Wormwood Leaf Absinthe Spoon, Gold-Plated

The Wormwood Absinthe Spoon is our most sought-after spoon and highly valued by collectors of antique absinthe ware. The gold-plated spoon's grille features the grand wormwood plant Artemisia absinthium, the key ingredient in absinthe, with a banner woven through it. The original spoons sometimes contained advertisement text on the banner. The bottom of the spoon has a small ridged area that was originally used to break apart a piece of sugar from a sugar loaf before sugar cubes were available. This spoon is an exact reproduction of the original 19th-century design.

• Gold-plated.
• Measures 6.5" (16.5 cm) in length.
• Stainless steel.
• Will not tarnish.
• Imported.

A traditional absinthe is prepared by pouring a dose of absinthe (usually an ounce) into an absinthe glass, then placing an absinthe spoon on top of the glass and a sugar cube atop the spoon. Ice water is slowly poured or dripped
from a fountain or carafe onto the sugar. The water dissolves the sugar, and the cold, sugary mixture then falls from the spoon into the glass of absinthe, releasing oils and perfuming the air with fennel, grand wormwood, and anise.
The combination also turns milky white as the water joins with the anise in the absinthe.

Once the sugar has dissolved from the spoon, the absinthe can be sampled, and the strength and sweetness can be adjusted by adding more water or sugar to taste. The mix ratio depends on one’s liking - usually 1-part absinthe to 3 to 5 parts water.

• Handwash only.