Absinthe Spoons and their usage

Welcome back, glad to have you here! Absinthe Spoons are an important accessory of the Absinthe culture. This week we will give you some more information about this iconic accessory and their use: The Absinthe Spoon. We will briefly explain how to use an Absinthe spoon, in case you are new to the world of Absinthe. Additionally, we present some historical facts about their usage. There are as well many different spoon designs available. Therefore we will give you as well an overview about the different styles.

Why do you need Absinthe Spoons?

Back in the 19th century, people had a sweet tongue. Bitter flavors did not meet the taste of many customers. Therefore it became apparent really quick, that sugar should be added to Absinthe. But, chemically spoken, sugar does not mix with alcohol, which Absinthe is mostly made of. This is why you have to add water, in order for the sugar to be dissolved due to a lower percentage of alcohol.

As you can imagine just pouring water into an Absinthe glass is not the most beautiful thing on earth. A more elaborate method to pour water into the glass is the ceremony you (might) already know as the “Classic French Absinthe Ritual“: You fill a glass with Absinthe, take an Absinthe spoon, put a sugar cube on it, and pour water over the sugar. You can use a water carafe for that. Due to the thin beam of water the sugar cubes dissolves easily. You can also use an Absinthe fountain instead of a water carafe. This looks classier and also creates a thicker louche of your Absinthe, because water is added slower, drop by drop.

Absinthe Ritual with Absinthe Spoons
The Classic French Absinthe Ritual requires an Absinthe Spoon

Popularity of Absinthe Spoons

Absinthe spoons existed as early as the 1840s. However, their extensive use came with the increase of Absinthe drinking in the last third of the nineteenth century. The spoons were made out of several materials, namely silver, copper, zinc and nickel alloys, nickel and aluminium. One very famous spoon of the late nineteenth century is the Eiffel Tower 1889 Absinthe Spoon. It is shaped like the Eiffel Tower and was made for the inauguration of the building in 1889. In our store you can buy an authentic reproduction of this famous spoon.Absinthe Spoon Eiffel Tower Paris 1889

Different designs of Absinthe Spoons

Spoons are offered in different designs. Almost all of the spoon designs that we offer for sale at our online store are reproductions of antique originals. You can generally classify Absinthe spoons into the following categories:

(1) Classic Absinthe spoons where the sugar is placed on the front,

(2) classic spoon designs, where the sugar is placed in the middle section and

(3) Absinthe grilles, that look like a grid or snowflake.

Absinthe Spoon Grille
An alternative, the Absinthe Grille

Absinthe spoons are more or less all of the same size, as they have to fit on an Absinthe glass. One exception is the following spoon. It is the smallest Absinthe spoon in the world, it measures only 2 cm :-).

Smallest Absinthe Spoon in the world
Smallest Absinthe Spoon in the world

We do hope that you enjoyed this post about Absinthe spoons. If you have any questions left about Absinthe spoons, don’t hesitate to ask us! Please check out as well our Social Media sites like Facebook or Instagram to get even more info about Absinthe.

Stay tuned for next weeks topic!

Nico from the ALANDIA Team

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