Absinthe Paraphernalia

Can you just imagine what kind of havoc could be wreaked on a party by turning up with this Absinthe paraphernalia a couple of bottles of the 60% stuff? Ok, this is apparantly an absinthe fountain, which is used not for dispensing absinthe itself, but for water. Absinthe is rarely drunk neat, because alcohol at that strength burns flesh so an absinthe fountain is a neccessary accessory for delivering the right amount of ice-cold water into a glass of absinthe. The sugar cube and silver slotted spoon would appear a bit frivolous but no doubt seemed like a good idea at the time.