5-Minute Corpse Reviver No. 2 (Gin Cocktail)

Come back to life with this refreshingly bright 5-ingredient retro cocktail

Learn how to wake the dead with a classic gin cocktail, the Corpse Reviver No. 2! It’s a retro cocktail made from 5 easy ingredients: gin, aperitif wine, triple sec, lemon juice, and absinthe. Every sip is deliciously zesty, has just the right amount of sweetness, and is complex in the best way.

There are many Corpse Reviver cocktails to choose from but the Corpse Reviver No. 2 cocktail recipe might be the most popular. It comes from the 1930s Savoy Cocktail Book, a vintage cocktail recipe book by the Savoy Hotel’s most famous bartender, Harry Craddock. He originally intended for the drink to be a hangover cure but it has since transformed into a well-loved gin cocktail recipe.

My recreation of this classic drink is well-balanced with subtly sweet flavors and plenty of lemony freshness. Enjoy it while you get ready for a girl’s night out, at a cocktail party, or as it was originally intended: as a hangover cure!

Looking for more vintage cocktail ideas? Then you’ll love my other recreations from the Savoy Cocktail Book, like the Abbey Cocktail, Seventh Heaven, and Ruby Fizz.

Ingredients you'll need

My recreation of this classic cocktail features 5 ingredients that should be easy to find at your local liquor store. Here’s what you need:

Dry gin

Gin is my favorite spirit. Its notes of juniper, citrus, and pine make it a well-rounded addition to simple gin and tonics, a classic Negroni, or the more elaborate Seventh Heaven Cocktail. 

You need a dry gin for this vintage cocktail. Dry gin, like Beefeater, Tanqueray, or Bombay Sapphire, is botanical-forward and made without any artificial flavors or sweeteners. The woodsy juniper flavor is highlighted in every sip and never throws the drink off balance.

Aperitif wine

These fruity, aromatized fortified wines are unlike any regular glass of wine you’ve had. They have bold and unique flavor profiles thanks to added botanicals, like roots, bark, flowers, and spices.

Craddock’s original recipe was made with Kina Lillet, which no longer exists. It gave the drink a nice bitterness because it was flavored with quinine. Cocchi Americano (pronounced KOH-kee uh-meh-ree-KAH-noh) is my aperitif wine of choice here. Lillet Blanc also works quite well but it will give the drink a sweeter flavor profile.

Orange liqueur

This is responsible for the cocktail’s subtle sweetness, brightness, and hint of citrus. Cointreau or Triple Sec are both great choices, although you can use any orange liqueur you like. 

Lemon juice

For brightness, balance, and tang. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice if you can, and don’t forget to save the peel for a garnish!

Absinthe

Just because absinthe is sometimes known as the Green Fairy doesn’t mean you’ll be seeing them after sipping on this cocktail! You can relax because the rumor that absinthe is a hallucinogenic is a myth. Only a splash is used here because it offers the drink a more nuanced flavor and bitter notes of star anise.

You can add the absinthe directly into the cocktail shaker or rinse the glass with it instead. For an absinthe wash, pour the splash of absinthe into your glass, swirl it around, then shake out the excess into the sink.

Helpful tips

This is an easy vintage cocktail you can put together in 5 minutes. But when you want the best sips possible, keep these tips in mind:

Chill your cocktail glass

Place your coupe glasses in the freezer ahead of making this dry gin cocktail. Or, if you’re low on time, fill the glasses with ice and a little water to chill them from the inside out. Trust me - cocktails in an ice-cold glass always taste better!

Don’t forget the ice

Shaking the cocktail with plenty of fresh ice not only chills every sip but slightly dilutes the alcohol as well. It’s an important step in toning down this very boozy drink.

Big batch cocktails

Serving a crowd? Make a big batch of Corpse Reviver No.2’s by following the tips in my big batch cocktail guide.

Recipe