hi~ new here, searched but I couldn't find an answer.

I'm planning an absinthe party. I've only had it once, and that was the dreaded czechsinthe. I was told not to have more than 2 oz of it then. And yes, we burned the sugar.

I want to make sure I have enough for everyone, but I'm not really sure if the 2 oz I heard is for real or random. I know with the high alcohol content you want to be moderate. I'm thinking 1.5-2 oz per person. Any thoughts on that?

The ones I'll be serving are Taboo, La Clandestine, and hopefully La Fee. I'm in BC, those are the ones I can get. I might get a Green Tree too, I haven't seen any reviews on it. It's Czech, not sure if there's a blanket feeling on all of their's or just some. I'm really excited about it. And yes, I will discourage the burning of the sugar.

Thanks!

Suggested amount per person: 0.


Seriously, for those who are so inclined, one cube should suffice, although for the incorrigible, perhaps two, although at that level, a good deal of the absinthe's real flavor (and certainly the more subtle nuances) will be completely obfuscated.

The dose of your absinthe depends on how much you plan on drinking really. Most absinthe glassware is designed with a traditional dose of around 1 oz, properly diluted between 3 to 5 parts water. I usually stick to around 3:1. Using that ratio, if you start with a two ounce dose, you'll need to add about 6oz water.

Ditto what the clown said for sugar, even though you're bound to get differing opinions on that.

Don't forget to drop by our newcomer's section and introduce yourself!

Ignore those clowns. Try sugar. Use it if you like it. Don't use it if you don't like it. I'm enjoying my second glass of absinthe (with sugar) and enjoying it immensely.

Oh, never let fire and absinthe mix. Never. It's ok to burn czech-shit because it's not absinthe but never drink czech-shit. Never!

The answer to your question comes down to how much time you have to enjoy the absinthe, how "absinthe-minded" do you want to get, and what is the alcohol tolerance of each person attending. I think if you will be tasting 3 different offerings then a full ounce of each would be fine assuming you are not chugging/shooting them down back to back. And of course allow one hour for every ounce you drink before driving. Three glasses sipped back to back will get you feeling quite nice in deed but shouldn't be too much if you have the time to enjoy it.

If this is truly a 'tasting' event, I would certainly not recommend full servings. If you have to make your way through 2 full servings of absinthe (4-6 oz. of fully prepared absinthe each) before you can move on to the third, a novice's palate will be blown out by then.

Give half an ounce of PREPARED absinthe for each brand to each person so they can do side-by-side comparisons. After the initial comparisons, then offer full servings of which ever they choose.

Thanks. On further research I see that La Fee is Czech, not sure why I was missing that before. I think we'll try it anyways for variety.

Maybe I'll try people at about .5oz each to start. I'll have the most of the La Clandestine and Taboo. I've been trying to see if I can order from saq, but their website has been down for me all week, not sure if they'd ship out of Quebec anyways.

It's sort of a tasting party, but more a party centred around absinthe- it's my birthday. We'll be outside with a fire, music, finger foods, lounging space, and a couple green fairies.

For snacks I've found some suggestions on here and am doing some fennel and orange crostini, devilled eggs with tarragon, cheese fondue, maybe a non-tomato based pizza, olives, chocolate, a few other things.

Most people seem familiar with it but have never had it. The ones that have are very excited. The one time I had it, I walked into the house and everyone was sitting, jibber jabbering away all sparkly eyed and smiley. It was pretty fun. I had I think 2 oz. A few beers followed later then suddenly I was totally, messily wasted. Not such a fan of the latter part, but the rest was fun!

Excuse me, Ron's only an journeyman clown, at best, as his inexpertly done makeup clearly indicates.

That's the general Modus operandi around these parts, too. It makes for a very pleasant evening.

I'm pretty certain that they don't. Premier Halifax have both brands and are quick/cost-effective.

the party was super fun last night! unfortunately the La Clandestine did not arrive in time- I'm sure it will be here tomorrow. We had Taboo and La Fee. We started out by using small strainers to do the sugar, but once a spoon arrived we used that. A bodum worked great for the water. No burning of any sugar happened.

definitely got some people hooked on it, it was a really fun time and will have to be done again.

I can't get my shutterfly-hosted pictures to show up here, so here's some links, hopefully they work:

me, one of the green fairies

another green fairy giving lessons

alice in absinthe wonderland

end of the night

Nice. I felt right at home when I saw the puff jackets. I think your fairies are historically accurate.

I'm particularly partial to the French Press carafe. Seriously, practical to a fault and a lovely lady at the helm, what could be more perfect?

Nice one! Looks like you had a great little get together. Nice pics.

That's all you need. Would have been nice if the CLB had arrived as well.