
[cocktail-ingredients]
Ingredients
Directions
Pour the absinthe into an absinthe glass (or tumbler if, like me, you don't have one).
Balance the absinthe spoon over the glass and place a sugar cube on top.
Carefully pour the chilled water onto the sugar cube until it is soaked.
Wait for the sugar cube to begin dissolving and then wait some more.
When the sugar cube has dissolved, gently pour more water over the sugar to wash the last into the glass (90-150ml chilled water depending on taste).
Remove the absinthe spoon.