Corpse Reviver No. 2
Equal parts gin, orange liqueur, Lillet and lemon, with a whisper of absinthe.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Coupe
- Strength
- 2.4 UK units
How to make a Corpse Reviver No. 2
- Rinse the glass with absinthe. Put the absinthe in a chilled coupe, swirl it around the inside, then tip out any extra. You should smell aniseed but see almost no liquid.
- Add everything to the shaker. Pour the gin, orange liqueur, Lillet and lemon juice into a shaker and fill it with ice.
- Shake hard. Shake for about 12 seconds, until the tin is frosty and too cold to hold comfortably.
- Strain and finish. Strain into the coupe. Squeeze an orange peel over the top, skin side down, then drop it in or discard it.
- Glass
- CoupeNo coupe? A small wine glass or a martini glass.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- Orange twistOr: Leave it bare, the way Craddock served it.
What you need to make a Corpse Reviver No. 2
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Fine strainerA small tea strainer catches ice shards.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Vegetable peelerFor wide strips of peel with little pith.
Bottles we'd use
- Lillet BlancKeep it in the fridge once opened and use it within a few weeks.Find it on Amazon
- Absinthe or PernodA small bottle will last for years, since you only need a rinse.Find it on Amazon
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The Corpse Reviver No. 2 story
It comes from Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, which lists several Corpse Revivers as morning-after drinks. Craddock added a warning that four of this one in quick succession would put the corpse back. Number 2 is the one that survived.
It is an equal-parts drink, so it is easy to remember and easy to adjust. The absinthe is only a trace, to scent the glass rather than flavour it. Too much and it takes over; skip it and the drink loses its lift.
Corpse Reviver No. 2: your questions answered
What is in a Corpse Reviver No. 2?
A Corpse Reviver No. 2 is made with 25 ml London dry gin, 25 ml triple sec, 25 ml Lillet Blanc, 25 ml fresh lemon juice and absinthe. Garnish: orange twist.
Is a Corpse Reviver No. 2 shaken or stirred?
A Corpse Reviver No. 2 is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Corpse Reviver No. 2?
Made to this recipe, a Corpse Reviver No. 2 contains about 2.4 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Corpse Reviver No. 2 in?
Serve a Corpse Reviver No. 2 in a coupe. No coupe? A small wine glass or a martini glass.
