Absinthe accessories

With the spoon there are three things to check. It has to be longer than the diameter of your glass, otherwise it tips at the slightest nudge; a spoon of around fifteen centimetres sits stably on virtually any absinthe glass. The perforation determines how quickly the water passes through, and stainless steel is the material of choice because absinthe is distilled strong and silver-plated metal turns dull from it over time.

With the fountain, what counts most is the number of taps. A model with four taps serves four glasses at once, which is the difference between a trick for yourself and something a whole group can gather around. Also check whether the taps can be operated separately and whether they adjust finely enough to actually reach one drop per second; a stream you cannot tame makes the fountain unusable.

Pour three centilitres of absinthe into the glass. Lay the spoon across the rim with a sugar cube on top, and fill the fountain with water and ice so it is properly cold; lukewarm water breaks the oils less beautifully. Open the tap until roughly one drop per second falls and let it land on the cube, not beside it.

Count on three to five parts water to one part absinthe. You will see the drink turn from clear to milky white, first in wisps and then all at once; that is the moment to stop. Give it a short stir with the spoon afterwards to dissolve the last of the sugar. If you would rather leave out the sugar, simply pour water without a cube, because the ritual works without it too. You use the same spoon for a kopstoot or when serving shots.

Stainless steel and sugar do not get along if you leave them sitting. Rinse the spoon straight after use, because dried syrup settles in the perforations and can then only be removed with a small brush. The spoon is dishwasher safe, but rinsing it by hand is quicker and keeps the shine intact for longer.

Empty the fountain as soon as your guests leave. Never let water stand in it, because limescale settles in the taps and blocks exactly the narrow section you need in order to pour drop by drop.

If you are looking for the glassware that belongs with the ritual, you will end up with the spirit glasses and the slightly smaller liqueur glasses. For serving several drinks at once the drink dispensers are ready and for the stirring the bar spoons. If you want to look beyond absinthe, the page with bar tools gives an overview of the equipment behind the bar, and the cocktail page has recipes in which anise liqueur plays a part.