
The Atomic cocktail is a
champagne
Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
cocktail that was popularized by the
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
Chamber of Commerce and local casinos in the 1950s. During this period, Las Vegas was sometimes called the "Atomic City".
The name has been used generically to refer to many similarly themed cocktails that were created around the same period, usually referencing atoms, nuclear fission, or rocket flights.
Atomic cocktail recipe
An Atomic cocktail recipe as described by noted cocktail historian David Wondrich calls for equal parts
vodka
Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...
and
brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
(or
Cognac
Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.
Cogn ...
) that is either stirred or shaken with a small amount of
sherry
Sherry ( ) is a fortified wine produced from white grapes grown around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is a drink produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versio ...
, then strained, and finally mixed with
Brut (dry)
champagne
Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
, frequently described as being garnished with an orange wedge. A US Army information film from the era featured some versions that were actively bubbling, likely the effect of
dry ice
Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is commonly used for temporary refrigeration as CO2 does not have a liquid state at normal atmospheric pressure and Sublimation (phase transition), sublimes directly from the solid state to the gas ...
.
"Atomic cocktails" as used generically
The Atomic Age,
Jet Age
The Jet Age is a period in the history of aviation defined by the advent of aircraft powered by jet turbine engines and the social and cultural changes fostered by commercial jet travel.
Jet airliners were able to fly higher, faster, and farth ...
and
Space Age
The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the space race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, and co ...
influenced popular culture in terms of
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
,
furniture
Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...
,
fabrics
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not ...
, and style, and began to popularize many such themed cocktail names during these times.
In his 1998 book ''Atomic Cocktails'', Gideon Bosker discusses the term and lists drink recipes inspired from this period with such names as the ''Rocket Man'', ''Apricot Fission'', and ''Cognac Zoom''. Its ''Ray Gun'' cocktail calls for 2 oz. of green
Chartreuse mixed with 1 oz. of blue
Curaçao
Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela.
Curaçao includ ...
and ice, strained, and topped off with champagne. The ''Oppenheimer Martini'' is a recipe allegedly modified by
the scientist when he was unable to sneak enough vermouth into top secret facilities.
Various "atomic" cocktails were served in the panoramic ''Sky Room'' of the
Desert Inn
The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...
, which had the highest view in Las Vegas at the time.
Patrons reportedly "drank like fish" and sang songs as they watched atomic bomb tests detonate in the distance.
Sven Kirsten, who wrote ''The Book of Tiki'', called
tiki bar
A tiki bar is a themed drinking establishment that serves elaborate cocktails, especially rum-based mixed drinks such as the Mai Tai and Zombie cocktails. Tiki bars are aesthetically defined by their tiki culture décor which is based upon a rom ...
s “the emotional bomb shelter of the Atomic Age.”
Jeff Berry in the ''Beachbum Berry Remixed'' drink guide noted that almost every tiki bar served cocktails with names like the ''Flying Saucer'' and ''Star Fire''.
Some tiki drinks had names related to more basic aviation prior to this, such as Donn Beach's
Q.B. Cooler and
Test Pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...
, and
Trader Vic's
Trader Vic's is a restaurant and tiki bar chain headquartered in Emeryville, California, United States. Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (December 10, 1902 in San Francisco – October 11, 1984 in Hillsborough, California) founded a chain of Polynes ...
two-person
PB2Y cocktail (named after the Navy's
Coronado plane).
Trader Vic's
Trader Vic's is a restaurant and tiki bar chain headquartered in Emeryville, California, United States. Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (December 10, 1902 in San Francisco – October 11, 1984 in Hillsborough, California) founded a chain of Polynes ...
revised ''Bartender's Guide'' later listed newer ''Space Needle'', ''Panoramic Punch'' and ''Milky Way'' cocktails.
Potential name origins or influences
*In
nuclear medicine
Nuclear medicine (nuclear radiology, nucleology), is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactivity, radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging is, in a sense, ''radiology done inside out'', ...
, an ''atomic cocktail'' is also used to describe a real-life radioactive mixture that is drunk by patients with hyperthyroidism and was discovered in 1941 through the work of Dr.
Saul Hertz and others.
*The "Atomic Cocktail" song was released by
Slim Gaillard in 1945 and included the following lyrics:
"It's the drink that you don't pour, now when you take one sip you won't need anymore
You're small as a beetle or big as a whale, Boom! Atomic Cocktail"
Bars
Atomic Liquors is a historic bar in Las Vegas that sells Atomic cocktails. Owners at the time Joe and Stella Sobchik renamed their bar Atomic Liquors in 1952.
See also
*
Miss Atomic (pageants)
*
National Atomic Testing Museum
*
Atomic tourism
Additional resources
*Smithsonian video: How 1950s Las Vegas sold atomic bomb testing as tourism
*1982 documentary ''
The Atomic Cafe'' (Kino Lorber),
official Youtube link
* Atomic Age Paintings at Chadron State College
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Cocktails with Champagne
Cuisine of the Western United States
Cocktails with brandy
Cocktails with vodka