Absinthe the drink: The original way of preparing the Green Fairy
Absinthe is a strong alcoholic spirit with the herbs wormwood, anise and fennel. Usually it has an alcohol percentage of 68% / 138 proof. This sounds a lot, but you do not drink Absinthe straight as a shot. You drink it mixed with ice-cold water and a sugar cube. The content of alcohol in the mixed drink then drops to approx. 15-20%. Absinthe the drink is also known under its nickname Green Fairy or Green Goddess. It was especially popular in France by the end of the 19th century.
Famous Absinthe drinkers
Famous Absinthe drinkers were van Gogh, Lautrec or Baudelaire. But the drink got banned in France in 1915 and in many other countries around the world soon after. But, and these are the good news, after almost 100 years of prohibition the Green Fairy was re-legalized in the EU in 1998. The United States followed in the year 2007/08 (read more about the legal status of Absinthe here). From this time on, Absinthe has experienced a true revival. Once again, it is served in bars throughout the world. You should drink Absinthe the original and authentic way. This means with traditional Absinthe glasses and Absinthe spoons. This is the way how you drink Absinthe. If you directly want to buy a bottle of Absinthe or some original accessories, just click on one of the products listed below and visit the ALANDIA Absinthe store.
Absinthe the drink: How to serve it right
Absinthe is not an ordinary liquor. You prepare your glass of Absinthe according to a century-old ritual. This is the authentic way of drinking Absinthe: You fill some Absinthe into an Absinthe glass, this is a glass with a reservoir in the stem. Then you place a special spoon, the Absinthe spoon, on top of the glass and put two sugar cubes on it. Then you carefully pour some water over the sugar to dissolve the cubes. The Absinthe blends with sugar and water and voilà, your drink is prepared! Of course, you shouldn't drink too much of this very special spirit, as it is almost 140 proof. Drink responsibly and plunge back into the times of the big poets, artists and Absinthe drinkers like van Gogh, Lautrec or Baudelaire.
Check out as well our Absinthe Ritual Videos, they show you the different ways of serving the notorious green liquor.
How to drink Absinthe using a fountain
The preparation of a glass of Absinthe needs some time. Why? Because it is a historical drink and back in the 19th century the world was less hectic ;-). No notebooks, no mobile phones and no globalized world. The only appointment after work was the Green Hour, from 5pm to 6pm the Green Fairy was served. If you decide to prepare your glass the professional and most authentic way, you should purchase an Absinthe fountain. You fill it with water and ice cubes, and at the side you have spigots where the cold water drips into your glass of Absinthe. At our store, you can see a video how you drink Absinthe using an Absinthe fountain: Video of the Absinthe Fountain Ritual. An Absinthe fountain will create the best louche effect, this is the magical change of colors, when the green Absinthe blends with water and turns milky white.
Where can I order Absinthe accessories for drinking Absinthe?
Of course, you can buy Absinthe fountains for the preparation of your glass of Absinthe online at ALANDIA. ALANDIA stands for the "World of Absinthe". The shop was founded in 2001 and serves the worldwide Absinthe community with real Absinthe and Absinthe accessories. We focus on customer satisfaction, therefore all orders are covered by the 100% ALANDIA Delivery Guarantee. This means you will get your order safe and sound, or we will refund you your money. Shipping is done via DHL, to the USA it takes 5-10 days via Airmail. You can visit our Absinthe USA site to read more about terms & conditions. Worldwide orders take approx. 10-12 business days.
Which Absinthe should I drink?
There are a lot of different Absinthe brands on the market, therefore for a beginner it can be quite hard to decide which is the best brand to drink. If you like it strong, you should buy an Absynthe (the Latin writing) from our Strong Absinthe section. Our bestseller from this category is Absinthe Strong68. It is distilled in France and uses a traditional recipe with an extra amount of wormwood. A very special Absinthe to drink is Hamlet Hardcore, we offer it in a green and black version. It has 80% alcohol by vol. which is quite strong. If you like it more traditional you can check out our Original Absinthe section, there you will find the best Absinthes in terms of quality. None of them is artificially colored. A good brand is for example Maison ALANDIA Absinthe or all of the Jade Absinthes made by Ted Breaux.
