Measure out the correct amount of ice-cold water in a carafe and start to drip it slowly, drop by drop, on the sugar cube and to the glass below.Place one (or two) sugar cube(s) on the perforated part of the spoon.Rest an absinthe spoon across the rim of the glass.Pour the measure of absinthe in the glass.Chill some water in a jug with ice beforehand.'Louching' absinthe using an absinthe spoon: To prepare a classic absinthe drip cocktail there is no need to own all the paraphernalia associated with the ritual, but it is certainly fun to play with it, if you have some :-)Ĥ cl (1 part) traditional, good-quality French or Swiss absinthe (alcohol content about 68 % by volume)ġ2 - 16 cl (3 - 4 parts) of fresh, iced waterĪbsinthe glass (or a large and sturdy, preferably short-stemmed wine glass)Ībsinthe spoon (or tea sieve or other small, flat strainer) In addition, the drink is usually sweetened with a small amount of sugar. The traditional way to serve absinthe is to slowly dilute it with cold water, which makes it turn cloudy, a phenomenon called the louche effect. Picture on right: Pontarlier-type absinthe glass with a lower reservoir helping to measure the correct amount of absinthe. Cleared of their notorious and controversial reputation, absinthe liqueurs close to the original vintage ones have been experiencing a bit of a renaissance here in Europe since the 1990s.

Absinthe dripper