Unbounded

[originally from our group blog at [link] ]

My my. To think that all this time, we have been consuming our holy grail improperly. For shame, for shame.

I found a couple of articles on the net on the proper way of serving the drink ("So that's why a friend of mine was shocked when I told her that we were consuming it straight off"). Anyway, let's give the 'ol 89.9%(179.8 proof!) a touch of class and a sense of appreciation the next time we give it a go, okay?

How to Serve Absinthe (Some parts taken from absinthex.com):

There are two popular methods for serving absinthe, both require the use of an absinthe spoon (a large spoon with open slots in it, allowing liquid to pass through), ...although a large fork can work just as well.

Method One: Louching

Step 1: Pour a measure of absinthe into a tall vessel (heheh vander).
Step 2: Place a slotted absinthe spoon (or fork) over the glass and place a sugar cube on it (the lozenge-shaped French cubes work best).
Step 3: Slowly pour 4 to 5 parts 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 Epoque Parisian cafe.

Method Two: Flame method

Step 1: Take a reasonably sized spoonful of sugar, or sugar cube and briefly dunk it in your glass of absinthe.
Step 2: Light absinthe laced sugar on fire and hold over glass, the burning alcohol will melt the sugar into the glass.
Step 3: When the fire gets low, stir the remaining sugar into the absinthe and drink.
Step 4: Enjoy!

Korsakoff's Syndrome and liver cirrhosis, here we come!