Death In The Afternoon

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Cocktail History

The Death In The Afternoon is a vintage cocktail that was created in the 1930s by author Ernest Hemingway, who was known for his preference for strong drinks. In the same vein, this one carries on that trend by mixing about an ounce of absinthe with effervescent sparkling wine.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Sparkling Wine: This is a carbonated wine made with white or red grapes. I used La Marca Prosecco.

Absinthe: This is a spirit made with anise, wormwood, fennel, botanicals, and alcohol. I used Great Lakes Distillery Amerique 1912 Absinthe Verte.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. I used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Faint green color

• Aroma: Strong, effervescent licorice aroma

• Taste: Creamy textured explosion of strong, bitter anise flavors

• Finish: Bubbly white wine

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐

Kendall’s Take: “I’m not a fan of absinthe so I knew going into this tasting that I was probably not going to like this drink at all. Yeah… uhh, I was right. Not even sparkling wine could tame its strong absinthe flavor, which to me tastes like a sun tan spray my mom used as a kid. The Death In The Afternoon was not for me, but if you like absinthe, you’ll probably find this to be a delight.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from Liquor.com, an online beverage publication.