How to drink absinthe

I had the pleasure of having authentic absinthe for the first time recently at Bar Marsella; one of the oldest bars in Barcelona, Spain. The bar claims to have been a favorite watering hole for artists such as Dali, Picasso, and Heminway. This bar is known for it's absinthe and it's serving methods are considered the purest and most traditional way to enjoy this controversial and mysterious spirit.

Properly drinking absinthe begins first with selecting the highest quality absinthe available. Generally the higher the alcohol content, the better the quality of the absinthe. Unfortunately absinthe sold in many countries is regulated and lacks the key ingredient of wormwood. In the United States thujone ,which is a key element of wormwood, is regulated so that absinthe sold in the U.S. has only trace amounts. In some countries absinthe is banned outright so your best bet is to enjoy absinthe when traveling to a country that allows the sale of authentic absinthe.

With those legalities out of the way, when you do have the chance to purchase and enjoy absinthe you'll want to enjoy it as it was meant to be enjoyed. I'll be discussing the traditional way of drinking absinthe which happens to be the same way it is prepared at Bar Marsella for drinking.

If you go to a bar such as this one you'll get your absinthe served in a small glass and generally it is served at room temperature. If you are pouring it yourself, do not fill the glass up all the way, 4-6 fluid ounces is generally sufficient (with 2 ounces being equal to a shot). You should have about half the glass empty after pouring the absinthe.
Properly served, absinthe will come with a fork or with a special absinthe spoon with small holes in it. It was also come with a sugar cube (sometimes wrapped) and with cold water. Bar Marsella served their absinthe with a 20 ounce plastic bottle of cold spring water with a small hole punched in the top . The reasoning for the hole is it allows you to slowly drizzle cold water onto the sugar cube; without pouring too much water into the drink itself.

Place your glass on a flat table and place the fork or absinthe spoon on the top of the glass so that it is supported on both sides of the glass and the fork/spoon part is over the liquid in the glass. Forks work well if you don't have a special absinthe spoon because it balances well on the glass. You should be able to carefully place the sugar cube, unwrap it first if it is wrapped, on the fork or spoon so that it is sitting directly above the glass opening.

Once this is positioned, slowly let the water drip from the hole in the bottle cap onto the sugar cube. The hole is made small, usually with a pin. Some people squeeze the bottle a bit to get more water on the cube at a faster rate. The cube will slowly dissolve and both the water and dissolved sugar will fall into the absinthe.

Good absinthe will begin to get cloudy as the cold water and sugar mix into it. Once the cube is completely dissolved you can gently stir the drink with the fork spoon. Based on taste you may want to slowly add a little more cold water to the drink.
Absinthe is meant to be slowly enjoyed and savored. It has a high alcohol content and strong taste. The above method is the best way to enjoy your absinthe and is considered by many absinthe purists tot be the traditional way to enjoy absinthe.