Death in the P.M.
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: Under 5 mins
Active: Under 5 mins
Makes: 1 drink
By Aida Mollenkamp
The first version of this cocktail is attributed to Ernest Hemingway and is named after his novel Death in the Afternoon. The libation is an odd combination of absinthe and sparkling wine, and we feel that Hemingway’s suggested proportions were a bit too much (roughly 1 part absinthe to 4 parts champagne), so we adjusted them to our liking. And, now that absinthe is legal again, you can try this with the real thing.
What to buy: Lucid is one of the most widely available absinthes. If you can’t find it, substitute another anise-flavored liqueur such as pastis or Pernod.
This recipe was featured in our Valentine’s Day story and our Absinthe Obsessive.
- 1 part absinthe or other anise-flavored liqueur
- 10 parts chilled brut sparkling wine
- Pour absinthe in a chilled champagne glass. Top with sparkling wine and serve.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
The absinthe that is "legal" now is not the absinthe Hemingway once enjoyed, so to call it the "real thing" is a little misleading.
That is probably best.
So many people have been saying that today's legal absinthe is not the same as what was made before the 1912 prohibition. This is simply poppycock. If you would like to know the facts about absinthe, you might want to take a look at http://www.feeverte.net/faq-absinthe.... where you'll find, among other things, that pre-ban absinthe bottles continue to pop up in cellars, that absinthe was never banned in Spain, and that today's absinthe (thanks to the retropioneering work of T. A. Breaux and others) is amazingly similar (one might say "identical"), from herbal blend to thujone content, and from flavor to proof, to that which was produced in Hemingway's time. You can also read about the reasons for the ban, which had less to do with its true psychoactive dangers than with a couple of folks named Magnan and Lanfray.
10:1 seems a little light on the absinthe, seeing how 3:1 or 4:1 with ice water is traditionally recommended for absinthe. I am not sure if a DITA can be properly mixed with a blanche, but I think Kübler is a better choice than Lucid.
Read my review of Kübler here: http://www.liquor-pig.blogspot.com/
YUM. The Red Room in Santa Cruz has a version of this... I do love a literary cocktail. :)