Barrett's Mixology

By Primrose McKolanski Jr. III ‘11 | Saturday, October 4, 2008

Corpse Reviver

2 oz Gilbey’s Gin
0.5 oz Cointreau
0.5 oz Lillet Blanc
0.75 oz Lemon Juice
Shake and pour in cocktail glass with Pernod wash

John Cheever, the great American novelist of the 20th century, once observed, “A lonely man is a lonesome thing, a stone, a bone, a stick, a receptacle for Gilbey’s gin, a stooped figure sitting at the edge of a hotel bed, heaving copious sighs like the autumn wind.”

Cheever may well have composed this observation at the Hanover Inn, exhausted after the pilgrimage to Hanover. Indeed, the solitude of travel breeds a deep brooding in even the most satisfied of men, a malaise that calls for an uncommon cure. Whether real or imagined, gin’s therapeutic value cannot be denied—although one cannot help but wonder if such a noble liquid deserves more sophisticated company than simple tonic.

Gin is perhaps the most cynical of the intoxicating libations favored by thinking men: colorless and ambivalent. For some, tonic is gin’s ultimate companion—an understated complement to the complexity of the herbal tincture. The Corpse Reviver rejects this conventional wisdom and confronts the palate with an unparalleled complexity of flavor. The hint of anise afforded by the Pernod, and the acidity of the lemon invigorate the senses whilst the gin invigorates the soul.

Should you find yourself in a moment of solitude, perhaps after a long voyage to Hanover, mix yourself a Corpse Reviver. You will find that it is aptly named.

Nota Bene: Gilbey’s is a cheap American gin. For full literary effect, it is the ideal ingredient. In the absence of Gilbey’s (or in the presence of a disdain for cheap liquor) Hendrick’s will do.

Barrett's Mixology

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