Why is there a process to drinking absinthe?

Question

Why does someone usually melt a sugar cube into the absinthe? What effect does it have on the drinker or the drink itself? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

In the case of absinthe, part of the process is that it's part of the enjoyment of it. It's essentially the opposite of just doing shots to get hammered.
The nature if absinthe plays a part, too. By nature, it tends to be on the bitter side. This is why sugar became part of the ritual. However, some people enjoy the bitterness in the same way some beer fans enjoy a really bitter, hoppy beer. If it's not pre-sweetened, the people who enjoy the bitter will be happy and those who like sweet can add sugar to suit their taste.
Finally, a lot of the essences and flavors are contained in the oils suspended in the alcohol...this is why absinthe is generally very high strength (>65% usually). These oils are alcohol soluble but not water soluble. When you add water, you release the oils and essences and they no longer remain dissolved in the alcohol. This is where the milkiness or "louche" comes from. Louching your absinthe not only brings it down to a drinkable strength, but the oils and essences are then released and the flavors and aromas develop more noticeably which leads to a more enjoyable drink. The problem is that if one were to leave it louched for an extended period of time, the essences would begin to deteriorate. They would also begin separating from the watered down alcohol and lead to further degradation of the drink.

So, it's a combination of things. One is making a little bit of a ritual out of it...sort of like making tea versus a drinking a bottle of pre-made tea. The other is that it reduces the alcohol concentration so that it's actually drinkable as something enjoyable instead of a shot of really intense burn for the sake of getting sloshed. Sugar is optional according to taste. I like mine both with and without. Not having it pre-sweetened gives me the opton. Neither the sugar nor the water has any effect on the the drinker beyond what the absinthe alone does.

You'll also notice that there's no mention of fire or flames. Neither has any business around high proof alcohol (common sense reasons) nor does it have any positive effect on the drink. Fire is nothing more than bad Hollywood representation, stupid frat-house party tricks, and irresponsible Czech marketing.

Answer 2

Absinthe Sugar

Answer 3

Traditionally, absinthe is poured into a glass over which a specially designed slotted spoon is placed. A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted 3:1 to 5:1. During this process, the components that are not soluble in water, mainly those from anise, fennel and star anise, come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche (Fr. 'opaque' or 'shady', IPA [luʃ]). The addition of water is important, causing the herbs to 'blossom' and bringing out many of the flavors originally overpowered by the anise. For most people, a good quality absinthe should not require sugar, but it is added according to taste and will also thicken the mouth-feel of the drink. The major Swiss, French, and Spanish distillers recommend their absinthes without the addition of sugar.

Answer 4

Absinthe is quite bitter. A little sugar sweetens it up a bit. Same reason some people put sugar in coffee or tea, they just like it better that way.

Bert

Answer 5

I would imagine the sugar would make the drink a bit more potable.