TERMINAL or REVIVAL?

As the half a dozen people who were kind enough to read some of my outpourings (pun intended) of over a decade back, will know, I used to write quite actively about gin - different types of gin. In all, I think I asked my connections to wade through over two dozen texts designed, inter alia, to break up the formality of the LinkedIn norm. (No! I want neither to hire anyone nor do I want to be at the forefront of today's tech revolution).

To my surprise, some of these ramblings were quite well received although, and in all honesty I should admit, not as well received as my descriptions of being treated (successfully) for cancer which led more than one reader to say that they were sorry I was recovering given I was much funnier when at death's door! (Incidentally Death's Door is also a type of gin - from Wisconsin if memory serves. Not bad, but not particularly distinguished).

All of which is intended as a weak introduction to a further series of ramblings, this time about cocktails, good and bad. And to start us off, and moreover to establish a seamless link from Death's Door, I'd like to talk about the Corpse Reviver or, more specifically, the Corpse Reviver No. Blue - a relatively modern invention.

There are a lot of Corpse Revivers, but there are also, of course, a lot of corpses in need of revival. One need only look at the Cross benches in any British parliament since the last war, to understand the popularity of the House of Commons' Strangers Bar.

However, focusing (were that possible) specifically on cocktails, I note my Trader Vic Bartender's Guide (1948) lists two Corpse Revivers: the first made with cognac, calvados and a dash of Italian vermouth, which I don't think would necessarily revive, but would certainly preserve (think biological specimens in glass jars); the second involving gin, Swedish punch (or Lillet blanc), Cointreau, lemon juice and a dash of Pernod.

This latter is, barring the colour, much closer to one I photographed and am drinking, and while I won't say I'm 'revived' I certainly feel a lot better than I did 30 minutes ago when Amazon unaccountably delivered a bottle of 'Faith in Nature' hair conditioner which, to my certain knowledge, is found in no cocktail I'd be prepared to drink, and, like the Boy Scouts, I'm almost always prepared!

(By the way, there is a 'Last Boy Scout Cocktail', but it might be wise to pass this one quickly by given this comment by the drink's Australian creator: "We garnish this luxurious libation with our secret frozen inverted S'mores - housemade marshmallow, stuffed with chocolate praline and then frozen and flamed at the table. The ultimate sensory heightened nibble to enjoy alongside the cocktail." Hmm, 'sensory heightened nibbles' - I had enough problems with the 'luxurious libation'!)

To the point: the recipe for Corpse Reviver No. Blue is to be found in the estimable Difford's Guide (I have a hard copy, but sadly this encyclopaedic tome is now only to be found online) and is, in detail, as follows: 1 shot Tanqueray gin, 1 shot Lillet blanc, 1 shot Blue Curacao, 1 shot lemon juice and 1/2 shot Absinthe. Shake through ice and pour - oh I forgot to add an extra line to the recipe: 1 sot (me).

I admit I didn't use Tanqueray - instead Goa gin - but with that exception I think I produced a fair version of this drink, which if nothing else, is glowingly blue, very well-balanced, not (quite) as strong as it appears. And as I suggested, it's close to the second Trader Vic recipe given that Cointreau and Curacao are bedfellows and the dash of Pernod (adding liquorice overtones) for the Absinthe came from the time when Absinthe was hard to find and illegal to produce.

So, worth a go if you have the ingredients. (I should mention that Difford's has six Corpse Reviver recipes including one arising from 2001, so it is claimed, which is exceptionally close to the Brandy and Apple Jack concoction from Trader Vic some sixty years earlier.)

Cheers. Next week, I think we'll need to think about Paracelcus.