Corpse Reviver No. 1 (Savoy recipe)
A fruity and sweet brandy cocktail ∙ Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 27% ABV ∙
The Corpse Reviver No. 1 is a stirred pick-me-up of Cognac, Calvados and sweet vermouth with a dash of orange bitters, served up in a coupe.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir the ingredients with ice: Cognac 45 mlCalvados 25 mlRosso vermouth 25 mlOrange bitters 1 dash
- Strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- There's no juice to soften the Cognac and Calvados, so stir with large cubes for a full 30 seconds and let the melting ice do it.
History
Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book popularized the Corpse Reviver category in 1930 with two recipes. This recipe follows the book: Craddock's No. 1 is built from cognac, Calvados (or apple brandy), and Italian vermouth. Craddock's own note on the No. 1 warned it was meant "to be taken before 11 a.m., or whenever steam and energy are needed." The No. 2 is a separate, lighter drink built around gin and citrus, and the No. 1 later fell into relative obscurity next to the more widely revived No. 2. A separate equal-parts version of the Corpse Reviver No. 1 adds a dash of absinthe.
The Corpse Reviver name covers a category of "pick-me-up" drinks meant to counter a hangover, a concept documented in English drinking culture as early as an 1861 issue of the magazine Punch.
