Hello all,

First time poster, here. I recently received the Un Emile 4 flask sampler and had some questions about how much sugar to start out with. I'll probably try the 68 first, and have been reading that a 3:1 water ratio is a good place to start.

I don't like "overly sweet" drinks, so I got some Domino Dots. I realize it comes down to experimentation to find your personal preference, but don't want to screw up my first glass. Is one Dot about the right place to start for a not-too-sweet glass?

You can always try it without any sugar, and if you think it needs some, add more absinthe and water with sugar. That's why you save those big-gulp cups! Also works with the big slurpee cups as well, but that's a different thread.

Actually I'd start out with 1 cube and go from there. Some like sugar in their absinthe, others don't.

I like sugar in some and not in others. It's been said many times over, but bears repeating here — it's all a matter of personal taste. Happy experimentation, FNG.

I've been using Domino Dots for a long time.. one with the Emiles when I use a 3/4 oz. shot; two Dots with 1.25 ounces of absinthe.. all of this at about 3:1. But.. I like my absinthe on the strong and fairly sweet side, so as others have said here.. experiment! You'll find your "sweet spot".

We snagged some Le Perruche sugar cubes at Wild Oats for $2 they are various sizes but roughly about 1 tsp. I usually use 1. However, I am now in the middle of a mind expanding experiment. I have one glass WITH sugar and 1 glass WITHOUT of the Blanche. The preliminary results are in and there seems to be no difference in the louche (approx. 3:1) . However, I am leaning towards the unsweetened version as far as taste. It seems the flavors are coming through much clearer.
My suggestion is that no matter how much sugar you put in or don't put in, DO NOT LIGHT IT ON FIRE ! Enjoy and welcome.

Thank you for the suggestions! I'll be trying a glass of each (sugar/no sugar) - hopefully soon. At the moment, I am staring at a frozen bottle of Ozarka waiting for it to thaw enough to drip.

I can't see holding a water pitcher for 5-10 minutes, and this will have to do until I can get a fountain.

You already have a fountain.
In your kitchen sink.

A while back, to drink absinthe without sugar would get a person flamed on the 'Net'. Nowadays, people are (thankfully) more accepting of other folks' tastebuds.

I use sugar in some (1 cube) and no sugar in others. It depends on the brand of absinthe I am drinking, and my mood. Some nights I'll drink an absinthe I normally would always put sugar in 'neat' because it want it on the bitter side.

I think I am like you in that I do not prefer any absinthe to be too sweet. Also, I tend to drink all of my blanche's without sugar in then. Cleaner taste (to me. Your results may vary).

Enjoy, and though it has been said, it ALWAYS bears repeating; NEVER light it on fire!

No worries about me lighting it on fire (or microwaving it, or putting it in my cereal, etc.)

As far as the sink method goes, there are 3 reasons why that won't work for me: 1) the tap water here is shite, 2) it's not cold enough, and 3) I'm ADD and might forget about it.

I don't particularly need to buy a "real" absinthe fountain. Just something that I can put ice water in, control the drip, and watch it.

I just finished a glass of UE 68 with one DDot and it was definitely sweet enough. Very tasty, but a bit "thinner" than I expected. I think I should just keep "experimenting"...

Pier 1 used to have cheapo fountain
type things.

The Emile's are thin.

Are you now, or have you ever been,
A Real Live Woman?

I, on the other hand, like more than normal sugar in my absinthe. For me, it seems to be linked to the flavor profile: the Alpiney ones I like very sweet, the fruity ones sweet as well, but the anisey ones very little sugar.

I realize some people like drinks sweet, and others not sweet. In general I do not like my drinks to be sweet. I dislike sugar, and for the most part avoid it in my diet.

Now absinthe is a different story.

The sugar helps to round out flavors and create mouthfeel. If you skip the sugar you may be missing out on some subtleties... this of course depends on the absinthe. Anything that's just a maceration, or an oil mix is probably not going to change much no matter what you add to it. Finer distillations can be tweeked with the "sweet spot" water and sugar combo.

For good HG @ 72% alc, I use 1 oz absinthe, 1 dickheadlosershitforbrainsgoatsuckerripoffartist! sugar (2-3 dominoes dots) and 5oz water.

For other swill... I ummm, can't remember.

YMMV

I used to drink all my absinthe with sugar. Now, I have my own ritual ... I take a sip of it neat, just to get the flavor, then I'll go with a 2.5 to 1 ratio with out sugar, and then if it needs it, do the second glass with.

For me, it gives me an opportunity to get the full taste of the product unaltered.

DG

That's why I drink out of the bottle.

All this time I thought it was because the rubber nipple kept you from spilling on the sheets.

I drop a couple of ice cubes into a bicycle water bottle and add bottled water from the supermarket. This gives me very cold water and great control over the drip into the my absinthe. I'm not sure what I'll do when I serve absinthe to guests, maybe buy a new water bottle.

If the UE tasted thin, try using a little less water or a little more absinthe next time. I usually taste it before I think I'm done. If it's strong, I'll drip some more, if not, I've avoided a watered-down tasting drink. People here will tell you the ratios they use, but it is really up to your own taste to find the best porportion of absinthe, sugar and water. This will vary from brand to brand, and perhaps according to your mood as well.

MrGreenGenes

I've had to do some major improvising while on the road .... at hotels, you can use a plastic water cup as a dripping device by squeezing it almost to the breaking point and letting the ice water drip out. Also, I've called down to the bar and gotten a half carafe of ice water ... not ideal, but it works in a pinch.

Where there's a will ....

DG

Thanks - I'm going to try the next glass with about 2.5 parts water and no sugar.

Since the sugar does not effect the louche, if I decided I hated the above mixture, I could stir in a little (granulated) sugar to taste, right?

P.S. Yes, Mr. L. I am a RLW.

Fuckin' great.
More wimmin's!

And the harem grows...
Welcome, FNG who's a Real Live Woman.
I, for one, never use sugar at all. Of course, you will repeatedly be told that experimentation will lead you to your own perfect combination for every absinthe you try.
And dripping? Necessity is the mother of invention, to be sure.
Nobody here does anything in the same way that another does.
Diversity in alcoholist-ism, and all that.

That is fuckin' great. That makes — what — seven of us? Eight? That's hardly a harem, but enough to make a decent gaggle of groupies, should the collective mood ever strike us.

I always wanted to be a rock star.

DG

We'd make a hell of chorus line too.

...or a low-budget massage parlor.

DG

Burlesque parlor?

Burl Ives pallor?

DG

Burl with The Gold Diggers:

What's his hat covering?

His ferret?

Could be; I think he's trying to tell us with his index finger.

My mom had a pair of white go-go boots similar to the ones the Burl Ive's harem
girls are wearing.

In later years she loaned them to me to wear to ska concerts.

It it true? Only seven or eight of us?Perhaps more XX's are lurking in the
no-post-toasties lobby.

I prefer more women than men in here ... make for much more interesting conversation.

DG

Are'nt ferrets illegal?They are in my state.You have to ship them in liqour
boxes to get them past the inspectors.

Granulated sugar will work. That's what I ended up doiing when I tried absinthe with no sugar

2.5 sounds a bit strong to me, but it's a great place to start because you can add small amounts of water until it tastes right.

You could always try to convince some of your fellow gents to turn up to the forum
in drag.

Better yet,sing some monkey love songs to them until they are convinced they are really women trapped in men's bodies.Then perhaps they will go for the years of psychotherapy,shots,and The Operation.

In the meantime three or four RLW might wander this way.