by Thos Robert

Created on: March 21, 2007   Last Updated: September 14, 2011

The method of drinking the Bohemian style Absinthe is different than that of the historic, traditional Absinthe that is usually associated with Paris of the 19th Century.

Step 1: Receive glass of Absinthe with sugar and a spoon. Most bartenders will assume you have a lighter (if not, ask the bartender for one).

Step 2: Place sugar in the spoon, dip the spoon with the sugar into the Absinthe just enough to completely soak the sugar.

Step 3: While holding the spoon (with the sugar still in it!) above the glass, light the Absinthe in the spoon; you should get a small flame; wait for the sugar to caramelize (you may have to dip the sugar into the Absinthe a second time and re-light it - if you have to do a third and fourth time, you're doing something wrong, you've either got too much sugar or too little Absinthe in the spoon.)

Step 4: Once the sugar has caramelized, quickly thrust the spoon into the glass of Absinthe and stir aggressively for two-three seconds. At this point, the contents of the glass should be on fire!

Step 5: Put out fire. Most people simply blow into the glass, and while this method can work, it's been known to happen that people blow too hard into the glass. When this happens it is likely that the flaming alcohol will blow back into your face. It's more prudent to simply place a beer mat atop the glass to suffocate the flame.

Step 6: Once the flame has been extinguished, shoot it! It's not for sipping.

A little advice: Bohemia style Absinthe is not for starting an evening of fun, it's for ending one. Responsible bartenders will not give you more than two. And if you're already visibly intoxicated, they will not serve you one. You can get a beer, a whiskey, whatever, but they won't serve an Absinthe.

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