067 – Atomic

A 2021 re-discovery of the 1950’s ‘Atomic’ cocktail, from bomb-test parties in the Nevada desert.

What started as a Covid lock-down activity, in the 105-day Sydney second-wave of the Delta-strain, is now a continuing journey through the cocktail’s of the past. This time, the post-WWII ‘Atomic’ cocktail from the dawn of the nuclear age.

Make your own ‘mix-at-home’ #Locktail – a drink from a different age, the ‘Atomic Cocktail’.

METHOD – Add 30ml Cognac, 30ml Vodka, and 15ml Sherry (quality Oloroso or Solera) into a mixing glass with ice. Stir until cold and strain into a chilled coupe, martini or cocktail glass. Top with cold Champagne (or other sparkling white wine). Garnish with orange peel and an optional maraschino ‘cocktail’ cherry. Take care and don’t drink too many.

HISTORICAL NOTES – The world was ushered into the ‘Atomic Age’, on 6 August 1945 when the first atom-bomb was detonated over central Hiroshima. Radiation was discovered in the very late 1800’s, through different discoveries by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895, Henri Becquerel in 1896, Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898 and many other contributors to these fields of science.

Like so many things, radiation was poorly understood at first. As an example, Bailey Radium Laboratories, produced a product called ‘Radithor’ from 1918 until 1928 which contained Radium isotopes 226 and 228. It was advertised as a medicinal product with tag-lines such as ‘Perpetual Sunshine’, and ‘A cure for the living dead’. Its most famous customer, Eben Byers died a horrible death in 1932, the photos of which are the stuff of nightmares. He was exhumed 33-years later in 1965 from his lead-lined coffin for study, and his radiation level even then (225,000 becquerels), were 50-times higher than that of a normal human being.

Radioactive glassware and dinnerware was created from as early as the 1840’s due to its unusual green, lime and yellow hues, and its ‘glow-in-the-dark’ effect, especially under ultra-violet light. Even today, this glass is sometimes produced, although not for food or household use. The radiation levels can be quite high and unhealthy for sustained use and contact. Similarly products like ‘Radithor’ were used to create radioactive drinks that would have the same unusual and visually appealing effects. In addition, radiation absorption can produce a euphoric effect before the longer-term damage is done.

However it isn’t with radioactivity, that the ‘Atomic Cocktail’ arises. It was a direct response to the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War Two, and the nuclear arms race and cold war of the 1950’s and beyond. The time when the bulk of humanity became aware of the ‘atom’.

Slim Gaillard (1916-91) and his quartet released the song ‘Atomic Cocktail’ just weeks after the August 1945 atomic bombings. The song wasn’t about a ‘drink’, but about concern over this powerful new weapon … “when you see it coming, grab your suitcase. It’ll send you through the sky like airmail. Boom! Atomic Cocktail.” Nevertheless, inspiration was there for a drink of the same name.

The ‘Atomic Cocktail’ was served at the ‘Sky Room’ in Las Vegas from some point shortly after nuclear bomb testing began in Nevada in 1951. Las Vegas was nicknamed the ‘Atomic City’ and there were ‘Bomb Test Parties’ in Las Vegas, a considerable tourist industry between 1951 and 1963, where tourists could view mushroom clouds from a distance. Of course drinking something like the ‘Atomic Cocktail’ while doing so.

Over 1,000 nuclear tests took place in the Nevada proving grounds between 1951 and 1992, with many of them occurring during the 1950’s, before a significant reduction from 1962. The population of Las Vegas grew by 161-percent during the 1950’s with a combination of atomic tourism and gambling. The Miss Atomic Bomb beauty pageant ran through the 1950’s in Las Vegas. Tourists coming for a ‘dawn bomb party’ could open the day with a strong (faux-toxic) combination of vodka, cognac, sherry and champagne, the ‘Atomic Cocktail’. Elvis Presley even played to some of these early parties in 1952.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – There is no official mix for the ‘Atomic Cocktail’, and there are many versions from layered shots through to attempts at glowing cocktails, even cocktails using dry-ice to produce wild bubbling effects. The most common, and the cocktail connected to the ‘Atomic Tests’ in Las Vegas was a combination of vodka, brandy (cognac), sherry, topped with champagne or sparkling white wine.

TASTING NOTES – This is a potent cocktail, living up to its origins and name, from the ‘Bomb Drop Parties’ in Las Vegas, Nevada during the early 1950’s. It might go with the heightened adrenaline of an atomic bomb test, but is too strong in alcohol flavour for most other purposes. It is an amazing look back in history, but not necessarily one of the most enjoyable cocktails.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – No real change here, staying as authentic as possible to the 1950’s atomic testing era, without wasting quality Champagne on the experience.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is seventh cocktail from the 1951-1960 bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. Full list in the index.