Death in the Afternoon
CLASSIC · ABSINTHE

Death in the Afternoon

Ernest Hemingway's own creation, this two-ingredient stunner layers louche absinthe beneath a cascade of champagne for a drink as bold and literary as its inventor.

Ingredients
Champagne90 ml
Glassware
Champagne flute
Chilled.
Flavor
BODYSWEETFRUITACIDHEATSMOKEEARTHBITTER

Anise · Honey

Estimated profile

Method
  1. 1

    Chill a champagne flute thoroughly before building the drink.

  2. 2

    Pour 30ml of absinthe into the chilled flute.

  3. 3

    Slowly top with approximately 90ml of well-chilled champagne, pouring gently down the side of the glass to preserve the bubbles.

  4. 4

    Observe the louche effect as the absinthe clouds and swirls through the champagne - do not stir.

  5. 5

    Serve immediately.

From the Bartender

Hemingway published this recipe in 1935's 'So Red the Rose', instructing drinkers to add iced champagne until the drink attains the proper opalescent milkiness - the louche effect is not incidental but the visual centrepiece of the drink. Use a quality verte absinthe rather than a substitute pastis, as the authentic wormwood-forward botanicals are essential to the final balance.

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