How The Corpse Reviver Cocktail Got Its Name

Cocktail names have a long history of trying to be edgy, from R-rated ones, such as a sex on the beach and pornstar martini, to more morbid monikers, like the death in the afternoon and the zombie. The corpse reviver, too, has a name that may sound like a warning to the unwary, although it was actually named for its supposed hangover-curing effects.

Unlike more modern (and effective) hangover cures such as ginger juice and sparkling water — which are meant to help settle your stomach and rehydrate your body — the corpse reviver is based on the old hair of the dog principle. Did people in the late 19^th century really believe that continuing to drink would help mitigate the effects of the previous night's indulgence, or were bars simply trying to sell more booze? We can't know for sure what was going through their minds, but anyone who did believe in the powers of any elixir dubbed a corpse reviver (placebo effect, perhaps?), was wise to exercise moderation. As bartender Harry Craddock wrote in the 1930 edition of "The Savoy Cocktail Book," "Four of these taken in swift succession will un-revive the corpse again." We daresay, though, that this is true of any alcoholic beverage.

The term "corpse reviver," as applied to a mixed drink, dates back to the 1860s, although in its earliest days it wasn't associated with any specific recipe. Some corpse revivers seem to have resembled layered pousse-cafés, while the oldest surviving recipe — which was printed in 1871 — consists of a 50/50 mixture of brandy and maraschino liqueur, with a dash of bitters. The two most famous corpse revivers, however, are the ones dubbed #1 and #2, both of them Prohibition-era cocktails credited to Harry Craddock.

Corpse reviver #1, which Craddock recommends drinking before 11 a.m., consists of two parts brandy to one part each of apple brandy and vermouth. The rather more elaborate corpse reviver #2, however, is the one that became trendy when rediscovered by hipster mixologists in the 2000s. According to Craddock's recipe, it's made with equal amounts of Lillet blanc, gin, Cointreau, and lemon juice, along with a splash of absinthe, adding a certain je ne sais quoi. These days, some spendthrifts prefer to use the absinthe to rinse the glass before mixing the cocktail, then ... dramatic pause as we clutch at our Mardi Gras beads, the most pearl-like ornament we own ... discard the excess! Now that's sure to revive any corpse who lived through the Great Depression. Even Craddock himself might return from the Great Beyond to deliver a lecture on not wasting booze that can cost around 85 bucks a bottle.