Making (almost) ALL of the CORPSE REVIVER cocktails!

Welcome back, friends. It's Anders. Today, we are making seven corpse survivors. Yep, there are actually a lot more than seven. You may have heard of the corpse survivor number two, which insinuates that there is also a corpse survivor number one, which there is. We're going to make it. It may also suggest that there's a corpse survivor number three and on and on and on. And there are, but we're not going to make those because it gets a little murky. I'm going to talk about that a little bit later on, but there's plenty others that we can make. Now, for those of you who don't know, the revivers are a style of drink that date back to the 1800s and were meant as a hangover cure, which we all know is probably not the best thing to do, but they've been doing it for a long time. Now, there is no template for corpse survivors, so these cocktails have no through line. Basically, any bartender can create a drink and say, this is my reviver cocktail. This is my hangover cure. And there have been countless reviver cocktails made. Most of those recipes are lost. So, stick around. If you're new to the channel, hit that subscribe button for more sips, tips, and recipes. And let's go make seven corpse survivors to the bar. So, here we go. All right, this is going to be kind of a romp through time. I'm going to start way back with the original corpse survivor, at least the first that we see in print. It dates back to 1871. It's simply called corpse survivor. And it's found in the Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Rickett and C. Thomas. I've never read this book. I've never held this book, but I did find a PDF online on the World Wide Web. And it said, use a wine glass, half wine glass of brandy, half glass of maraschino, and two dashes of bokers bitters. A couple of things to add here. Wine glass, back then, was often used as a measurement. And it was not those bojumbo wine glasses you see today. It was actually pretty small. We're talking two ounces for a wine glass. Wine glasses were smaller back then. A wine glass was essentially half a gill. Yep. Half a wine glass would be one pony. The bokers bitters is a style of bitters that used to be really popular. And it's kind of been resurrected by a few different companies. But nobody, I don't believe anybody really knows what the true recipe is. What we do know is that one of the main flavors was cardamom. So, we're going to use cardamom bitters. It says nothing about adding ice and diluting. So, I am going to build this right in a glass and drink it warm. Well, room temperature. Okay. Yum. Let's revive that corpse. To make this drink, grab yourself a small little glass, like a two-ounce glass. In this glass, let's start with two dashes of cardamom bitters. Four if you have a little dasher bottle. Then add one ounce of brandy. I'm using cognac. And one ounce of maraschino liqueur. That is a lot of maraschino liqueur. I am not so sure that this is going to be my cup of tea. But we shall see. Give that a little stir. No garnish necessary. Easy breezy cover girl. The 1871 Corpse Survivor. Cheers. Look at this little thing. Adorable. I read somewhere that a long time ago, wine glasses were this small because people used to toast a lot. So, you would toast and then you could fill it up and toast again. And now people don't toast anymore. They'll do one toast and then they sit in the corner and finish their big glass of wine. Cheers. Smells boozy. Yeah. Couple notes. Couple notes. Not diluted. So, it's strong. It's sweet from that maraschino liqueur. But honestly, it's not too much. I think the flavor of this is really good. This says a lot about cognac. I'm always going on about how well cognac mixes with other spirits. And here, it really tames that maraschino. The bitters in there is really nice. I really like the texture because there's no water. So, it's kind of thick. It's heavy. But I wouldn't want this first thing in the morning. If I was hungover, this is not what I would want in front of me. I would say it's not bad. It's actually much better than I was expecting. I would probably stir this on ice. Maybe dilute it a little bit. I think it's really tasty. Look at that. Boom. On to number 2. The Corpse Survivor number 1. Now, we're getting to true corpse survivor land. So, fast forward through time. Oh, nearly 60 years to 1930. There we have Harry Craddock's book, The Savoy Cocktail Book. I reference it all the time. It's one of my favorite tomes. In it, we have the Corpse Survivor number 1 and the Corpse Survivor number 2. It's because of this book, I