Creating original drinks is not something I aspire to on a grand scale; I just keep pouring stuff into cups until it tastes good, you know?
This Death Spasm cocktail recipe does happen to be an original, even though you may have heard of it before!
The movie Cocktail came out when I was a few weeks shy of a year old. I don’t bring it up because it’s worth watching; if you’re going to watch a movie from 30 years ago I have PLENTY of others to recommend. However, there’s one scene where Tom Cruise delivers the Last Barman’s Poem, and he mentions a very intriguing drink called the Death Spasm.
When I tried to look up the recipe for Death Spasm, I was shocked to find that it does not exist. Even after 30 years of being mentioned to a rather wide audience, it appears a standard recipe has yet to be created.
So, I decided to try and make one for myself! I wanted something original, flavorful, and potent to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Starting with Inspiration
Since I’m not an expert mixologist, I looked to the internet for some help designing this drink. I came across a drink made famous by Ernest Hemingway back in the 1930s that shares a name with one of his books: the Death in the Afternoon cocktail.
The drink has exactly two ingredients: absinthe and champagne. Very simple, and powerful enough to get you hosed if you drink it too quickly.
It sounded like a great starting point to me! Champagne is the queen of New Year’s Eve alcohol, making it a perfect ingredient for a celebratory cocktail.
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Mommin’ it Up
In modifying Death in the Afternoon to become the mom-approved Death Spasm cocktail, I decided to swap the champagne for some sparkling pink moscato (the super-girly, super-basic version of champagne) and threw in a sugar cube as well.
For one thing, I love love love pink moscato wine, so I was excited to use the sparkling version. As for the sugar cube, it seemed like a no-brainer once I did my research. Absinthe is traditionally prepared with ice-cold water poured over a sugar cube resting on a slotted spoon over the pre-poured glass. Plus, a champagne cocktail is simply a flute of champagne with a sugar cube added. So, sugar cube it was!
Now, I’m not rich and fancy. My champagne glasses came from Goodwill, I think, back when I first got married. (YOU can get a really nice set of classic champagne flutes, though.) When I sent Josh to the liquor store for my ingredients, I told him to get the cheapest absinthe they had (which still came out to $35 – so if you decide to try this recipe, be prepared for a decent price tag). That turned out to be Mephisto Absinthe, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the taste.
Absinthe? Really?
I’ll admit I was super concerned about whether or not this Death Spasm cocktail recipe was going to be a drink I’d actually enjoy. I’d never even tasted any kind of absinthe before, and I was starting with the cheap stuff. In hindsight, I think it probably worked to my palette’s favor that I’ve never had any high-end absinthe because I had zero expectations.
Upon opening the absinthe, I was greeted with a smell that reminded me of mouthwash, but with a tastier, more edible vibe. It certainly wasn’t the pungent, mossy smell I had imagined. The Mephisto had a very strong smell of cinnamon in it as well, and as a basic pumpkin spice witch myself I was very intrigued.
I’d read that it has been historically socially unacceptable to drink absinthe neat (by itself). It’s expected that you use cold water at a minimum, if not with sugar. I knew that meant it was probably extremely bitter, but after a small taste of the Mephisto on its own, I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to try a straight shot… If I were interested in having the room spin a minute or two later.
The Birth of the Death Spasm Cocktail
My husband and I both enjoyed an inaugural Death Spasm cocktail, and I have to tell you, he was SO excited. He’d never tried absinthe before, either, and was happy to help me with a taste test.
We essentially assembled the drink just like Hemingway’s. I started by pouring a jigger (one ounce) of absinthe in a champagne flute. The faded green hue of the Mephisto is very enticing.
I then topped the flute with some chilled Andre’s Sparkling Pink Moscato. The pale pink and green combined created a nice, rosy hue.
The final touch was to drop a sugar cube into the flute. It immediately began to effervesce, giving the drink a little bit of a fun factor. (I’m easily amused, okay?)
There you have it! Bright Color Mom’s Original Death Spasm Cocktail.
Death Spasm Flavor Review
As for taste, I think it’s pretty good. I like the absinthe, I already knew I liked pink moscato, and the two together seem fairly complimentary. It wasn’t too bitter, but far from too sweet.
This is a strong drink. Mephisto is 130 proof (65% alcohol), so you could easily cut it down to half an ounce of absinthe and still have a tasty, buzz-inducing cocktail.
Josh felt that the flavor changed as the bubbles dissipated, and he didn’t like it as well toward the end. I didn’t really notice a change of flavor in mine and enjoyed it the whole way through.
If you try to finish this in a few minutes, you’re probably going to get knocked on your butt. I sipped it slowly and had it done in about 45 minutes. (In the instructions for his drink, Hemingway said “drink 3 to 5 slowly.” Slowly is the keyword.) Just keep your pink champagne as chilled as possible before serving to give you more time before it gets to room temperature. Don’t freeze it, though – that’ll kill off your bubbles, and that’s half the fun!
Absinthe should never be refrigerated or frozen because it’ll change the composition, so just keep it in a cool dark place (ours is in the back corner of our kitchen counter).
Even after 45 minutes, my sugar cube had not quite dissolved in the bottom, but Josh’s had. I read that using organic sugar cubes may help speed up the dissolving process because they’re more loosely packed. You can get some highly-rated kosher- and vegan-friendly sugar cubes here! It’s not required that the cube fully dissolve before you finish your drink, but if you’d like to help it along, feel free to give it a stir.
All in all, I truly enjoyed my first-ever drink creation experiment, and will definitely be making it again! New Year’s Eve champagne cocktail, anyone?
Death Spasm Cocktail Recipe Card
Death Spasm Cocktail
Inspired by the movie Cocktail and Ernest Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon, this mommyfied absinthe cocktail will knock the socks off your girlfriends at your next moms-only get-together!
Ingredients
- 1 ounce of absinthe
- 4.5 ounces of pink champagne or sparkling wine
Instructions
- Pour absinthe into a champagne flute.
- Top with pink champagne.
- Drop a sugar cube into the champagne flute and drink!
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Nutrition Information
Yield
1Serving Size
1 cocktailAmount Per Serving Calories 216Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 3mgCarbohydrates 11gNet Carbohydrates 11gFiber 0gSugar 9gProtein 0g
Nutrition information is based on the manufacturer labels for each ingredient, and may not always be accurate.
Rate & Review
Have you made my original Death Spasm cocktail recipe yet? If so, I’d really love it if you’d rate and review it below (I read all of them!). Feel free to use different brands of absinthe or actual pink champagne instead of sparkling wine.
