Atomic Cocktail

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (9 ratings)

Serve in a Martini glass

Ingredients:
1 oz Ketel One Vodka
1 oz Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac
16 oz Lustau Amontillado Los Arcos Sherry
1 14 oz Brut champagne/sparkling wine
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Martini glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.
  3. STIR first 3 ingredients with ice.
  4. STRAIN into chilled glass.
  5. TOP with sparkling wine.
  6. EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 8/10

Review:

Cognac supercharged with vodka, rounded with sherry and invigorated by champagne. Handle with care.

View readers' comments

History:

Created in the early 1950s in Las Vegas, USA, then known as the "Atomic City" due to its proximity to the Nevada Test Site (NTS), just 65 miles north of the city. Between 1951 and 1992, NTS was America's leading nuclear weapons test site, with mushroom clouds easily seen up to 100 miles away, leading to increased tourism to Las Vegas. Throughout the 1950s into the early 1960s, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce capitalized on the nuclear tests and the spectacle of nuclear clouds and flashes. Casinos hosted "dawn parties" and created atomic-themed cocktails, including this one.

Nutrition:

One serving of Atomic Cocktail contains 163 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.7 standard drinks
  • 22.61% alc./vol. (22.61° proof)
  • 23.2 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Peter Barth’s Avatar Peter Barth
31st December 2024 at 23:50
coming down from a sloe fizz and celebration - i gotta say - this is a mean dry cocktail! love it.
4th November 2023 at 18:39
dry but not austere. my go-to when I am in a mood for something serious and toeing the edge of mean. like my mood. then it blooms into satisfaction. I adjust using different wines, from brut to demi-sec and love each of the variations. I also use a smooth but not overly fruity brandy, or herbal vodka or a golden semi-dry sherry to a good quality oaked sherry or even Dry Sack. All good results and effective to get the job done.
Sandrine Mazoyer’s Avatar Sandrine Mazoyer
24th October 2023 at 02:43
Taste like a young blend scotch whisky without the garnish
Herbert Brant’s Avatar Herbert Brant
13th October 2022 at 21:05
I wanted to like this cocktail, but I must say that the boozy quality was overpowering, and there wasn't much flavor or character to it. All I tasted was boozy alcohol.

The Vodka could not hold up the cocktail, so I might consider substituting it for a base of Bourbon or Rye —which I think might blend more nicely with the Cognac, the Sherry, and Champagne.