believe that the Corpse Survivor really became a common cocktail. Now, the number 1 and the number 2 are very different. Number 1 is much less celebrated than the number 2. It's a stronger cocktail. Kind of in the vein of a Manhattan or a Star cocktail, if you're familiar with that drink. So, let's just go ahead and make it in a mixing glass. Start with 1 ounce of cognac. To that, add half an ounce of apple brandy. I am intentionally using a lower proof apple brandy because this is, again, a hangover cure. We're not looking to get blasted. You could also use Calvados and then add 3 quarters of an ounce of sweet vermouth. I bump up the sweet vermouth from what Harry Craddock says in the book. Now, add ice and stir. Strain that off into a cocktail glass. I've made a small amount, so I've got a small glass. And then, express lemon oil across the top. Harry Craddock doesn't say to do that, but that is something that Trader Vic started doing with this cocktail and it works really well. There we have the Corpse Survivor number 1. Cheers. It's good. I wouldn't say it's great, but it's good. Again, this is not something I would want when I wake up hungover and I'm looking for a cure. I do think that this drink could benefit from a little bit of bitters, but then we really are taking it in the Manhattan direction. Personally, if that were the case, I'd rather just have a Manhattan. I've always felt this about the Corpse Survivor number 1. I think it's got a lot of potential and if I'm going to have a Reviver cocktail in the morning, I'd rather have the Corpse Survivor number 2, which I think is kind of the general consensus. Let's make it now. Now, this is what I'm talking about. The Corpse Reviver number 2, this is the one that everybody is familiar with. In fact, we featured it on the channel when the channel was just a babe. A baby. The Corpse Reviver number 2. This is an excellent formula. In fact, it's been riffed upon countless times. It's equal parts, so you could say that this is kind of like the last word, but there is a little bit more to it. And it's also gin-based, so it's bright. There's citrus added to it, so it's refreshing. This is the kind of thing I'm looking for in a day drink. Now, the original recipe called for Quina Lillet, which was discontinued in 1986 and it became Lillet Blanc. Quina Lillet had a more bitter edge to it. It had more quinine in it. So, personally, I really like to use Cocchi Americano in this drink because it kind of resembles that profile. To make the drink in a shaking tin, start with 3 quarters of an ounce of gin. To that, add 3 quarters of an ounce of Cocchi Americano or Lillet Blanc. 3 quarters of an ounce of Triple Sec. Cointreau is usually used here, but I really like the triple and triple sec. And 3 quarters of an ounce of fresh lemon juice. Add ice and shake. Now, before we strain this, rinse a cocktail glass with absinthe. Then, double strain the cocktail into the glass. And that's it. If you want, you could express lemon oil across the top here. You could drop in a cherry. You could spritz more absinthe across the top. Personally, I leave it as is. There we have the Corpse Survivor No. 2. Cheers. Now, just look at it. This is night and day compared to the previous cocktails. You get a little bit of the absinthe on the nose. You can definitely spell the gin. I'm excited. Let's go in for a sip. Cheers. That, to me, is a great drink. It really is. It's because it follows that equal part template with ingredients that complement each other, it works so well. I do love absinthe. A little bit of absinthe, that anise flavor in my cocktails during the day. It sounds kind of crazy because absinthe is pretty strong, but just a little bit of it. The gin keeps it bright. The lemon juice really gives it a tartness, which is really good, kind of like a lemonade. But then you get a slight bitterness from the Cocchi Americano and then a sweetness from the orange. Will it cure your hangover? Actually, no. Time and maybe some water and maybe some sleep will cure that. But if you have to have a drink and you're hungover, this is the one I would reach for. Excellent. Good. I'm glad we got that covered. Most of you probably already know this drink. So now there are a number of variations on this specific cocktail because the template works so well, which brings us to number four, the Corpse Survivor Number 2A. It wasn't initially called Corpse Survivor Number 2A. It was initially called the Corpse Survivor Number 2, but it was a variation on Harry Craddock's Number 2. Corpse Survivor Number 2. So there were two twos. Now, the 2A is