atom cocktail

Noun

atomic cocktail (plural atomic cocktails)

1. (idiomatic) A drinkable liquid containing a radioactive substance, used either as a diagnostic aid or as a treatment, especially for cancer of the thyroid.
   • For most patients, the old-fashioned basal metabolism test is a mild form of torture . . . and four Navy researchers have come to the conclusion that in big medical centers with facilities for handling radioisotopes it should be replaced by the "atomic cocktail."1954 March 22, “Medicine: Atomic Diagnosis”, in Time, retrieved 19 Mar 2014
2. A mixed alcoholic beverage, created in Las Vegas, United States, in the mid-20th century.
   • Its most famous drink is the atomic cocktail—vodka, brandy, Champagne, splash of sherry.2001 April 15, James McManus, "Profiles in Corruption" (book review of The Money and the Power by Sally Denton and Roger Morris), New York Times (retrieved 19 March 2014)