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How to serve absinthe.

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Always wanted to know how to serve it:

You've heard Marilyn Manson sing its praises and seen Trent Reznor pour it in the video for "The Perfect Drug” and Kylie Minogue portray "the Green Fairy" (a.k.a. absinthe) in Moulin Rouge. But, what the hell is absinthe? It's a green, sometimes red or black, anise-flavored liquor made with herbs and wormwood that gives you a fuzzier feeling than your average alcoholic beverage. And, this is how you serve it:

The Traditional French Ritual:
Step 1: Pour two shots of absinthe into the glass.
Step 2: Rest the absinthe spoon on top of the glass.
Step 3: Place one to two sugar cubes (to taste) on top of the spoon.
Step 4: Pour another shot of absinthe over the sugar, soaking the cubes with the liqueur.
Step 5: Light the absinthe-soaked sugar on fire and let the sugar burn until it caramelizes and starts melting into the glass. Be careful here: The blue flame is sometimes hard to see. Don't stick your finger in it see if it's on fire - it is!
Step 6: Pour a shot of ice-cold water over the fired up sugar to put the fire out.
Step 7: Stir any sugar that remains on the spoon into your absinthe. Once the water and sugar are stirred in, the absinthe will "louche," which means to turn a milky white-green shade. And, it's time to drink!

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MandyMonroe

11 responses // How to serve absinthe.

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    Thanks, that's a lot classier than chugging it...

    Moopak
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    "Step 3: Place one to two sugar cubes (to taste) on top of the spoon."

    To taste? See, that's the problem. I'm thinking... twenty sugar cubes, personally.

    jennatar
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    I highly recommend trying this stuff. If you drink it correctly like described above, you'll definitely have a good time.

    gasolineinjected
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    Thanks for the tip! Any idea where they serve the stuff? (I'm from Canada but am travelling W. Europe for the next month)...always wanted to try!

    compaqman
    1 response to this
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    If I am not mistaken, didn't the US recently drop their ban on absinthe after finding the chemical Thujone, which comes from wormwood has no hallucinogenic effects?

    extremepain
    1 response to this
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    http://www.oxygenee.com/
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    Right on, extremepain. Science proved that thujone, long thought to be what gives absinthe its 'oomph,' is a lot less fun than we always thought.

    Before the ban was lifted, you could actually obtain legal absinthe, marked "thujone-free" by the FDA, and even in bars, as I recall. You could also have "real" absinthe shipped, I've heard. A friend of mine imported some--not sure about the legality of that--and I wish I'd known what I know now: that stuff is horrible.

    jennatar
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    whatever the haters and ANTI artist enthusiasts say, but this shit is bomb and needs to be tried, well worth the wait and questioning, try it than dog it but one hell of an experience my friends. . . .

    BIOHAZARD
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    never tried it. never even seen it in person.

    Gustolingo
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    Hey Jennatar, What your friend probably got was pre-ban absinthe. Im probably off a few years, but I believe it was the 20s when the ban came, and every now and then large hoarded stocks of it are found and sold (at very high prices mind you).

    The other chance could be that it came from Spain, as they lifted their ban several years ago, and you could buy it and have it shipped, though you are at the mercy of customs agents.

    Oddly enough, pre-ban REAL absinthe is legal to import. I guess that makes some sense, since pre-ban Cuban cigars are legal to buy and own.

    extremepain

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