About Absinthe Fountains
Show the Absintheur in You with Absinthe Fountain

We have to admit it. Even if absinthe has a 'dark' history, many of us are drawn to it. The mere topic of absinthe makes us think of art, elegance and sophistication. No wonder why even if absinthe has been banned for nearly a century and such ban is just now being lifted in the United States, many have immersed themselves in the colorful and intricate world of the old absinthe days, and indulged themselves in collecting everything that is related to absinthe, from works of art, to century old slotted spoons and a bottle of bootleg absinthe from Switzerland. However, for those who have enough money to spend for extra absinthe accessories, an absinthe fountain is a must have. If you don't have it, you're not a true-blue absinthe connoisseur.

Drinking absinthe is said to be a ritual. You don't drink it straight from the bottle the way a drunkard peasant would do during the old times. For those who considered absinthe drinking an art, they follow the meticulous ritual of louching the green liquor until it turned milky in color. And this ritual, as they say, is intoxicating enough for the senses.

Louching must be done perfectly with the aid of a slotted spoon and an absinthe fountain. The slotted spoon keeps the cubed sugar atop, untouching the liquor, while the fountain provides the cold water to pour ever so slowly, steadily and and thinly over the cubed sugar; and with this process, cool, melted sugar drips down to the liquor, turning the green liquor into its louched color. If louching is done improperly, absinthe won't turn into the desired milky-green color. Factors involved in wrong louching are(1) the temperature of the water for louching isn't cool, (2) pouring was done in haste, and (3) wrong proportion of water and absinthe. Unless you have a steady hand and knows when to stop pouring, you might scratch an absinthe fountain in your collection's list.

Absinthe lovers buy an absinthe fountain just for the sake of having one. Having a brass or pewter made, century old absinthe fountain displayed in your liquor bar at home for your relatives and guests to ogle at is enough a reason to shell out those dollars. For those who lack the money to buy an antique absinthe fountain, there are replicas on sale that you can purchase. Replicas resemble the original in terms of design (the acorn top and four water taps) and materials used (absolutely no plastic included). There are modern designs, too, available for those who would like to see the absinthe ritual with touch of the modern times. Modern designs uses stainless steel on tops, handles and taps, clear glass and has a sleek, minimalistic look.

One of the favorite absinthe fountain design is the Green Fairy handle, who is depicted as the holder of the glass water reservoir. A Green Fairy absinthe fountain, a glass of absinthe with a slotted spoon, in dark color aged by time, and a replica of Van Gogh's painting, "Still Life in Absinthe," hanging on the wall -- now that's a perfect backdrop for lucid drunkenness.