The country Cocktailian raising the dead: in which our man finds a new libation for Lazarus

Cheers, June, 2004 by Gary Regan

Quite a few students from Cocktails in the Country keep in touch with me after taking the course, and although the program is just entering its fourth year, I can say that I've trained people who now work at bars in bowling alleys, airports, malls, and in some of the hottest restaurants in the country. One of my first students, for instance, just got a gig behind the bar at Masa, the new Japanese restaurant on New York's Columbus Circle where the lunch minimum is $175 per person, and that doesn't include tax, tip, or drinks. I'll try to visit him one of these days, but ...

Another of my past students, a certain Steve Gilberg, taught me something about a Corpse Reviver that really opened my eyes to a whole range of possibilities when it comes to playing around with cocktail ingredients. What's a Corpse Reviver? You might well ask.

Actually there's more than one Corpse Reviver; it's a whole category of drinks with only one thing in common--they're all pretty high in alcohol. Corpse Revivers are what we might call Eye-Openers today. Or Hair of the Dog that Bit You, perhaps. They are drinks designed to take the edge off a hangover.

It used to be quite common, prior to the onset of Prohibition in 1920, for bars to open early in the morning. Albert Stevens Crockett, author of The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, indicated that the bar there opened at 8 o'clock in the morning, and went on to say, "As soon as the first bartender appeared in the morning, before even arranging the multitude of glasses of various sizes and shapes on the high stand that took up the central part of the rectangle [behind the bar], he must satisfy the demands of at least half a dozen accumulated patrons, either for breakfast appetizers, or for something to take away what was left of the jag of the night before." What fun, huh?

Although these drinks date back to the nineteenth century, my favorite formulas for Corpse Revivers can be found in the 1930's, in The Savoy Cocktail Book, a collection pulled together by Harry Craddock, head bartender at London"s Savoy Hotel at the time. Craddock was an American who plied his craft on the other side of the pond while leaving his fellow countrymen to suffer that greatest of indignities, Prohibition.

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Two recipes for Corpse Revivers appear in Craddock"s tome, the first made with two parts brandy, and one part each apple brandy and sweet vermouth. Underneath the recipe Craddock noted, "To be taken before 11 a.m., or whenever steam and energy are needed."

Craddock"s second hangover cure is a little more complicated, calling for equal parts gin, Cointreau, Lillet, and lemon juice, with just a dash of absinthe. And if that didn"t do the trick, I"m not sure what I"d prescribe next. The book advises that, "Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again."

When Steve Gilberg walked behind the stick at Cocktails in the Country, I asked him to pour small samples of Hennessy Cognac, Laird"s Applejack, and Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth, the ingredients needed to make Craddock"s Corpse Reviver No. 1. He tasted each one, passing the glasses on so that everyone could dip a straw to capture a few drops and taste for themselves.

"Now use all three ingredients to make us a cocktail, Steve," I asked him. He was a little nervous, but after a moment"s hesitation he swung into action and, using twice as much applejack as cognac or vermouth, he put together an incredibly wonderful drink. He"d just felt his way through it.

The somewhat obvious lesson I learned from Steve Gilberg that day was that if two spirits compliment each other, it"s okay to play around with the ratios you use in the recipe--the drinks will taste different from one another, but you can still retain balance and harmony.

Regina Rose, my trusty assistant at class, had missed Steve"s performance behind the bar, returning from the kitchen where she"d been squeezing the juice from a few extra lemons just seconds after he"d returned to his barstool.

"You missed a wonderful Corpse Reviver," I told her.

"No I didn"t," she smiled. "My new fancy-man started work here as a line cook today--he"s been reviving my corpse while I was juicing the fruit, so to speak."

Apply to attend Cocktails in the Country by visiting www.ardentspirits.com, and clicking on "Classes and Events." Mention Cheers magazine in your application and receive a free signed copy of Gary Regan"s latest book, The Joy of Mixology, if you"re accepted into the program.

RELATED ARTICLE: Cocktails in the Country Corpse Reviver No. 3

1 1/2 ounces Laird"s Applejack
  3/4 ounce Hennessy Cognac
  3/4 ounce Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth

Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full of ice and add the ingredients. Stir for approximately 30 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.