Corpse Reviver No.2
4.5 488 ratings
Ingredients
How to make
Serve in a coupe glass
Prepare
- 1 Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
- 2 Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.
Method
- 3 SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
- 4 FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish
- 5 EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.
Flavour profile
17.8% alc./vol. · 1.3 standard drinks · 145 calories
History
Well-balanced, with zesty lemon and absinthe just shining through. A dash of sugar is an addition, but depending on personal tastes, citrus juice and triple sec, this may be omitted.
The name "Corpse Reviver" suggests its purpose as one of the "pick-me-up" cocktails "prescribed" by bartenders of old. These drinks were intended to rejuvenate patrons who arrived at the bar suffering from the effects of the previous night's overindulgence, functioning more as a "kill or cure" remedy than a mere "hangover cure." This category of stimulating cocktails first appeared in the mid-1800s. An early mention of the Corpse Reviver can be found in the 21st December 1861 issue of the English satirical weekly publication, Punch, or The London Charivari. It was listed as one of three such beverages: "after liquoring up a Sling, a Stone Wall, and a Corpse-Reviver." The earliest documented recipe for a Corpse Reviver is featured in the 1871 publication, The Gentleman's Table Guide. This version specifies equal measures of brandy and maraschino, complemented by two dashes of Boker's bitters. The recipe is provided as follows: "No. 92. – CORPSE REVIVER. Use a wineglass. Half wineglass of brandy, half glass of Maraschino, and two dashes of Boker's bitters." Nevertheless, the Corpse Reviver gained significant recognition through its inclusion in Harry Craddock's influential 1930 work, The Savoy Cocktail Book. This volume features two distinct recipes: Corpse Reviver No. 1, with the instruction "To be taken before 11am, or whenever steam and energy are needed," and Corpse Reviver No. 2, which includes the notable caution: "Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again." The Corpse Reviver (No. 2) recipe is presented as: "CORPSE REVIVER (No. 2.) ¼ Wine Glass Lemon Juice. ¼ Wine Glass Kina Lillet. ¼ Wine Glass Cointreau. ¼ Wine Glass Dry Gin. 1 Dash Absinthe. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again." Both the Corpse Reviver No. 1 and No. 2 are also found in Patrick Gavin Duffy's 1956 Official Mixer's Manual. Notably, Duffy's rendition of the Corpse Reviver No. 2 replaces the Lillet with Swedish Punsch. He additionally includes a Corpse Reviver No. 3 in his manual.
Created by Harry Craddock