Corpse Reviver No. 2

The Savoy Hotel Bar, London, circa 1920s, compiled in Harry Craddock's 'The Savoy Cocktail Book' (1930). The Corpse Reviver family (No. 1 uses brandy and Calvados) was a category of morning cocktails designed to address the previous night's damage. The No. 2 is the only survivor in regular service, having achieved classic status through its superior balance.

The Corpse Reviver No. 2 is the most sophisticated of the Corpse Reviver family — pre-Prohibition hangover cures designed to revive the dead, or at least the severely hungover. Gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc (or Cocchi Americano), fresh lemon juice, and a dash of absinthe, shaken and served up, it is a bright, citrus-forward cocktail with a whisper of anise that signals the absinthe without overwhelming. The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) warns that 'four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again.' The Corpse Reviver No. 2 is a masterclass in balance: five ingredients where each is present at a specific percentage and removal of any one destroys the whole.

• The Corpse Reviver No. 2's absinthe-lemon-quinine architecture connects to the French tradition of absinthe as morning medicine, the use of quinine in tonic water as an antimalarial and bitter tonic, and the Savoy Hotel's role as a laboratory for the Anglo-French cocktail tradition of the early 20th century.

FOOD PAIRING: The Corpse Reviver No. 2's citrus-herbal-bitter profile is ideal as a brunch or early-day aperitivo. Provenance 1000 pairings: eggs Benedict with hollandaise (the citrus cuts through the rich sauce), smoked mackerel pâté (the lemon-gin bridge is classic), oysters with lemon and mignonette (the quinine echoes the ocean's brine), cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, and lemon drizzle cake.