I've been talking with a few folks about absinthe lately, and since I just got my usual (and a new bottle to try) in the mail, I've prepared servings of both to compare their color and their louche (clouding effect due to water reacting with the botanical oils in absinthe). I've served it up traditionally (with a cold water drip over an optional sugar cube with an absinthe spoon), and my preferred way - dripped with cold water with the addition of a few ice cubes to keep it chill as I slowly sip it.

My other favorite preparation is a "Death in the Afternoon", where chilled champagne is dripped into it vs water, supposedly invented by Hemingway. Absinthe is about 100-150 proof (compared to about 80 proof for gin or whiskey). It should be 5:1 water:absinthe, so don't judge my pours in these pics.

Kübler is a white (blanche) absinthe from Switzerland that I've been buying for a few years now and 100% clear, while La Muse Verte is a French brand I'm sampling, with the traditional vivid green color due to the chlorophyll from the 2nd infusion of herbs after distilling. In "real" green absinthe not made with additives or artificial color, the chlorophyll is light-sensitive and usually sold in dark bottles to protect it. Absinthe is also like champagne as far as pricing, so a decent absinthe usually starts in the $60 range for 750ml and goes up from there. I like both of these, but I'll probably order another La Muse Verte and move away from Kübler and keep trying new brands for awhile.