what it's called now to differentiate the two. This one, 2A, was made popular by Crosby Gage, Trader Vic, and Patrick Duffy, who were all bartenders back in the day. Now, when I say Patrick Duffy, most of you are thinking of the actor from Dallas or Step by Step if you're a little bit younger. A different person. That's a different Patrick Duffy. It's a simple variation. The Quinoa Lillet, or Cocchi Americano in my case, is swapped out with Swedish Punch, a Scandinavian liqueur that has black tea and a number of spices. And in the drink, it actually works really well. To make the Corpse Survivor Number 2A, it's the same thing as the Number 2. Three quarters of an ounce of gin instead of the Cocchi Americano. Three quarters of an ounce of Swedish Punch. Three quarters of an ounce of fresh lemon juice. Add ice and shake. Rinse the glass with absinthe. Strain the cocktail and there we have the Corpse Survivor Number 2A. Just as simple as the Number 2. Cheers. That's really nice. I like that quite a bit. It is a little bit sweeter, but it's a complex sweetness. And yes, I would be okay drinking this one earlier in the day. So I give that two thumbs up. 2A thumbs up. Now, one, two, three, four, five. On to number five. Another Corpse Survivor Number 2 variation is the Corpse Survivor Number Blue, which is much more modern than any of these. I think it was created in 2007. I'm sorry. I don't recall who came up with it. I actually thought that I came up with it when I was behind the bar and there's a regular who liked to drink Corpse Survivors and asked for something blue and I made him this. And I thought I was genius, but it happened long before I ever did it. It's a simple substitution. Even more simple, you could say, than the Swedish Punch and Cocchi Americano. We are switching out Triple Sec for Blue Curacao. Two orange liqueurs. I would say you do want to use a good quality Blue Curacao. There are some lesser than Curacao's out there. Make sure you got a good one. So here we go. Let's make it really quickly. In a shaking tin, three quarters of an ounce of gin, three quarters of an ounce of Cocchi Americano. That's right. We're going back to the Cocchi Americano. Then instead of the Triple Sec, three quarters of an ounce of Blue Curacao. Now three quarters of an ounce of lemon. Add ice and shake. Then give that absinthe rinse to your glass and strain the cocktail. There we have the Corpse Survivor Number Blue. Cheers. That is the bluest thing I've ever seen. Some of you may know how I feel about blue cocktails. I love them. I love them. Blue is not actually a number. So I think it might be best for me to close my eyes while I drink this one. Tastes a lot like the number two. It's good. I will say this. If I'm going to be not nitpicky, but really specific, I would say that the number blue is a touch richer because Curacao is a little bit richer than Triple Sec. That's the only difference between these two. Well, the color, obviously. But yeah. Is it a gimmick? Yeah, maybe. But it tastes equally as delicious. Don't drink washer fluid. But if you're kind of curious about washer fluid, have this instead. On to number six. This is the Godfrey's Corpse Reviver. I came across this one in the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book. And actually, the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book, which I have right here, by the way, this is the one I was looking in. But I've got, they've got three, we got three different Corpse Survivor cocktails in the Cafe Royal. First of all, there is a cocktail in here called the New Corpse Survivor. This came out seven years after the Savoy Cocktail Book. And it's the exact same recipe as Harry Craddock's cocktail, the Corpse Survivor Number One. So it's a little confusing. There are a lot of confusing things when it comes to reviver cocktails. And this is one of them. So we are not going to make the New Corpse Reviver from the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book because it's the exact same thing as this one. But we are going to make Godfrey's Corpse Reviver, which essentially is a glass of gin with some vodka added to it. I can already tell you this is not what I want to drink first thing in the morning, or possibly ever. We'll see. Let's make this. So in the cocktail book, he does say to shake the cocktail. I've tried it shaken. It does nothing. So I'm going to stir this drink. This is primarily booze. So give it a shot. Here we go. Let's just make it. In a mixing glass, start with an ounce and a half of gin, your favorite gin, because you're going to taste it. To that, add three