Last week I had my wisdom teeth taken out, which meant that for several days it was recommended that I lay off the booze. I know, I know. Terrifying, but I soldiered on. By last night I started feeling well enough that I could chance a drink.
I had just picked up some delicious gin, and the lillet in the fridge was acting all lonely, so the choice was obvious – Corpse Reviver #2. The Corpse Reviver drinks are an old (at least 80 years, probably longer) family of drinks that are meant to combat the hair of the dog. They’re similar to mimosas, but stronger. So strong they could wake the dead, as it were.
The most popular Corpse Reviver recipes are nos. 1 and 2. Version 1 calls for 2 parts brandy, 1 part calvados (if you’re curious, calvados is an apple brandy from Normandy), and 1 part sweet vermouth. 3 parts brandy to 1 part fortified wine is definitely one way to combat the hairy dog.
What I had last night was the more popular (I have seen no evidence of this claim to be true) and better (again, just my opinion) version number 2. Equal parts gin, lillet, lemon juice, cointreau, and a few drops of absinthe. Add a cherry garnish and this turns into a wonderful drink. For morning, lunch, evening, whenever. It’s phenomenal.
However, I added my own spin to it. So maybe it’s more like Corpse Reviver 2.5. I decided to add some egg white to the shaker so the drink would froth when poured, and some cranberry bitters for that pop of color.
Ingredients
- 1oz Vigilant gin
- 1oz Gran Gala orange liqueur
- 1oz Lillet Blanc
- 1oz lemon juice
- 3-4 drops of absinthe
- 1/2 an egg white
- Fee Brothers Cranberry Bitters
Preparation
- Put drops of absinthe into your drinking glass of choice, coat inside of glass. DO NOT THROW AWAY EXCESS! Any recipe that recommends this method is just wrong.
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Note on add egg whites: it is important to combine the ingredients BEFORE you add ice. This is called a “dry shake”. Shake for a good minute. When you think you’ve shaken it enough, shake it an extra 30 seconds.
- Add ice to shaker, shake for 15-20 seconds, strain into glass.
- Wait 30 seconds for foam to form on top. Drop bitters into foam.
- Enjoy, and RAISE THEM CORPSES!
The Miksologist 