# Death in the Afternoon

Absinthe turns cold Brut Champagne opalescent, aromatic, and formidable in Ernest Hemingway’s stark 1935 contribution to the cocktail canon.

Strength: 24% ABV before dilution

## Ingredients

- 45 ml [Absinthe](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/absinthe.md)
- 135 ml [Champagne](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/champagne.md) — Use well-chilled Brut Champagne.

## Glassware

Coupe glass

## Method

1. Pour the absinthe into a chilled coupe.
2. Add the Champagne slowly so the drink louches without foaming over.
3. Do not stir or add ice.

## Related drinks

- [Champagne Julep](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/champagne-julep.md): Cold Champagne, mint, and one sugar cube make a light nineteenth-century julep over fine ice, finished with fresh fruit rather than another spirit.
- [Champagne Cocktail](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/champagne-cocktail.md): A bitters-soaked sugar cube focuses Champagne's stream of bubbles, while Cognac gives the drink quiet depth.
- [Buck’s Fizz](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/bucks-fizz.md): One part fresh orange to three parts Brut Champagne preserves the wine-forward British branch beside the equal-parts Prosecco Mimosa.
- [Kir Royale](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/kir-royale.md): A sparkling Burgundian aperitif in which blackcurrant deepens dry Champagne without suppressing its acidity or fine bubbles.
- [Seelbach](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/seelbach.md): Bourbon, orange liqueur, and ten dashes of bitters meet Champagne in Adam Seger's genuinely modern 1995 sparkling cocktail.
- [French 75](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/french-75.md): A sparkling gin sour lengthened with Champagne.
- [Black Velvet](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/black-velvet.md): Equal parts chilled stout and Champagne combine roasted malt, wine acidity, and a remarkably soft, persistent texture.
- [Air Mail](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/air-mail.md): Lightly aged rum, lime, and concentrated honey form a bright Cuban sour before Champagne turns it into a long, sparkling drink over ice.

## References

- Canonical page: https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/death-in-the-afternoon
- Photograph: https://stirred.fyi/assets/cocktails/death-in-the-afternoon-306a5e3d.webp
- Recipe source: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/death-in-the-afternoon/