A drink to wake the dead

By LEE SVITAK DEAN, Star Tribune

Last update: October 21, 2009 - 2:41 PM

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There I was, belly up to the bar at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans, Mardi Gras beads around my neck, shoes squishy from marching in the rain with a brass band parade through the city's narrow streets. (We were a group of food writers who never let raindrops -- or anything else -- come between us and food and drink. Where else but in New Orleans would we be marching -- and waving to bystanders -- before we started drinking?)

The barkeep offered a Corpse Reviver.

Sounded promising and, well, a bit dangerous.

I took a sip ... and the wet shoes didn't seem to matter much anymore.

I'd discovered what imbibers knew in the 1930s: This was a drink to revive your spirits -- specifically a drink aimed at "curing" the hangover (or "waking the dead"), on the order of a Bloody Mary and the like.

Well, that would be a heck of a way to handle a hangover in the morning, what with this drink being mostly booze. But the drink itself is terrific anytime.

The concoction I tried was the Corpse Reviver No. 2, which is not to be confused with the No. 1 and No. 3 variations (No. 2 is the only one that calls for a dash of anise liqueur; the others use brandy as a base).

Equal parts gin, Lillet Blanc (a white wine aperitif), Cointreau (an orange-flavored liqueur) and fresh lemon juice, this drink has clean flavors that sneak up on you. The anise liqueur gives it a bump that may not be identifiable as licorice ("What is that flavor?"), depending on how much you add. It subtly changes the mix, in all the right ways, so don't leave it out.

If you don't have these ingredients on hand, paying for them will be, well, sobering -- though you will have a well-stocked bar when done.

And you'll be ready the next time you need to revive a corpse.

That would be Oct. 31, by my calculations.

Lee Svitak Dean • 612-673-1749

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