Earlier in the year, Kaarina had gifted me with an absinthe spoon she picked up in Paris. I thought it would be fun to use it to prepare green fairies using the ritual of ice water, fire, and sugar cubes.
Then Rob gave me my Christmas gift early. An absinthe fountain!
The fountain became the centrepiece for the party.
To make a green fairy, place the sugar cube on the spoon, on top of the glass, and drip the absinthe slowly. If done with patience, the absinthe itself can melt the sugar into the glass. Then ignite the sugar cube and watch it carmelize. Swish the sugar into the glass and then slowly drip in the ice water to dilute the absinthe two to five times. Doing this slowly helps activate the essential oils and allows the aroma to develop. The anticipation flavours the drink as much as any ingredient.
The ritual has all the elements - fire, water, earth, air. It appeals to all the senses - touch as you make the drink, smell as you release the aroma, sight as you watch the cloudy louche develop, sound as you hear the drips, and taste when you sample the dose.It is also a drink of contrasts - sweet and bitter - freezing and burning.
A powerful concoction.
Later, we drank corpse revivors, equal parts gin, cointreau, lillet, lemon juice and a dash of absinthe.
Sushi was the perfect food accompaniment.
The licorice flavour fit the winter holidays, but I think I'd like to repeat the menu in the summertime, in the garden, and see whether any real green fairies appear.
At this year's tasting: Kaarina, Liz, Laura, Virginia, Nicki, Nicolette, Irene.
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| L'Absinthe / Degas |
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