by David Dominé, The Bluegrass Peasant

In Impressionist paintings of absinthe drinkers, you can usually spot a carafe of water near the glass of verdant liquor. That’s because absinthe counts as one of those rare spirits that is hardly ever drunk straight up. Water is added to help the flavors “blossom” and sugar is used to temper the aftertastes of its bitter herb components. Over the years, a stylized ritual has evolved around the service and enjoyment of this mysterious drink.

The absinthe ritual is an important one and has contributed in no small part to the fascination with the liquor. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any other drink that is prepared and consumed with such ceremony today, and it’s this attention to detail that has no doubt lent absinthe its drug-like allure. (Absinthe, for example, is served in “doses,” a term that you’d never hear applied to a serving of whiskey or brandy.) Historically, it seems that absinthe was always consumed like this; even the poorest workers in the roughest taverns or cafés would take the time to prepare their absinthe slowly and carefully. Ice water was slowly added to dilute the drink, and ice was never added to the glass.

In French cafés, a waiter would serve a glass of absinthe alongside a container of ice water and a bowl of sugar, and the drinker would prepare it to his or her preference. With increased popularity, the absinthe fountain – a large bespigotted jar of chilled water on a base – came into use, and a number of drinks could be prepared at once. Whichever way you choose to prepare your absinthe – individually or communally – there are several things you’ll need to fix this drink the old-fashioned way: a glass, an absinthe spoon, sugar cubes and ice water.

Start with the glass. Although many establishments served absinthe in standard crystal, a number of glasses were specifically made for absinthe, many of them with a bubble or dose line in the lower portion denoting how much absinthe should be poured in. One “dose” of absinthe is around 1 ounce. I like the traditional absinthe glass on a foot, the likes of which can be found here.

Next, place a spoon over the glass. Absinthe spoons are almost always flattened so they can accommodate a lump of sugar, and they have perforations – very often in intricate patterns – that allow dissolved sugar to drip into the absinthe. A sugar cube is then set atop the spoon and iced water dripped over the sugar until the liquor is diluted to a ratio of at least 3:1. Holding the carafe in a relaxed and stylish way high above the glass, and letting the water slowly drip out was a much-admired skill in the Belle Epoque, and busy cafés had professional absintheurs or “absinthe professors” who would instruct patrons in the art.

During this process, non-water-soluble components, mainly those from star anise and fennel, come out of solution and cloud the drink, resulting in the characteristic milky opalescence known as the louche.

Aside from the typical preparation with water and sugar, absinthe was often consumed as a cocktail ingredient and continues to be popular with bartenders today. Ernest Hemingway’s “Death in the Afternoon” cocktail, a concoction the famous author contributed to a 1935 collection of celebrity recipes, is one of the favorites. To prepare the drink for yourself, follow his easy directions: “Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.”

If you do drink “three to five” of these, please don’t think about driving afterwards. Stay home and let me know if the Green Fairy pays you a visit.

Watch a clip of the absinthe ritual here.