Corpse Reviver No. 2 Cocktail
A perfectly spooky sounding name makes the Corpse Reviver No. 2 Cocktail one of my favorites for Halloween. The best part though is that it’s a fantastic drink to boot!
Let’s talk about the day after Halloween. Yes, when you have partied and reveled and possibly overdone it. When you wake up in the morning and your head hurts and you wonder why you did all that stuff. You my friend are the corpse because I know you feel like death…and this is just what the doctor ordered; the Corpse Reviver No. 2 Cocktail!
Or if you’re more like me and my cocktail enjoying but lightweight friends; you’ll just forgo all that reveling business and simply enjoy this cocktail while you’re handing out candy to the kiddos. Truth is this corpse needs to be revived more often after a long day than after a big night. Who’s with me?
The early twentieth century actually saw many similar type breakfast drinks that were used to remedy hangovers and hopefully steel oneself to get through the day. Most of the other formulas were forgettable but one has had timeless appeal.
Appearing first in Harry Craddock’s 1930’s ‘Savoy Cocktail Book,’ Mr. Craddock was a renown mixologist who stirred up cocktails for the likes of Ava Gardner, Charlie Chaplin and Errol Flynn. Names maybe unfamiliar to many today but in their heyday they were the likes of Brad and Angelina!
I’ll be honest, this is such an elegant and complex gin based cocktail that the name belies how wonderful it is. Featuring the wine based Lillet it also includes orange liqueur, lemon juice and a dash of absinthe. The absinthe makes it mysterious even though the drama of presuming you will be drugged has been cleared from it’s history, it still feels a bit naughty. For each cocktail you will need: (Full recipe with instructions at bottom of post)
- 1 oz London Dry Gin
- 1 oz Lillet Blanc
- 1 oz orange liqueur
- 1 oz lemon juice
- Dash of Absinthe – probably the only real specialty liqueur required to make this; but typically easy to find as well.
These are tasty and go down very easy but they are not a lightweight concoction. As Craddock once remarked, ‘Four of these taken in swift succession will un-revive the corpse again.’
Although not a new recipe I did use a new book for my version. I was sent a small cocktail book titled, ‘Storied Sips‘ by Erica Duecy and this won’t be the last cocktail I’ll share from this tome. I simply love knowing the history of a drink (well baring some; Sex on the Beach might not be one I’ll investigate soon!) and after perusing this wonderful little book I see several more from the collection of 40 recipes that I want to share.
This is seriously one of the best of the many cocktail books I’ve been asked to review and it’s the tie-in to the history and the written story that give each drink a greater meaning. You know…I like history when it’s served up with a cocktail! If you’ve got an interest in making some cocktails at home I can highly recommend this as something you should consider for your library.
In the meantime, I’ll do my usual and prepare a batch of these to hand out to revelers; no not the kiddos, their parents. Not a lot, I get little cups and it’s literally one sip but it’s fun to share with neighbors too. For me, I’ll sip just enough of this Corpse Reviver No. 2 Cocktail to not revive me tonight; I want to leisurely enjoy the luxury of this cocktail a bit longer and enjoy my time spent handing out candy to the kiddos.
PIN IT! ‘The Corpse Reviver No. 2 Cocktail’
Corpse Reviver No. 2 Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 oz London Dry Gin
- 1 oz Lillet Blanc
- 1 oz orange liqueur
- 1 oz lemon juice
- Dash of Absinthe
Instructions
- Chill two couple glasses (or small martini glasses)
- Mix the remainder of the ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker and shake for about 15 seconds.
- Pour into chilled glasses and serve.
I had a cocktail last night with Lillet Blanc in it that made me go to Bevmo today and buy some I have never tried it before then. I will add this recipe to my list to make with it. Any suggestions for a substitute if you don’t have absinthe?
Pernod is typically suggested as a substitute or a type of pastis. They are not the same but similar enough they should work for you. Good luck!
This is a great post…we need more hangover cures and supposedly there is a chemical reaction when drinking alcohol hungover that helps the body break it down? So thanks for this recipe, perfect for the season!
The best hangover cure…beyond not drinking too much? It’s so simple; drink at least as much water as you do booze. Alcohol dehydrates you and that’s one reason you wake feeling so awful. Drink during the evening and then drink a full glass before going to bed. I don’t usually overimbibe but I follow that same mantra even with a couple of cocktails and I haven’t felt the results of the night before for many, many years. Then you can enjoy this cocktail in its’ own right…without a hangover. 🙂
I do love the name of this cocktail and your story behind it. Always a pleasure to visit you on cocktail Fridays (though I’m a day late) and for all those who love gin drinks…this one seems to be one they have to try.
This is one of my favorite cocktails!!!! Sooo appropriate for Halloween!!! Hadn’t heard of this book but am definitely adding it to my list – I too am fascinated by the stories behind the classic cocktails!!
My only problem with this cocktail is that it is so good and so elegant it hardly deserves having a name with corpse in it does it?
Don’t you just love the idea of a drink to help with a hangover? It makes me chuckle just thinking about it! I will happily skip the hangover portion and just enjoy one of your cocktails for the fun of it. Enjoy the kids on your block tonight, I have a feeling your house will be popular with kids and adults!
I’m with you Holly…I hope to never need a hangover remedy ever! This is such an elegant cocktail; it’s almost unfair it’s been categorized as such. I hope you and the kiddos have fun tonight too…times like this I do wish we weren’t so far apart!
I love this drink! And it was the first “real” post I made on my blog (the first couple were housekeeping type posts). I did mine for New Year’s. Thanks for the heads up on the book — I hadn’t heard of it. Great post. Happy Halloween!
It’s a great drink isn’t it John? I almost wrote around this guy who is frozen and kept in a crypt not too far up the mountain but it’s not all about him. 🙂
I love knowing the history behind drinks or food recipes. Your corpse reviver is a keeper. I’m a cheap drunk so if I have more than a couple of drinks I turn into a corpse. One who dances on the tabletops.
I do too Maureen and this little tome has brought so many together I can’t wait to share. I sometimes forget that the classic aren’t a recipe everyone has in their repertoire…even mine! I would love John to take a snap next time that happens. Only seems fair not that you’ve teased up with an image. 🙂