How Much Absinthe is the Recommended Amount?

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

First be sure to buy a quality Absinthe which is rich in essential oils and that contains wormwood. Many Absinthe substitutes or fake Absinthes are for sales but you should buy Absinthes that contains common wormwood. Make sure you buy a proper real Absinthe. If you live somewhere where a good quality Absinthe is hard to fine, you can make your own using essences from AbsintheKit.com.

When you have your Absinthe, you will need to learn The Ritual or La Louche. This is the traditional French way of preparing Absinthe which uses one shot. The instructions are:-

You need the following to perform the Ritural, lump of suger, a slotted Absinthe spoon, iced water and and Absinthe glass.

- Pour 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into the glass.
- Rest the special spoon over the rim of the glass and place a cube of sugar on it.
- Drip iced water slowly over the sugar either by using a steady hand to pour from a carafe or by dripping from the tap of the fountain. After giving the sugar a chance to dissolve and drip it slowly through the slots of the spoon. You should see a lovely “louche” effect as the water mixes into the alcohol. The drink louches because the oils of the herbs are soluble in alcohol but not in water and so make the mixture cloudy when water is added.
- Sit back and enjoy your Absinthe.

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

Instructions and tips for using the Bohemian method:-

- Pour between 25 - 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass and dip the sugar cube into it to soak the sugar.
- Place the sugar cube on the spoon and rest the spoon on the rim of the glass.
- To allow the sugar to carmelize and melt, set the sugar cube on fire for one minute. The sugar should drip through the slots of the spoon and into the Absinthe.
- Place the spoon into the glass while pouring the iced water into the Absinthe to put out flames and to cause the liquid to louche.
- Enjoy the Absinthe drink.

If you want to enjoy your Absinthe properly the 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 can be purchased from AbsintheKit.com.

What amount of Absinthe is recommended 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.