Corpse Reviver #3
Since tomorrow is Halloween I wanted to get at least one spooky cocktail up before the holiday. Unfortunately I’ve done almost all the classic Halloween cocktails from the Bloody Mary to the Zombie. So, trying to find another classic drink for the ghoulish holiday has become something of a chore. But you know me, when it comes to research I’ll tear through cocktail books and articles until I find something perfect. Well, that research paid off and I found the Corpse Reviver!
I know what you’re thinking… I’ve already done the Corpse Reviver. It’s true. I’ve actually done two of them, because believe it or not, there are 2 well known Corpse Revivers. But luckily for me, upon further research, I discovered there are actually several Revivers. Originally, a Corpse-reviver was slang for a hair of the dog remedy, created by bartenders to help ease the pain of those who had over imbibed the night before. While the original Reviver dates all the way back to 1871, the cocktail didn’t really become popular until both versions appeared in Harry Craddock’s 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book. And as I said, those are the two that I know best. But as with most cocktails, one person doesn’t hold the patent on cocktails (unless the recipe becomes a secret). So, other bartenders came along and did some tinkering. That tinkering continues today and now we have a Reviver that substitutes Triple Sec with Yellow Chartreuse and in 2007 Jacob Briars turned the Corpse Reviver blue by adding blue curaçao.
But as you know, I rarely do modern cocktails. All my drinks are classics (unless I create something). So, I was thrilled to find that several of the other Revivers date back to the 40’s and 50’s which means they fit right in with all the other cocktails on this blog. Where some of the other Revivers simply change out one ingredient for another, the one I decided to make for you today is completely different from numbers 1 & 2. The number 3 (as it’s referred to in Patrick Gavin Duffy’s Official Mixer’s Manual) uses champagne!
If there’s a cocktail that uses champagne, I’m all in! I love champagne all by itself, but add it to a cocktail and I’m dancing with joy! While this Reviver uses champagne, it’s not the only liquor in this cocktail. There’s also absinthe. So, you may think it’s like the Death in the Afternoon. But where that cocktail only has absinthe and champagne, the Reviver number 3 adds one more ingredient: lemon juice. That juice adds a great sour note that levels off the absinthe. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still packs quite the punch, but because of the bubbles and the citrus, you have a lovely cocktail that’s not too strong. So, while it may raise the dead, it won’t have you walking around in a haze… unless you have a few, that is.
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- 1-1/2 ounces Absinthe
- 3 - 4 ounces champagne
Instructions
- Place 1 or 2 ice cubes in a highball glass. Add the lemon juice, Absinthe and champagne. Stir, garnish with a lemon peel and serve.
