Absinthe spoon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An absinthe spoon is a perforated or slotted spoon used to dissolve a sugar cube into a glass of absinthe, usually in order to sweeten the drink and counteract its light bitterness. The bowl of the spoon is usually flat, and there is a notch in the handle where the rim of the glass rests. Originating around the 1860s, they were often stamped with brand names or logos as advertising and were sometimes sold as tourist items such as Eiffel tower shaped spoons.
A less-common variation of absinthe spoon is one that is similar to an iced tea spoon with a normal spoon bowl and a sieve built into the handle onto which the sugar cube is placed.
The world's largest collection of absinthe spoons is in the private collection of Marie-Claude Delahaye. It may be seen in part in the Absinthe Museum in France.
[edit] Preparation with an absinthe spoon
The consumption of absinthe is often quite different from that of a normal spirit or beverage. It is seen by some to be a modification for purely practical purposes, and by others to be an ornamental ritual.
Absinthe is traditionally slightly bitter, extremely alcoholic and; therefore, water is added to reduce its strength and bring out its flavor. The simplest way to do this is to reduce the final drink's alcohol by volume or ABV and to counterbalance its natural bitterness by adding sweetness. The most common (and simplest) way involves a glass, a slotted spoon, a sugar cube, and water.
First, a dose of absinthe is added to the glass. The spoon is then laid flat on top of the glass, and the sugar cube placed on top of it. Water is then run through the cube until it is dissolved. This causes the absinthe to 'louche' or become cloudy. (This is described by Ernest Dowson in his poem "Absinthe Taetra": "Green turned to white, emerald to opal".) The absinthe is then consumed as any other cocktail.
[edit] Is the spoon really necessary?
Some Swiss distillers, notably Claude-Alain Bugnon, the creator of La Clandestine Absinthe, do not believe that sugar is necessary, rendering the spoon meaningless. The necessity of sugar and spoon in today's absinthe has been extensively debated.<ref>Wormwood Society Discussion on Sugar in Absinthe</ref>
