Corpse Reviver No. 2 (Contemporary recipe)
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 21.9% ABV ∙
The Corpse Reviver No. 2 is a shaken sour of gin, herbal liqueur, aromatized wine, lemon and a dash of absinthe — a morning-after classic. Equal parts tart and herbal collide up front, the anise whisper of absinthe trailing under bright lemon into a dry, faintly floral finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 20 mlHerbal liqueur (e.g., Yellow Chartreuse) 20 mlAromatized wine 20 mlLemon juice 20 mlAbsinthe 1 dash
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- The dash of absinthe goes into the shaker with everything else, not as a glass rinse — one dash is all it takes to keep the anise in the background.
- Shake all four equal-part ingredients hard with fresh cubes for a full 12-15 seconds; the mix needs vigorous dilution to soften the lemon juice's sharp acidity.
- Measure the lemon juice and aromatized wine precisely equal to the gin and herbal liqueur, since this build's balance depends on true 1:1:1:1 proportions rather than a heavier spirit pour.
- Express a fresh lemon twist over the surface right before serving rather than garnishing early, so the citrus oils stay aromatic and don't flatten.
History
The Corpse Reviver family of cocktails takes its name from a slang term for hangover cures, with "corpse reviver" appearing in print as early as 1861 in Punch magazine, and an early recipe documented by 1871 in The Gentleman's Table Guide. The name stuck to a class of morning-after drinks meant to bring the drinker back to life. The Corpse Reviver No. 2 was codified by Harry Craddock, head bartender of the American Bar at London's Savoy Hotel, who included it in his 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book alongside a separate brandy-based Corpse Reviver No. 1. Craddock's original built the No. 2 with gin, lemon juice, orange curaçao, Kina Lillet, and a dash of absinthe. This contemporary version reflects a later ingredient shift: Kina Lillet was discontinued in 1986 and reformulated without quinine as Lillet Blanc, so the modern build now substitutes Lillet Blanc (or, in some bars, Cocchi Americano) for the original quinine-based aperitif wine. This card's build also pours an herbal liqueur in the yellow Chartreuse style where Craddock specified orange curaçao.
