Death in the Afternoon
ClassicAbsinthe and champagne. Hemingway's own prescription.
Bracing and effervescent, with absinthe's potent anise clouding into the champagne's dry sparkle. The result is aromatic and deceptively smooth — herbal, bubbly, and considerably stronger than it tastes.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Absinthe
- 4 oz Champagne
- Lemon peel · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Pour the absinthe into a chilled champagne flute.
- 2
Slowly top with well-chilled champagne, which will turn cloudy.
- 3
Express a lemon peel over the surface and drop it in.
The Story
Ernest Hemingway contributed this drink to a 1935 celebrity-cocktail collection, naming it for his book on bullfighting and supplying characteristically vivid instructions: "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly." The suggested dosage is not recommended. It remains the most literary drink in the canon.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
