Waking up the dead.

I thought it appropriate after swallowing Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon to post the perfect antidote, Corpse Reviver. This cocktail was intended as a hair of the dog type hangover cure.

There are several versions of this recipe, but I tried the gin-based version because I had the ingredients on hand. It also contains absinthe.

Want to learn how to make it? Read on…

Equipment:

cocktail shaker

citrus juicer (optional)

cocktail glass

Ingredients:

3/4 ounce gin

3/4 ounce lemon juice

3/4 ounce Cointreau

3/4 ounce Lillet

1 dash absinthe

You can either pour a dash of absinthe in with the rest of the ingredients, or use it to coat the glass. I chose the latter option. Then I juiced a fresh lemon from the tree in my wonderful neighbor’s back yard. Next, I poured the juice and all the liquors into a shaker full of ice. I used dry vermouth in place of the Lillet, which I haven’t seen in our liquor store here. Finally, I gave it a good shake and strained it into the cocktail glass I had chilling in the freezer.

I almost drank it all before I remembered to take pictures.

The first sip is zingy and will certainly wake you up after a hard night of drinking. The Botanic gin and Cointreau are a mild, refreshing base. The lemon makes a good stomach tonic and appetite opener. The cocktail would probably come out a lot clearer, but there was pulp in my fresh squeezed juice. You’ll taste a fermented tang in the middle from the vermouth. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be there because it’s not really what the recipe asks for. The absinthe gives it the freaky, fairy-dust finish.

As I explore these old-fashioned cocktails, I find the flavors are much more complex and unusual than modern popular drinks–not something you can just guzzle down. They are adventures for the senses! Let me know if you ever decide to join me in old cocktail recipes and make sure you tell me how yours came out.

Happy Friday and Cheers!