Death In The Afternoon

Here's a super simple two ingredient cocktail; it's just Absinthe and Champagne! The Death In The Afternoon cocktail was invented by Ernest Hemingway and has the same name as one of his books. Because of this, the Death In The Afternoon cocktail is sometimes called the Hemingway Champagne or just the Hemingway. Just don't confuse it with the Hemingway Daiquiri, which is also a very tasty cocktail. It's just different.

This cocktail isn't for the feint hearted though. Absinthe can be strong and bitter, but mixes well with Champagne. If you're up for it, feel free to take Hemingway's advice:

"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."

If that's too much for you, feel free to have just one cocktail. That's probably more sensible.

Total Time 2

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

45 mL Absinthe
135 mL Champagne or any Sparkling Wine

Instructions

Pour Absinthe into a Champagne Flute or Coupe.
Add Champagne until the drink looks cloudy.
Enjoy your cocktail.

Notes

Although it's only two ingredients, this cocktail is interesting to make because of the spontaneous emulsification of the Absinthe when it's mixed with the Champagne. Don't ask us how or why this happens, but it does!

What's also nice about the Death In The Afternoon cocktail is that it's both decadent and strong. Perhaps we can't all be as heavy drinkers as Ernest Hemingway, but we can live a little bit of his lifestyle by enjoying maybe one or two of these wonderful drinks! If you're really keen, sure, take Hemingway's advice and have three to five of these, but that may be dangerous.

Either way, enjoy. We're sure you're surprised that you found a use for your bottle of Champagne and bottle of Absinthe after putting the two in our cocktail builder.

Let’s Keep Riffing On The Death In The Afternoon

We all know, or at least should know, that Ernest Hemingway liked a drink or two. In his traves, Hemingway liked to enjoy the sights and sounds of wherever he was, including drinking with the locals. It’s no wonder there’s a few cocktail recipes that are associated with him!

To learn more about the Death In The Afternoon, take the time to learn more about Earnest Hemingway. We’re a cocktail website, so we’re hardly going to write his complete biography here. All you need to know, for now, is that he was an interesting person.

Is this a cocktail I can make more than one of at once?

Not really, but since it’s only two ingredients, you shouldn’t have trouble just lining up glasses and pouring in shots of Absinthe and then adding Champagne to them. But if you’re looking to make a jug of these, don’t.

The biggest reason for this is that the Death In The Afternoon is really supposed to be made in the glass. You get a great effect when the two ingredients are mixed together. Keep it that way.

Can I premake this cocktail to serve later?

Not for this cocktail, no! Again, since part of the cocktail is how it’s mixed, it’s not a good idea to let this sit. As mentioned though, it’s only two ingredients and is very quick to make.

When’s the best time for a Death In The Afternoon?

In the afternoon of course! This cocktail recipe is quite decadent so you really should take advantage of that and enjoy drinking this cocktail just for the sake of enjoying this cocktail.

Don’t look for an occasion, the right food, or anything like that. Just make a few of these cocktails and enjoy them. You really don’t need an excuse!

That’s what Ernest Hemingway would do anyway…

Is the Death In The Afternoon strong?

Yep, this cocktail is on the strong side. Absinthe tends to be a bit stronger than a lot of other spirits, and this recipe has 45 mL of it! Not to mention the Champagne…

The Death In The Afternoon probably isn’t any more or less dangerous than a lot of other cocktails out there, but it’s easy to get carried away.

What kind of music goes best with a Death In The Afternoon?

The story goes that this cocktail was invented by Hemingway when he was visiting Paris, so why not go with something French, or specifically Parisian, when having one of these cocktails?

Keep the music French and fancy. Remember you’re trying to be a bit over the top and decadent here, so just embrace it!