Ritual

First of all, absinthe is a sipping drink. DRINK IT SLOWLY!. This isn't just to be cool. You will not enjoy anything other than drunkenness if you drink it too fast.

There are many wonderful herbs in our absinthe that have very special effects on humans. Some of them have a stimulating effect. Some have a relaxing effect. Some even have a sexual aspect to them. It's the synergistic combination that makes it special. You will notice this even before the alcohol kicks in. If you drink it slowly, you can carry this effect all the way through your whole experience without the alcohol overpowering it. If you drink it too quickly, all you will feel is very drunk, with a bit of a clear head.

There are several historically authentic ways to prepare absinthe.   Three are listed below.

The one portrayed in Viktor Oliva's painting is as follows:

1. Floating Absinthe
Step 1: Fill a glass 2/3 with ice cold water.
Step 2: Very slowly, fill the remainder of the glass with absinthe.

This method of preparation can result in a more interesting looking beverage. The louche, clouding, occurs only in the top layer of the drink. The bottom remains pure water. As you drink it, the water filters through the louched absinthe. It has a slightly stronger taste because of this. Notice there is no sugar added here. This is because good absinthe does not need any sugar added.  This method was very common before poor quality absinthe became prevalent. 

Currently the most popular, and many say the best, way to drink absinthe is with the water and sugar ritual. This requires a special absinthe spoon.

2. Water Ritual
Step 1: Fill 1/3 of the glass with absinthe.
Step 2: Lay the absinth spoon across the top of the glass.
Step 3: Place a sugar cube in the spoon.
Step 4: Pour ice cold water very slowly over the sugar cube until it dissolves. Be sure the rest of the glass is filled with water.
Step 5: Give it a quick stir with the spoon, and slowly enjoy sipping your absinthe.

With very good absinth (such as ours), you can omit the sugar and spoon from the above ritual. Just slowly drip or pour the water into the glass. This is actually the way most absinthe was consumed before 1900.

One interesting traditional method of preparation is called:

3. Absinthe Washed
Step 1: Place a Shot Glass in the middle of an Old-Fashioned Glass.
Step 2: Fill the shot glass with absinthe.
Step 3: Then slowly pour ice cold water into the shot glass and let the mixture spill over into the larger glass.
Step 4: Finish by removing the shot glass and pouring what's inside into the Old-Fashioned*.

*Some variations call for throwing out what is left in the shot glass rather than drinking it. This was because it was believed to be of lower quality than the rest. There is no evidence to support this.  This was a very popular method of drinking in the USA prior to 1900.