Contrary to popular belief, this friendly bat is not interested in blood or even bloody cocktails. He is much more sophisticated than that, and likes to hang out at swanky establishments like the Savoy in London. That’s where legendary barman Harry Craddock shook awake the dead with his famous Corpse Reviver cocktails, which are arguably the most Halloween of all classics. The drink, in general, was like a “hair o’ the dog” concoction that your barkeep would “prescribe” to revive. The earliest reference is from 1871 but the most famous is the “No. 2” found in Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930, the same tome that served to inspire my series of Jabberwocky cocktails.

I’ve had it in mind for a while to develop a variation on the classic Corpse Reviver, which I have already featured here (for Halloween, too) in years past. This one would need a specific flavor profile of sweet aged raisin, which is present in certain sherry or madeira. In the original, which has equal parts gin, lemon, Lillet and Cointreau, the Lillet and Cointreau are the sweeter ingredients. Replacing the Lillet with Pedro Ximenez sherry, to get those raisin notes, takes some thoughtful adjustment in balance, since PX sherry has about 12 grams of sugar per oz while Lillet has only 2g per oz. I cut the PX ratio down, balanced it with dry vermouth and used dry curacao rather than Cointreau. Be prepared to fight off the undead hordes for this one, it’s delicious. Happy Halloween!

Raisin the Dead

¾ oz gin

¾ oz lemon

½ oz dry curacao

½ oz PX sherry

½ oz dry vermouth

2 dashes absinthe

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe. Lemon twist.

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