The Green Fairy

February 21st, 2010

Well, I can mark another task off of my list of things to get done in my life. I finally partook of the absinthe ritual.

Saturday night Mom and I were supposed to meet some of her coworkers for dinner at Yia Yia’s, and we arrived early so we could sit at the bar and observe the absinthe ritual. Absinthe is a licorice-tasting spirit that is a translucent green color. It’s sometimes called the Green Fairy. The ritual involves dripping ice water on a sugar cube so that it melts into the absinthe in the glass below. Sometimes, fire is involved.

green fairy

That photo shows the process. That special carafe in the middle holds the ice water, and it is designed specifically for the ritual. The absinthe goes in the glass. Then a special slotted spoon is rested on the rim of the glass and the sugar cube sits on this. If you are observing the fire ritual, which we did, some absinthe is dripped on the sugar and then it is set aflame. Can you see the blue flame in this photo?

green fairy 2

Then the water is dripped over the burning cubes, putting out the flame and slowly dissolving the sugar. By the time the cubes are all gone, the green absinthe has turned pearly white. Then you partake.

I wouldn’t do it again. I’ve never liked the taste of licorice, and this stuff burned the back of my throat. (It turns out my drink was mixed much more strongly than Mom’s.) And it wasn’t cheap.

Just sayin’

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