The original name of the drink is ‘Tremblement de Terre’ which in French means ‘Earthquake’. It was invented by a renowned painter and a passionate absinthe drinker Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and, as many say, was probably drunk by him only.

It is an extremely strong drink, since the only two ingredients are:

• absinthe (half),
• cognac (half).

When tired of drinking absinthe through the traditional French ritual, one starts experimenting. It is true to say that it is most pleasant to play with one’s own homemade spirit (click here to learn how to make absinthe), however if you are too lazy for that the absinthe manufacturers have already taken the pain for you, so that you can use the finished product.

To prepare ‘absinthe suissesse’ the following ingredients should be at hand:

• absinthe (two ounces),
• anisette (one splash),
• white crème de menthe (half ounce),
• raw egg white (one),
• ice (three to five cubes).

You may care or not, but the creator of the drink was inspired by a Swiss girl, thus it was called in her honor. Could be she was plain and easy, but really nice that is why the shake is prepared and looks in a similar way.

In order to make your first acquaintance with the ‘Green Fairy’ an unforgettable experience you should get well-prepared. No doubt that the primary thing you need is the liquor itself. Nevertheless, a bottle of good absinthe does not make the ritual. Thus, this article is aimed at casting light on the variety of the absinthe accessories available nowadays.

Originally the emerald green spirit was served in regular glasses and water was dripped from an ordinary carafe. However, the drink was winning more and more admirers, and businesslike individuals figured it out that the production of specialized absinthe accessories would earn them a fortune. After the laws regulating the absinthe production, import and consumption banned the spirit in many countries, prices on the absinthe ritual equipment sky-rocketed dramatically. Today some antique slotted spoons can bring thousands of dollars to the owner.

Absinthe glass usually has a short thick stem and faceting, often representing ornate patterns. Another distinctive feature that helps to tell an absinthe glass from others is a dose line which indicates how much drink should be pored. The ‘reservoir glass’ has a small bulge at the bottom which marks the dose. Actually, the Pontarlier reservoir glass was the first type of glassware specially made for the ‘Green Muse’. Nowadays they come in many different styles: Egg and Swirl, Chope Yvonne, East, Cordon, Reservoir and Pontarlier glasses.

To begin with there has never been any other alcoholic drink that would be prepared so thoroughly and carefully. Even the poorest laborer in the lousiest bar would take their time to give the absinthe ritual a proper attention. There is no place for rush as far as absinthe is concerned.

Many years ago, when absinthe was not banned in any country and could be easily ordered in almost any bar or restaurant, a waiter would serve it with ice cold water and sugar separately, leaving the preparation of it up to the customer’s preference. It is true to say that due to the presence of the wormwood (‘Artemisia Absinthium’ in Latin) all absinthes possess a flavor bitter to some extent that is why they are commonly served with adding sugar.