Absinthe Cutlery: Absinthe spoon and sugar

Absinthe Cutlery: The essentials summarized

• Absinthe cutlery consists of an absinthe glass, an absinthe spoon, and 1-2 sugar cubes.
• Absinthe spoons and glasses are available in many different variations and designs.

Absinthe Cutlery: A misleading term

Absinthe is a very special drink. The spirit known as the "Green Fairy" is served according to a specific drinking ritual and requires various accessories. Colloquially, this is also referred to as "absinthe cutlery". Although this term can be somewhat misunderstood, as absinthe cutlery strongly resembles "fixer's cutlery" and thus suggests a connection to hard drugs. This falsely assumed connection once led to the prohibition of the drink, which is why we actually want to avoid the term "absinthe cutlery" and speak more neutrally of traditional absinthe accessories.

Absinthe Spoon: An essential part of Absinthe cutlery

The most essential accessory of the cutlery is probably the absinthe spoon. Not only because this accessory is historically important, but also because the accessory is almost indispensable for the ritual of drinking absinthe. In the following, we will give you more information about the absinthe spoon. First, we will briefly describe what you need an absinthe spoon for. Furthermore, we will introduce you to a famous absinthe spoon, because Absinthe (French spelling), including its accessories, has many exciting stories to tell. Since there is a large number of different spoon designs, we will also give you an overview of the most important or most frequently used absinthe spoons.

What is an Absinthe spoon and what do you need it for?

In the 19th century, the heyday of absinthe, people had a very sweet tooth; sugar was considered something special. At that time, calories were not yet a concern, and people enjoyed the sweetness of life. A rather tart, bitter taste was not necessarily appealing to people. Therefore, it quickly became clear that absinthe should best be drunk with a piece of sugar to make the slightly bitter taste of the spirit more popular. However, the rules of chemistry presented a difficulty: sugar and alcohol do not mix particularly well. Since absinthe consists largely of alcohol (classically an alcohol content of 68%), this problem was not easy to overcome at first glance.

The solution was the absinthe spoon. A silver-plated spoon with cutouts in the spoon's bowl. If you place it on the glass and put a sugar cube on it, the sugar can simply be dissolved by pouring water over it. In the following, we will show you one of the first absinthe spoons in a classic design.

The correct preparation with Absinthe spoon and sugar

The preparation of the Green Fairy with water and sugar is known as the classic French absinthe ritual. First, you fill a glass with absinthe, then take your absinthe spoon and place a sugar cube on it. Now you slowly pour cold water over the cube until the sugar has dissolved, or until the absinthe glass is 3/4 full (a mixing ratio of one part absinthe to 2-3 parts water is recommended). For this, you can use a water carafe. The constant flow of water dissolves the sugar. Alternatively, you can also use an absinthe fountain. This not only looks more elegant and professional but also creates a denser louche effect, which is the term for the color change from green to white when water is added to absinthe.

The perfect louche is achieved by adding water in dripping small amounts. In the following video, you can see the preparation and understand why absinthe fountains are particularly suitable:

Popularity of Absinthe Spoons

Absinthe spoons already existed in the 1840s. However, their ubiquitous use only developed in the last third of the 19th century with the increased consumption of absinthe. The spoons were made from various materials: silver, copper, zinc, and nickel alloys. A very famous spoon from the late 19th century is the Eiffel Tower 1889 Absinthe Spoon. It has the shape of the Eiffel Tower and was made for the inauguration of the structure in 1889. In our shop, you can buy an authentic reproduction of this antique silver absinthe spoon.

Different designs of Absinthe Cutlery

Absinthe spoons come in many different designs. Most of the spoons you can buy in our online shop are authentic replicas of their antique originals. Generally, absinthe spoons can be divided into the following categories:

• Traditional absinthe spoons, where the sugar is placed at the front.
• Classic spoon designs, where the sugar is placed on the middle part.
• Alternative absinthe grilles, which can look like a grid or a snowflake.

Absinthe spoons are more or less all found in the same size. This is logical, as they have to fit on absinthe glasses. An exception is the following spoon, which is the smallest absinthe spoon in the world. It is only 2 cm tall. Of course, it is not suitable for preparing the drink, but it makes a nice keychain or earring.

Spoon and sugar, do you always drink Absinthe like this?

We recommend preparing absinthe with sugar. However, some absintheurs prefer to enjoy it without sugar. This is probably also attributable to the current zeitgeist, which highlights the negative health aspects of sugar and seeks to avoid it in our lives. However, there are also absinthes that explicitly do not require sugar and were never served with sugar in the past. These are the so-called clear "La Bleue Absinthe". They come from Switzerland and have a lower alcohol content of "only" 53%. These clear absinthes are traditionally distilled with more anise. Since the herb anise naturally has a certain sweetness, the addition of sugar is no longer necessary. The addition of cold water is sufficient.

We hope you enjoyed this article about absinthe cutlery with a special focus on absinthe spoons. If you have any further questions about absinthe accessories, please do not hesitate to write to us or comment below this article. Feel free to check out our social media pages, such as Facebook and Instagram, to get even more information about absinthe!

Best regards,

Your ALANDIA Team