Absinthe, the Right Mix

I recently watched an episode of "The Amazing Race" where a couple was sent to a "hip" bar to complete one of their challenges. Their task was to correctly prepare and then drink a "properly" made absinthe. I watched in frustration as they were told to pour 2 oz of absinthe into a glass, hold a sugar cube over the glass, light the cube on fire then dump it into the glass. After a few quick stirs ... bottoms-up. I'm not sure from watching the segment if the couple poured a little absinthe on to the sugar cube before they set it on fire but I have seen this done in other places.

Not surprisingly the couple hated the drink and said it tasted like rubbing alcohol going down their throats. No kidding. This idiotic ritual originated from the movie "Moulin Rouge" and was created to give the drink a more exciting look. Seeing green fairies is not exciting enough for some people I guess. Unfortunately the ritual lives on and I have seen it performed from Greece to Mexico. To me, this is true "alcohol abuse".

OK, besides the obvious safety concerns of lighting any alcohol on fire, eating burnt sugar could have it's own health risks (look-up carcinogens). Another side effect of doing this is that it makes a horrible drink. Absinthe needs to be treated with respect if you are going to enjoy all of it's "earthly" goodness. Someone out there spent a lot of time mixing herbs and other ingredients so that it could be enjoyed, not to be brutalized by a bunch of drunken partiers. I hate to think of all the people who will never drink absinthe again because they were introduced to it in this barbaric fashion.

So enough of my ranting about what shouldn't be done and lets discuss what should be done. Anyone who is a connoisseur of absinthe already knows how to make the proper drink because it is written right there on the bottle (at least most bottles). The basic recipe is simple, add 3 oz of your favorite absinthe in a glass then place the sugar spoon over the top of the glass. The spoon I'm referring to is the special absinthe spoon that comes with practically every bottle. Place one sugar cube, although many people I know use two cubes, and pour 3 oz of fresh , cold water slowly (really slowly) over the sugar cube and let it dissolve into the absinthe.

The pouring process takes a little practice and sometimes, depending on the type of sugar cubes, you end up with a large amount of the sugar cube still un-dissolved on the spoon. If this happens just dump the rest of the cube into your drink and try harder next time. When you have made it correctly it comes out as a sweet but powerful and delightful drink. If you are not into licorice or anisette type drinks you will probably never enjoy the drink but for those who enjoy a good pastise it is definitely worth its weight in gold. Good thing too, because the average cost of a good absinthe in the United States is about 50 dollars a bottle.

Yes, I said it, the United States. The U.S. made absinthe legal again in 2007 and the real stuff is now available in major liquor outlets. Real stuff with government regulations, of course, but real none-the-less. Be careful first time buyers because there is absinth and Absente. Absente is a product that is made using the original absinthe recipe but without the type of wormwood that was thought to cause hallucinations and has been sold legally in the U.S. since 2001. They have come out with a new Absente, however, one with "now with wormwood" on the label but both are still available so make sure you know what your getting.

The one final thing I would like to add about mixing a good drink is that the amount of water and sugar you use is all a matter of taste and you should experiment with the mix. Try not to go overboard with the sugar or you will end up with an odd "Kool-Aid" type drink that looses the original flavor of the absinthe. Some absinthe brands include additional recipes that you might try but I always stick to the original.

So hopefully now we can do our part to destroy, once and for all, this terrible ritual and give absinthe it's proper respect. Remember, this used to be the drink of some of the greatest writers, musicians, artists and poets of all time. Let us revive this classical drink and drink it in it's true glory and stop mistreating it. The Green Fairy will thank you for it.