How to make ...
Corpse Reviver No 2
The Corpse Reviver No.2 holds high esteem in the world of mixology. This wittily titled cocktail, created by Harry Craddock, is a dry, herbaceous mixture that features equal parts gin, lemon juice, triple sec and dry vermouth, elevated and lengthened with a delicate dash of absinthe.
Ingredients
25ml Gin
25ml Triple Sec
25ml Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano
25ml Lemon Juice
1-2 Dashes of Absinthe
Lemon Twist to Garnish
Times:
Prep: 2 Minutes
Make: 30 Seconds
Total: 2 Minutes and 30 Seconds
Calories:
222 Calories
Allergens:
Contains sulphites
Servings:
Serves 1
Method
Chill a martini glass/coupette in the freezer or fill it with ice.
Take your Boston glass or small tin and, using your jigger to measure, add the gin, triple sec and vermouth to the shaker.
Using your Mexican elbow and your jigger to measure, squeeze 25ml of lemon juice and add it to the shaker.
Use your bar spoon (5ml) to measure out a small amount of absinthe and add to the shaker, or add a couple of dashes if you are using a dash-bottle.
Fill your shaker with cubed ice and seal using your Boston tin or lid, before shaking vigorously for 10-15 seconds or until your tin is very cold.
Remove your glass from the freezer or empty of ice if necessary.
Using your Hawthorne strainer and your fine strainer, double strain your cocktail into your chilled martini glass or coupette.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Shaker
Jigger/Measure
Hawthorne Strainer
Fine Strainer
Mexican Elbow
Bar Spoon OR Dash Bottle (Absinthe)
Cubed Ice
History
The Corpse Reviver No.2 belongs to family of cocktails once known as ‘anti-fogmatics’. This curious name referred to the drinks’ abilities to clear the foggy feelings harboured after a heavy night. This hangover cure once claimed to be able to stir a corpse.
The first recorded recipe for a ‘Corpse Reviver’ cocktail was featured in E. Ricket and C. Thomas’s 1871 publication, The Gentleman’s Guide. Ricket and Thomas’s recipe called for equal parts brandy and maraschino liqueur finished with two dashes of Broker’s bitters.
The Number 2 was first featured alongside other Corpse Revivers, in Harry Craddock’s 1930, Savoy Cocktail Book. In it Craddock famously notes that, “Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again.”
Craddock’s recipe calls for Kina Lillet. Sadly, this French vermouth flavoured with quinine is no longer available, Lillet do make a similar product now called Lillet Blanc which makes a great Corpse Reviver but for the closest taste to the original, most mixologists prefer Cocchi Americano, an italian vermouth with a close similarity to the classic French product.
The Corpse Reviver No.2—so named for its ability to revive someone suffering from a deathly hangover—is something of a legend among mixology enthusiasts.
