Let’s now talk about absinthe glasses. Our friend Marc had already published an article about “The truth about absinthe glasses” but on the “Musée Virtuel de l’Absinthe” he classifies them in three different main categories. This classification caught my attention and I’d like to briefly talk about it with you today.
Back in the days, absinthe was mainly served in two different kinds of glasses. The first ones were used for absinthe but not only, they were generic glasses, also used for wine, liqueurs and even coffee. The second ones were exclusively produced for absinthe consumption. They were showing a specific delimitation to indicate the absinthe dose (usually 2 to 4cl depending on the glass). These absinthe glasses were almost never made of crystal because they were meant to be used daily and intensively. They were mainly used in bistros so they had to be sturdy and cheap.
Reservoir Glasses
Reservoir glasses had a well delimited dose, allowing to indicate the exact quantity of absinthe to be poured before adding water. The limit could be indicated by a simple etched line all around the glass, by a band encircling the glass (“cordon” glasses), or by a constriction (“Pontarlier” glasses).
Gustave absinthe in a “Grand Pontarlier” glass
Bubble Glasses
Bubble glasses are also part of the reservoir family but are without a doubt the rarest ones. They were mainly produced in the 1880’s/1890’s, by hand, in very small factories, and thus in small quantities.
They have quickly disappeared, probably because of the very thin passage between the dose and the cup, making the cleaning of the dose quite difficult.
Discover our bubble glass absinthes.com and our Bubble glass II.
A copy of an original Bulle glass of the Belle Époque. A nice reservoir separated from the rest of the glass.
Tarragona Glasses
Tarragona glasses refers to the city in the south of the Catalonia where Pernod Fils carried on distilling absinthe after the French ban. But the glasses themselves were produced in Barcelona.
Discover our Tarragona glasses here.
A traditional Tarragona glass (with an absinthe dripper). An elegant and discreet glass. Here the dripper is only suggested.
You can now discover our full selection of absinthe glasses in ” absinthe glasses” or discover more stories on our blog.
Talk to you soon,
L’équipe d’absinthes.com
