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.

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!!