The Absinthe Glass

An Absinthe glass is an essential part of Absinthiana along with a proper Absinthe spoon. Treat yourself to some antique Absinthe glasses, or replica glasses which are available from AbsintheKit.com, to enhance your enjoyment of this fine anise flavored alcoholic drink.

To prepare the perfect Absinthe you need:-
– Absinthe
– Absinthe glass
– Absinthe spoon
– Sugar cube
– Iced Water

Preparing Absinthe in the traditional way is like following a ritual. Follow these steps to make perfect Absinthe every time:-
– Pour Absinthe into your Absinthe glass.
– Place a cube of sugar onto the Absinthe spoon and rest on top of the glass.
– Pour iced water over sugar cube and into Absinthe. The ratio should be about 1 Absinthe measure to 4 of water.
– Watch the Absinthe louche (go cloudy) and enjoy your wonderful drink. The louching is caused by the natural herb oils, including anise and fennell, which are not soluble in water and so make the drink go milky or cloudy. This clouding is the desired effect. These herbs, along with the famous wormwood, give the Absinthe its famous licorice or aniseed taste.

There have been many different types and styles of absinthe glass and absinthe glasses. Some types of glasses were designed with Absinthe in mind but also used for other drinks whereas others were only used for Absinthe. Types such as the Swirl and Egg designs were also used for drinks such as coffee and the Chope Yvonne, East, Lyonnaise and Mazagran were used for Absinthe and other alcoholic drinks such as wine and beer. The swirl on the Swirl glass was used for measuring the Absinthe and so wasn’t just decorative. The Egg glass was also known as the “Verlaine” glass because it featured in a photograph of the poet Verlaine. Chope Yvonne glasses were quite tall and so were also used for serving beer. The Y shaped East glass is featured in “The Absinthe Drinkers” which is a painting by J Rafaelli.
The Cordon, Pontarlier and Reservoir were only used for Absinthe and are much rarer antiques than other Absinthe glasses with the Cordon being the rarest and hence the most expensive. They are highly collectible and were hand blown. The Pontarlier glass is also a highly desirable antique Absinthe glass.

Absinthe glasses were quite large because of the ratio of water to Absinthe and so were perfect for other beverages such as beer.

Absinthe spoons are also highly collectible antiques. Absinthe spoons were slotted, to allow the water and sugar solution to drain through, and were made out of many different metals including silver, nickel and tin. Spoons like those that commemorated events, like the opening of the french Eiffel Tower in 1889, are highly collectible. Again, you can buy replicas of the original Absinthe spoons. AbsintheKit.com have even got a silver plated replica of the famous Eiffel Tower spoon. With a replica spoon and replica glasses you can enjoy your Absinthe in style!

Absinthe drippers are an alternative to the Absinthe slotted spoons. Simply set a dripper onto a matching Absinthe glass, place a sugar cube in the dripper and pour over the iced water. The water will drip slowly into the Absinthe.

If you enjoy collecting antiques there are also additional Absinthe collectibles that you can purchase:-
– Absinthe propaganda posters
– Absinthe fountains
– Absinthe carafes
– Absinthe pyrogenes or match strikers
– Absinthe saucers
– Absinthe drippers

Absinthe glass items are the perfect gift for friends and family and are essential to a proper enjoyment of this wonderful wormwood drink.