Ahhhhh, the Corpse Reviver….if you aren’t familiar with this family of cocktails, they’ve got a lot of history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the term “Corpse Reviver” referred to a pretty broad range of boozy concoctions meant to be consumed as a hangover cure. They were solidified into actual cocktails around 1930, when Henry Craddock created his Corpse Reviver #1 and Corpse Reviver #2. And, of course, a very many variations were to manifest thereafter.

So the Corpse Reviver isn’t even really ACTUALLY a Halloween drink. It just really sounds like one. That’s why we’re going to make it Halloween-y by shifting the ingredients to give it this pretty blood-red hue. Also, a little dry ice goes a long way to make things spooky. DISCLAIMER: Dry ice must be handled with caution and is for special effect only. Use proper protection when handling, and do not consume—IF YOU PUT DRY ICE IN A DRINK FOR EFFECT, YOU MUST LET THE ICE MELT COMPLETELY BEFORE CONSUMING SAID DRINK.

My chickens and I had the pleasure of making this fun little drink for Maria Sansone on the Mom 2 Mom show, which you can watch here.

THE CRIMSON CORPSE REVIVER COCKTAIL

Makes 2 servings (or, if you are me, 1 double serving)

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. sour cherry gin (if you can’t find this, plain gin will do)
1.5 oz. Lillet Rouge
1.5 oz. cherry liqueur
1.5 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
a splash of absinthe to coat glass
Garnish: 1/2 tbs. of Luxardo cherry syrup for the glass rim + 2 black edible blossoms such as violas
- To make cocktail, first prepare a coupe glass by adding a splash of absinthe and rolling it around to coat the inside of the glass. Discard extra.
- Add ice to a cocktail shaker, then add gin, Lillet, liqueur, and lemon juice. Shake until chilled and strain into glass.
- Drizzle a small spoonful of cherry syrup along the edge of your glass, and garnish drink with edible flowers.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want a spooky photo, use a little dry ice in your drink—but never use dry ice in a beverage that is meant to be consumed.