If pre-Prohibition cocktails are on your list of favorite hobbies, chances are you’ve heard of the Corpse Reviver #2.

The name “Corpse Reviver” actually refers to a style of drink, one meant to “revive the corpse,” or, in other words, cure a hangover. A sip of the concoction and it becomes clear that day-time cocktails of the 1920s and '30s were a lot harder to swallow than today's Bloody Marys and Mimosas.

Though there are three Corpse Revivers, Corpse Revivers #1 (a mix of brandy, Applejack and sweet vermouth) and #3 (a shaken concoction of brandy, Campari, Triple Sec and lemon juice) are rarely, if ever, seen on bar menus today. Why? Well, they simply aren’t very good.

The Corpse Reviver #2, though, is a drink that’s tasty and timeless, floral enough for a lady to sip but strong enough for a man to order with confidence. The lively punch of citrus and gin, paired with the herbal notes of absinthe and the sweetness of Cointreau, make for a refreshing and well-balanced libation.



A warning: In The Savoy Cocktail Book, published by barman Harry Craddock in 1930, he writes of The Corpse Reviver #2: “Four of these taken in swift succession will un-revive the corpse again.” Sip with caution.

The Corpse Reviver #2
1 oz. gin
1 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Lillet blanc
1 dash absinthe

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a citrus peel.

*Note: For a more herbal nose, you can add the absinthe to the coupe glass first, swirl to coat the glass and then pour the other shaken ingredients in.