“Deadly” Cocktails and Their History

With summer upon us, thoughts naturally turn to refreshing libations to take the edge off the heat. With that in mind, this will be a fun article about “deadly” cocktails, aka drinks with death-related names, complete with a little history to entertain your guests while you mix these tasty treats.

Deadly Cocktail #1: Death in the Afternoon

If you’re a lover of literature, you may recognize this as the title of Ernest Hemingway’s 1932 ode to the sport of bullfighting. Indeed, this was Papa’s drink, and it’s also widely known as simply “The Hemingway.” Just like bullfighting, and true to the spirit of how Hemingway lived, this drink is a little controversial, as one of its two ingredients is absinthe – a spirit shrouded in mystery and myth. Just to set the record straight, absinthe is made mostly from wormwood, which contains a chemical called thujone that’s widely believed to cause hallucinations. This is a myth; there is no evidence that thujone, even in large doses, causes hallucinations. Here’s the recipe, complete with Hemingway’s instructions for pouring it perfectly.

Ingredients:

• 1 jigger of absinthe
• Iced champagne

Instructions (as per Hemingway):

“Pour one jigger absinthe into a champagne glass. Add iced champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.”

Deadly Cocktail #2: Suffering Bastard

This recipe comes from the now-defunct Shepherd’s Hotel in Cairo. Originally conceived as a hangover cure over 70 years ago, this potent drink is just as likely to give you a hangover as it is to cure one. To adjust potency, simply increase or decrease the amount of ginger ale.

Suffering bastard
Credit: cocktailswithcakes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. London dry gin
• ½ oz. fresh lime juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• ginger ale to top
• mint garnish

Instructions:

Add the bourbon, gin, lime juice, and bitters into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled (about 30 seconds). Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice. Top with the ginger ale. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Deadly Cocktail #3: Zombie

This is another stiff concoction that was originally mixed as a hangover cure. Its creator was Donn Beach, proprietor of Hollywood’s Don the Beachcomber restaurant, and it helped kick off the tiki bar craze after being popularized at the 1939 World’s Fair. It’s deceptively high in alcohol and got its name for turning people into “zombies” after just one drink.

Donn Beach, creator of the Zombie
Credit: atlasobscura.com

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. light rum
• 1 oz. dark rum
• ½ oz. 151-proof dark rum
• 1 oz. orange curacao liqueur
• ½ oz. lemon juice
• ½ oz. lime juice
• 1 ½ oz. orange juice
• 1 ½ oz. passion fruit puree or syrup
• ¼ oz. grenadine
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• mint garnish

Instructions:

This one’s easy. Just combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice, give it a really good shake, and strain into a glass over ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Deadly Cocktail #4: The Undertaker

The Undertaker is a drink with many iterations, and recipes vary significantly. For our purposes, we’re going with one that doesn’t call for espresso. This cocktail made its first appearance in 2009 for the Grand Marnier & Navan Mixology Summit in Vail, Colorado.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. bourbon
• ½ oz. Grand Marnier
• ¼ oz. Cynar
• ½ oz. grapefruit juice (ruby red is best)
• orange garnish

Instructions:

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Mix well and strain into a glass over ice. Garnish with an orange slice.

Deadly Cocktail #5: Cobra’s Fang

Another creation of Don the Beachcomber, the Cobra’s Fang is a tiki drink that’s seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. It’s a crushed ice drink, making it a perfect summertime treat.

The Cobra’s Fang
Credit: Liquor.com

Ingredients:

• ½ oz. dark Jamaican rum
• ½ oz 151-proof rum
• ½ oz. fresh lime juice
• ½ oz. falernum
• ½ oz. fresh orange juice
• ¼ oz. passionfruit syrup
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash grenadine
• 1 dash Herbsaint
• lime slice and mint sprig garnish

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients with 6 oz of crushed ice for 5 seconds and pour into a highball glass or tall Tiki mug. Garnish with a mint leaf and lime wheel.

I hope you enjoyed this fun little trip through the history of some “deadly” cocktails. Let us know what you think if you end up trying one, and feel free to share your own recipes.