So the French created special spoons that could cradle the sugar while allowing the sweetened water to drip down into the glass.
Why create a special spoon for this purpose? Forks could also work, but in the 1800s, sugar didn't come in cubes but in lumpy rocks, which would have been difficult to balance on tines. Water is dripped over the sugar, so that it dissolves slowly into the refreshment below. The absinthe is sweetened with a cube of sugar, placed on a slotted spoon balanced on top of the glass. So the drink becomes cloudy, and the effect sticks around a surprisingly long time.Ĭold water, it seems, was considered essential to palatability: In Five O'Clock Absinthe, the late-19th century poet Raoul Ponchon wrote that, if you have warm absinthe, boire du pissat d'âne ou du bouillon pointu - which translates, more or less, to "you might as well drink donkey's urine or 'enema broth' " instead. Le louche is also an example of a scientifically interesting phenomenon known as the " ouzo effect." Basically, when the water hits the absinthe, it releases the essential oils from the alcohol into the water, creating a spontaneous emulsion. Drip fountains were an economical way to cool down water before adding it to absinthe, while also prolonging the spectacle of le louche.Ĭourtesy of Southern Food and Beverage Museum This drip fountain, on display at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, is a replica of the one found at the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans.
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