Stirred ice cold, this drink tastes like a digestif with a cool edge. Fernet brings its bitter herbs and saffron, the crème de menthe cools the finish, and brandy holds the two together with soft fruit.
1 oz
brandy or cognace.g. Asbach · Torres · Metaxa · Rémy Martin · Hennessy
1 oz
Fernet-BrancaBuy on Amazon →
1 oz
white crème de menthee.g. Get 31 · Giffard · Bols · Marie Brizard
Garnish: No garnish · Ice: Served up, no ice
Savoy Corpse Reviver
Intensely herbal and bitter with menthol coolness, dark fruit from the brandy and a long, dry finish. Strong, served straight up without ice.
"Corpse reviver" was a nineteenth-century name for a whole group of morning-after drinks, meant to get the drinker back on their feet after a long night. Several unrelated recipes carried the name, and Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930 printed two of them as Corpse Reviver No. 1 and No. 2.
The Savoy Corpse Reviver is a different formula again: equal parts brandy, Fernet-Branca and white crème de menthe, closely related to the Stinger with a big dose of Italian bitter added. Its name links it to the Savoy in London, but its exact origin is not well documented, so it is best seen as part of the reviver family rather than as one bartender's signature.
Today it is a bartender's favourite and a classic after-dinner drink for people who like their bitters bold.
Equal parts brandy, Fernet-Branca and white crème de menthe, stirred with ice and served without ice.
No. 2 is a bright gin sour with Cointreau, Lillet and lemon. The Savoy version is dark, bitter and minty, built only from spirits and liqueurs.
Yes. Cognac makes the drink rounder and more refined; a simple brandy keeps it more rustic.
The perfect sound
A cheeky morning after remedy with a wink and a grin.
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