There is much interest in Absinthe, know as the Green 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 certain to buy a quality Absinthe which is rich in oils and that contains worm wood. There are many Absinthe substitutes and fake Absinthes on sale which contain southernwood or roman wormwood instead of common wormwood (artemisia absinthium). Be sure you buy a 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.

After you have your Absinthe, you will need to learn the Ritural, or La Louche. the traditional French or Swiss method of preparing Absinthe and it uses one shot of Absinthe. Here are the instructions to follow:-

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

– Pour 25 to 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. Dripping it slowly will give the sugar time to dissolve and drip through the slots of the spoon. You should see a “louche” effet 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 drink.

The Bohemian or Czech 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.

Instructions and tips for using the Bohemian method:-

– Pour between 25 to 50 ml of Absinthe into a glass and dip the sugar cube into it to soak the sugar.
– Place the cube of sugar on the Absinthe spoon and rest on the rim of the glass.
– 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 spoon and into the Absinthe.
– Put the spoon into the Absinthe, pour the iced water into the Absinthe to put out any flames and to cause the Absinthe to louche.
– Enjoy your Absinthe drink.

For real enjoyment of your Absinthe 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 spoons can be purchased from AbsintheKit.com.

What amount of Absinthe is recommended to use when preparing an Absinthe drink? About 45ml or a US shot. Obviously, Absinthe can be used in cocktails – search for recipes online.