Absinthe, Schnapps, and Other Drinks

Or Sambuca (sp?) from Italy?

I have never had absinthe or even seen anyone drink it. What are the fancy spoons and paraphenalia for?

Chad

I haven't seen much in the way of trendoids latching on to absinthe, perhaps the high price for something decent puts off the tire kickers, the only down side I've seen from my point of view, is when boneheads write silly articles in magazines like Maxim, trying to play up the intoxication angle, and the silly Czech sugar cube burning nonsense that some of the movies have played up.

Ouzo, Sambuca, and post ban Pastis, like Pernod & Ricard are far sweeter than a classic absinthe, which is a dryer more herbal drink.

The spoons were for holding a sugar cube, and you drip ice cold water on the sugar cube into the absinthe.
Sugar was always optional, and came about in the later 1800's, some say that it rounds out the flavor somewhat....myself, I don't use sugar as often as I once did, since the better brands have gotten close to what a vintage brand tastes like, so it depends on the particular type of absinthe I'm drinking as to whether I use sugar in my drink.

Absinthe_1900 is spot on with everything he's said regarding the Green Fairy. It is refreshing to see someone who is knowledgeable posting on my favourite tipple!

There is so much mis-information out there regarding this much-maligned spirit.

For those of you Stateside that might want to give it a try - I think SpiritsCorner might ship to the US. When I go to Barcelona I usually stop by their shop to stock up on some of my faves - Segarra, Deva (cheap, but decent)... The Swiss varieties are better, but a bit to dear to buy in bulk.

They sell absinthe here in the UK as well, but not the brands I like.

The best place to order a decent bottle of absinthe is absintheonline dot com.

they are well versed in shipping to the US, and are the most problem free to deal with.
the Jade line of absinthes are the current best of the commercial brands, followed by the Swiss blanches, (Kubler, and much of the recently former clandestine Le Bleues) and the Fougerolles Blanche, and Verte, in that order, most of the others below that are not terribly well made and should be passed up.

S.C. is one of the first online dealers, (they go back a number of years) and are nice people to deal with with.
The best of the Spanish is Segarra 45, and Serpis 65 being a distant second, with the rest being fairly poor oil mixes.

Always remember to avoid the Czech & German brands, unless you want to destroy your sense of taste and smell.

This reminds me...I'd love some Absinthe right now!!