The serving of absinthe in the 19th century was something of a ritual, involving pouring water over lumps of sugar sitting on special slotted spoons. The ritual arose because absinthe is unsweetened and many imbibers had a sweet tooth and were used to the sweetened liqueurs that were popular at the time. Since the sugar that was needed to sweeten it would not dissolve in the 68% to 72% alcohol, spoons were used to suspend the sugar over the glass while it dissolved in the water that was poured over it.
Step 1 Pour a measure of absinthe into a tall glass (25 to 30 ml or an ounce is normal)
Step 2 Place a slotted absinthe spoon over the glass and place a sugar cube on it (the lozenge-shaped French cubes work best)
Step 3 Slowly pour 4 to 5 equal measures of iced water over the sugar and let it drip into the glass, the absinthe will turn from emerald green to a milky white.
Step 4 Sip slowly and imagine yourself in a Belle Époque Parisian Café.
