Halloween ... and the Corpse Reviver No. 2

A few days ago, I was reading about the Earthquake cocktail(s): at least 3 different cocktails with an absinthe base. On this, it seems that the Savoy Hotel may have ignored the Toulouse-Lautrec version (3 parts of absinthe, 3 parts of cognac) and re-written the cocktail completely for their 1930 Cocktail Book.

Today being Halloween, it seems appropriate to look at another pair of cocktails: the two Corpse Revivers that are both featured in the Savoy book. There is more clarity here, with one being Corpse Reviver No. 1 and the other being Corpse Reviver No. 2. Corpse Reviver No. 1 is made with Italian Vermouth, Apple Brandy or Calvados, and Brandy and the Savoy states, "To be taken before 11 a.m., or whenever steam and energy are needed."

Corpse Reviver No. 2 is a more serious proposition: here are the ingredients as listed in the Savoy.

1/4 Wine Glass Lemon Juice (3/4 oz)
1/4 Wine Glass Kina Lillet. (3/4 oz)
1/4 Wine Glass Cointreau. (3/4 oz)
1/4 Wine Glass Dry Gin. (3/4 oz)
1 Dash Absinthe.

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. The book then notes:-

"Four of these taken in quick succession will unrevive the corpse again."

This version is thoroughly written up and discussed on the Underhill-Lounge blog, and also appears in the two new Absinthe cocktail books published this autumn: A Taste for Absinthe and Absinthe Cocktails. One of only seven cocktails written up in both books, this is obviously an important absinthe cocktail (incidentally these books define the dash of absinthe as being four or eight drops).

It's also a favourite of absinthe bloggers such as Stijn in Belgium, and of bars around the world such as the prize-winning Bramble Bar in Edinburgh whose Corpse Reviver no. 2 is made with "Zuidam Genever, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, freshly squeezed lemon juice and Clandestine Absinthe."

I made it using an old, no longer available gin (Gloag's from the makers of Famous Grouse), Combier Triple Sec, Noilly Prat and 8 drops of La Clandestine. And slightly less lemon juice than recommended. It's a very enjoyable and refreshing pick me up.

So for Halloween brunch or lunch, what better way to start the day or to get it going than with this wonderful cocktail!

Thanks to Stijn for the picture at the top. And cheers from your friendly blogger!

Absinthe in the UK: Part 2

100 years ago this month, absinthe was banned in Switzerland. Over the next few years, bans followed in many other countries, but not in the UK. So 20 years later, the Savoy Hotel was still offering over 100 cocktails that contained absinthe, according to the 1930 Savoy Hotel Cocktail book (did they import large stocks when it was banned or were they importing from Spain?). In fact, the Savoy Hotel has just re-opened in London, but that's another story ...

I have recently written about the absinthe renaissance in the UK, so what better bar to choose for the introduction of La Clandestine, Angélique and Butterfly absinthes than Purl, London: appropriate because it is a bar that looks both back in time and into the future. Purl is a speakeasy-style bar, just off Baker Street that opened in 2010 to some great reviews, including ones from Yet Another Gin, Gin Monkey, and the London Cocktail Guide.

The bar's website states “The name Purl comes from a 19th century beverage that was commonly sold on the streets of London. The drink consists of warm ale, gin and spices. It’s in keeping with our theme of late 19th century birth of cocktails along with pre-prohibition cocktail culture and the art deco period… plus Purl is a nice word (it’s also the sound that water makes when it flows over rocks). Contrary to the vintage drinking era that Purl will typify, the cocktail list will be an ever-evolving mixture of hard core classics and forward thinking sensory peculiarities. You’ll have to pop on down to find out more, but we will be incorporating foams, caviar, homemade infusions, home-aged bitters, ice carving and even liquid nitrogen.”

In fact, according to Wikipedia, Purl was originally a wormwood ale! Another great reason to introduce three absinthes here. It being London Cocktail Week (with many other seminars and events to attend), we decided to drink just two of the absinthes, both in the classic way and in one cocktail each.

It was great to discover that Andreas, shown here making the Clandestino (or Clandestine Caipirinha),




had already visited the Clandestine distillery in 2007, so knew it already.

I was delighted that five highly informed drinks bloggers were able to come along to be part of the absinthe renaissance. They seemed to find the Clandestino (previously described here) a very interesting drink with at least two of them tweeting about it the next day, and they were also pleasantly surprised by the Butterfly Kiss.


Here's the Butterfly Kiss recipe:

1 oz Butterfly Absinthe
1/2 oz Cream
1 oz Honey Syrup (see recipe below)

Shake in a cocktail shaker over ice and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

(Honey Syrup:

1 cup Honey
1 cup Hot Water

In a jar, combine the honey with the hot water. Close tightly and shake
the mixture well. You can refrigerate and keep the honey syrup for up to 1 month).

I enjoyed meeting the bloggers (it is ALWAYS nice to meet a fellow-blogger) who had some good questions, and who certainly saw the opportunity for higher quality absinthes in the UK. We didn't taste other absinthes but we agreed that London was ready for much better absinthe than can generally be found there. Now the real work starts for me and my colleagues at distillnation! Time to stop enjoying ourselves

and time to start taking the "real absinthe" message elsewhere!

I started this article by mentioning the Swiss ban that led directly to the underground absinthe movement in the Val-de-Travers in Switzerland, Interestingly, the family of Charlotte Vaucher, the moonshiner who created the recipe for La Clandestine, recently published a blog article about her. It's a fascinating story of family secrets, locked doors, and the determination that kept the absinthe fairy alive, underground, in one small area of Switzerland while it was almost dead everywhere else. A translation can now be read here.

Today is also the 156th anniversary of the birth of absinthe-lover, Oscar Wilde. He would have loved Purl (the bar, more than the historic wormwood ale), and he might have appreciated the absinthes we shared there too.

From Purl in London, a bar that is underground, traditional and yet also ground-breaking, it seeems very appropriate to toast you both today, Charlotte and Oscar. Santé!