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Apr 28, 2015

Corpse Reviver #2 Cocktail

Corpse Reviver #2 Cocktail

Prior to the Prohibition era, the Corpse Reviver #2 Cocktail was originally meant to cure hangovers. Thus, the name "Corpse Reviver."

I first found a recipe for this cocktail in my 1948 edition of The Standard Bartender's Guide by Patrick Gavin Duffy (interestingly, the book does not contain a recipe for #1).

The least prominent, but the most interesting ingredient in this cocktail is absinthe. It has quite a history and ritual for consumption, and was often thought of as a hallucinogenic and associated with addiction. You can read more about absinthe here. It's pretty fascinating. It is a botanical liqueur with a very high alcohol content. It is traditionally prepared by holding a slotted absinthe spoon and a sugar cube over the absinthe and slowly pouring iced water over the sugar until it dissolves.


I used Libertine Absinthe 72, which is about 144 proof. A tiny bit goes a long way. If you can't find Absinthe, you can use Pernod or Pastis for the anise flavor.

Corpse Reviver #2 Cocktail

I was reminded of this cocktail recently when we took a quick trip to Las Vegas for a concert. The restaurant we went to had it on the cocktail menu! With that name, of course I had to order it. It was super tasty. When I got home, I had to make it again.

Corpse Reviver #2 Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

1 ounce gin
1 ounce Lillet Blanc
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce lemon juice
1 drop Absinthe
1 cherry

Instructions

  1. Add all of the ingredients except the cherry to an ice filled cocktail shaker. Shake and then let sit for about a minute. 
  2. Strain into a chilled martini glass. 
  3. Add a cherry. 
Enjoy!! 

Would you like to comment?

  1. Wow...I have never heard of this drink. But it sounds live it can wake the dead. Must give this a try. Looks so pretty in the glass.

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  2. I once went to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans and they had a fascinating exhibit about absinthe. I still haven't tasted it - at that proof, one sip and I would be flat on my face! I think the Corpse Reviver is well named, although you could also call it the "Drunken Corpse"

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