I knew that there was something to my desire to do this site when I was trying to decide on the first cocktail to feature. I didn’t want to do them alphabetically, so I just opened a page at random. The first recipe I saw was for “The Corpse Reviver #2”. It just so happens that this was the first cocktail the author tried.
It just so happens I had all the ingredients.
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- 1 ounce Lillet Blanc
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1 to 3 drops (not dashes) of absinthe or pastis
Shake in a cocktail shaker and strain into a glass. Drop in a stemless cherry.
I had actually had this drink once before and didn’t care for it, but the “#2” in the title refers to the fact that there are many versions of this cocktail. The title itself references that this is a drink one is supposed to have after a rough night of overindulgence in order to feel normal again.
A few notes about preparation. My aim is to make every recipe in the book exactly, using the author’s recommended ingredients and amounts. In the future I may try to modify them, but I am trusting the author reproduced these accurately and I want to experience them as intended.
While my go-to gin is Bombay Sapphire, for this one I thought Hendrick’s would work better (the book doesn’t recommend a brand). I had some Lillet Blanc on hand, and while things like that can be hard to find in North Carolina (due to both demand and archaic alcohol laws) it seems to be pretty easy to find in high-end wine stores.
My friend Alex introduced me to pastis on one of my first trips to France. He served it to me before dinner with a little water and ice and I quite liked it. It is a licorice (anise) flavored liquor that turns milky in water. I like the Ricard brand and so that is what I had. I didn’t have a dropper, so I poured a small amount into a spoon and then tipped three drops into the shaker.
So, how does it taste? Wonderful. All the flavors blend marvelously into a lemony, slightly sweet drink that I could down by the pitcher. Andrea, who doesn’t care too much for strong spirits, took one sip and asked “Where’s yours?” As I was out of lemons we had to share this one, but I’ll be sure to have lemons on hand in the future.
It was a wonderful start to this adventure.
Rating: 5/5