Death in the Afternoon

The Death in the Afternoon is a two-ingredient cocktail made with absinthe and brut Champagne. The drink is built in a coupe glass or flute and served without a garnish. 

Ernest Hemingway made many notable contributions to society during his lifetime including seminal works of literature, a flock of six-toed cats that have taken over his Key West home since his death in 1961, and inspired modern classic cocktails like the Hemingway Daiquiri. This one, the Death in the Afternoon, is one of his original cocktail creations. 

This absinthe cocktail is named after the author’s 1932 book on Spanish bullfighting and its invention dates to around the same time. Hemingway contributed the recipe for the Death in the Afternoon to a 1935 cocktail book, So the Red Norse, or Breath in the Afternoon, which featured cocktail recipes from celebrities.

Hemingway’s cocktail is the first listed in the book and his instructions to make the drink are simple: “Pour 1 jigger of absinthe into a Champagne glass, add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness.” 

In a very Hemingway fashion, he adds, “Drink 3 to 5 of these slowly.” The book’s editors,  Sterling North and Carl Krotch, offer a tongue-in-cheek note at the end of the recipe, “after six of these cocktails The Sun Also Rises.”

Why the Death in the Afternoon works

This simple cocktail is all about balance since both Champagne and absinthe have assertive flavor profiles. Absinthe brings intense anise and mint notes, and Champagne adds brightness, citrus aromas, and a savory, brioche-like depth.

When Hemingway refers to the “opalescent milkness” as a cue for how much Champagne to add to the absinthe, he is describing a process called “louching” where certain anise-based spirits turn cloudy with the addition of water or other liquids. 

In this case, when the Champagne combines with the absinthe, the drink goes cloudy. This happens because absinthe contains compounds that are only soluable in alcohol, meaning they’re completely dissolved and the spirit appears clear. When the Champagne is added, this chemical balance is disrupted as the ABV of the drink is lowered, pulling these compounds out of solution and making them visible, thus giving the drink a milky hue.