Recipe: Death at Dusk

From A Taste for Absinthe by R. Winston Guthrie with James F. Thompson (Clarkson Potter)

This is a version of the cocktail Death in the Afternoon (absinthe and champagne), which was created for a 1935 book of humorous cocktail riffs called So Red the Nose, or Breath in the Afternoon. While Death in the Afternoon is a great name, San Francisco-based Neyah White, from Nopa, admits it is a little lacking as far as drinks go. The addition of crème de violette has a rounding effect and gives the drink some subtlety.

½ ounce crème de violette

5 ounces sparkling wine

¼ ounce absinthe

1 maraschino cherry, for garnish

Pour the crème de violette and wine into a flute. Float the absinthe on top, and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Serve.