The Absinthe spoon is an important part of the Absinthe Routine known sometimes as La Louche. Absinthe equipment is known as Absinthiana which includes articles like Asbinthe glasses and glass wares (such as carafes and fountains), drippers, brouillers and also spoons or cuilleres. It’s possible to buy vintage items or to purchase replica absinthiana. Absinthiana allows you to enjoy drinking your own Absinthe in style, in the traditional method.
Absinthe is an anise flavored alcohol created using herbs including wormwood, aniseed and fennel. Absinthe was banned during the early 1900s because of its thujone content and claims that it caused hallucinations and drove absinthe spoons folks insane. There are numerous references to Absinthe in the paintings and writings of numerous famous people including Oscar Wilde, Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway.
Absinthe is definitely now legal in several countries and claims that it is dangerous and toxic have been disproved.
Types of Absinthe spoon
Cuilleres, or Absinthe spoons, began to be utilized in Absinthe preparation during the 1880s to change perforated cups that had formerly been used to allow the sugars to dissolve in the water prior to dripping into the Absinthe. Absinthe spoons are perforated or slotted with holes or slots and are built to rest on the top of an Absinthe cup.
The spoons came in a variety of sizes and were usually crafted from silver, silver plate, dime or chrome. Replicas nowadays tend to be made from stainless steel. Based on the Absinthe historian Marie-Claude Delahaye, owner of an Absinthe museum, there are many than 375 different Absinthe spoons such as:-
– The French Pelle – This spoon is shaped like a trowel and the most famous spoons in this group are the pretty “Les Feuilles d’Absinthe”, with their lovely Absinthe plant foliage models, as well as the Eiffel Tower spoons which are made to commemorate the opening of the Eiffel tower in 1889. The Pelle group of spoons is by far the most widespread group of spoons.
– Les Grilles or Les Grillages meaning “lattice” – This group of spoons is identified by its lattice work designs.
– Les Cuilleres – This next group includes designs using a long handle and a holder to hold the cube of sugar.
Absinthe was a popular beverage with French soldiers, in fact French soldiers had been supplied with Absinthe in the nineteenth century to deal with malaria. Soldiers in the Great War made Absinthe spoons from materials which were close at hand – aluminum, shell supports, tin and brass. These kinds of spoons are known as “Les Cuilleres de Poilus”, a Poilu being aFrench soldier. These special spoons are highly collectible antiques simply because they were only created at the outset of the war – Absinthe was banned in France in 1915. These spoons are gorgeous and so are all different because they were designed by soldiers for their personal cup.
The usage of the Absinthe spoon in the Ritual
The Ritual, or even La Louche, is the name given to preparing Absinthe. In an Absinthe bar in the Green Hour, L’heure verte, Absinthe would be served by a waiter or bar man in a large Absinthe glass. The waiter would rest a sugar cube on a slotted Absinthe spoon and make use of a fountain or carafe to drip cold water over the Absinthe. When the drinking water combined in to the Absinthe the essential oils in the Absinthe caused the drink to louche, become cloudy. This is due to the actual oils are soluble in alcohol but not in drinking water.
Replica Absinthe spoons and glasses are available online at AbsintheKit.com together with additional items such as essences to create your own traditional wormwood Absinthe.