These antique absinthe topette were used as vessels to serve absinthe in a bar. The bartender or waiter would give the customer a full topette of absinthe. The customer would then prepare his absinthe himself by pouring a measured amount of absinthe into his glass from the topette. Each dose of absinthe is measured by a mark in the topette by an etch mark or mouth-blown ring formed into the glass bottle. Once the topette was returned to the bar, the bartender would then know how much to charge the customer by the amount of absinthe missing from the topette.
