Bar Necessities
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Contemporary Classics IBA Official IBA

Corpse Reviver No. 2

Cure or delivery system

Glass Cocktail glass
Method Shaken
Garnish Orange Twist

A perfectly balanced tightrope walk of gin, citrus, and Lillet with a ghostly absinthe rinse. Bright, complex, and alarmingly easy to drink before noon.

Ingredients

Method

Rinse a chilled cocktail glass with the absinthe — swirl it around to coat, then discard the excess. Shake remaining ingredients with ice. Strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

First documented Corpse Reviver recipes appeared in *Punch* magazine (1861) and *Gentleman's Table Guide* (1871), though the specific Corpse Reviver No. 2 was popularized by Harry Craddock in *The Savoy Cocktail Book* (1930): gin, Cointreau, Kina Lillet, lemon juice, absinthe. Craddock's cautionary note: "Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again." Listed in the IBA Contemporary Classics. Kina Lillet (originally used) has been discontinued; modern recipes alternative Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano. Per Difford's Guide #593.

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