HOW WAS/IS ABSINTHE DRUNK?
Although absinthe was sometimes drunk straight or in a variety of mixed drinks, the classic method of drinking it involves pouring cold water over a slotted spoon which contains sugar into a glass containing a shot of absinthe. As the water hits the absinthe, the oils precipitate out, and the drink changes from a clear emerald colour to an opaque, milky white. There were several types of specialized absinthe drinking paraphenalia. The most famous one is the slotted spoon (example pictured to the right). These spoons’ holes served to allow the absinthe to better carry the sugar into the glass. In addition, the spoons were often designed to fit over the glass, balancing on their own. Heilig, quoted in Lanier (1995), nicely captures the absinthe culture at its peak: [In Paris] the noon hour is a little fête, when people try to forget that they are working for their living. Master and man go off their different ways… All thoughts of business are put aside for a good hour and a half, or t