quarters of an ounce of vodka, a bar spoon of grenadine. I'm going to, of course, plug my own that I made in collaboration with Portland Syrups. I'm going to leave a link down below. But if you want, you can also make it yourself. You do want a good tart pomegranate flavor here. The original recipe, I believe, called for a dash. But I think that a little extra sugar here doesn't hurt things at all. And then add a dash of Angostura bitters. Add ice and stir. Strain that off into a cocktail glass. And that's it. There we have Godfrey's Corpse Survivor. Cheers. I got to say, this is actually a very pretty drink. In fact, minus the vodka and grenadine, we pretty much have pink gin, which we talked about recently. And pink gin was, you know, what naval officers were drinking on the ships. So they were more concerned about just a good, strong drink as opposed to a hangover cure, which is supposed to be easy to drink. Oh, and also this was created by somebody named Godfrey Baldini. Baldini. Pretty sure it was Baldini. Baldini. So cheers to Godfrey. Yep, it's not a bad drink. It tastes like gin. There's a little bit of sweetness from the grenadine. I actually don't get a whole lot of the bitters. So maybe you could add a little bit more. I think a little lemon oil across the top would be nice. Kind of brighten it up. It's a smack in the face, which maybe that's it. Maybe this is Godfrey's answer if you're hungover. You need a good smack in the face. And that's what this is. I don't really quite understand the addition of the vodka. I don't know. I don't know why we added that, but we did. I had to throw that in there, though. Right? That's so weird. It's such a weird one, but it is very pretty. Now, here's the thing. We are on to the last one, number seven. I'm going to call this one the Cafe Royal Corpse Reviver. Even though there are three corpse reviver cocktails in this book, there is one that is just called the Corpse Reviver, which is unlike any of these. And I have not seen anybody talking about it or making a video about it or making it behind a bar, but I got to tell you, it's a good one. So, I am featuring it here as our last. And it has bubbles added to it. In a shaking tin, start with a quarter ounce of grenadine. Again, good quality grenadine. To that, add half an ounce of cognac, half an ounce of fresh lemon juice, and half an ounce of orange juice. Add ice and shake. Grab a nice chilled cocktail glass. Actually, the recipe calls for a claret glass, which was a style of wine glass. Whatever cocktail glass you want. Before we strain off the cocktail, add one ounce of your sparkling wine, champagne, cava, something nice and dry, and then strain the cocktail. This is going to help incorporate everything. And then top it off with another two ounces of your sparkling wine. That's how I do it. It works really well. You don't have to start stirring the drink. Everything's incorporated. Everybody's happy. There we have the Cafe Royal Corpse Reviver. Cheers. Why this drink isn't more popular, I don't know. To me, this is a great corpse reviver. Think of a mimosa meets a champagne cocktail meets a Ward 8 cocktail. All good things. There's a sweetness from the grenadine, a juiciness from the orange and lemon juice. You get a roundness, a kind of darker note from the cognac and then bubbles. Bubbles when you're drinking during the day is a no brainer. I'm surprised none of these had any bubbles until this last one. Why more people aren't making it? Hopefully now they will. Now you're probably thinking, okay, well, what about the corpse survivor number three? And that is some murky water. Let me tell you, if you look up corpse survivor number three recipes, I found six of them just by doing a quick Google search. That Patrick Duffy guy I mentioned earlier, apparently he listed one in 1956, but I can't find any print of that book. So I really don't know what that recipe says. And then there are other ones that have chocolate bitters. Some have Campari. It's all over the map. In fact, I don't know if any of them are actually real. So I think that might be a good idea for a video down the road. You wouldn't even have to stop at number three, even though there's like a million number three recipes. There's number four, number five, you name it. The list could be infinite. So we're going to stop there. Let me know in the comments down below, are you familiar with all of these? Do you have a favorite? Do you need reviving? Call a doctor. Thank you for watching. Don't forget your merch, sign up for the newsletter, grab your grenadine. I will see you next time. Cheers.