absinthe fountain
From The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails
is an ornamental iced-water dispenser used to slowly add water to a glass of absinthe. It came into vogue in French cafés in the latter 1800s, as the increasing popularity of absinthe demanded a more efficient means of service. Prior to the arrival of the fountain, absinthe was prepared by pouring iced water from a carafe or pitcher by hand. With the fountain, a server could prepare up to six or eight glasses at a time, or take the fountain to the table, allowing the guests to prepare their absinthes together, without waiting for a carafe to be passed.
The fountain’s most common form comprises a clear glass globe for holding ice and water with two to six spigots, all supported on a single, turned metal leg. In rural Switzerland, thrown pottery types are also found and often have many more spigots on the larger versions.
See also absinthe, absinthe drip.
Conrad, Barnaby. Absinthe: History in a Bottle. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1988.
By: Gwydion Stone
This definition is from The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails, edited by David Wondrich (Editor-in-Chief) and Noah Rothbaum (Associate Editor).