Classic Halloween Cocktails

We are seeing many modern cocktails this month, so it seems like a good time to take a quick break and see some classics. While there aren't any drinks specifically created for Halloween celebrations (or rather, any that survived the years in print), there are some with names that fit just fine with the holiday.

The most obvious of these are the "Corpse Revivers." This 'family' of cocktails dates back to the mid-late 1800's, and were designed to "revive the corpse" the morning after a night of heavy drinking. These cocktails bear little resemblance to each other aside from the name. It wasn't until Harry Craddock published his "Savoy Cocktail Book" in 1930 that any of these recipes showed up in print. The most popular is the "Corpse Reviver #2" (in my opinion the best of them), which you can read more about here in an old post.

Corpse Reviver #2
3/4oz gin
3/4oz lemon juice
3/4oz Lillet 
3/4oz Cointreau
Dash of absinthe

Combine all ingredients with ice, shake, and strain into a coupe.

Use Cocchi Americano instead of Lillet for better and more historically-accurate effect, as Lillet changed its recipe in the 1980's to a much sweeter version without the bitter flavour of quinine. It really makes a difference.
As for the absinthe, feel free to use pastis, Pernod, Herbsaint, or other suitable substitutions. The difference is not as noticeable as Cocchi/Lillet, but absinthe is also better and more accurate, so use it if you have it.

The other Corpse Revivers are much harder to come by. Searching in books or websites for #3 will bring you completely different ingredients, but I trust Robert Hess, who lists a recipe of equal parts brandy, Campari, and triple sec, with a 1/2 part of lemon juice. #1 is a more interesting drink, and one worth trying if you can get your hands on some applejack (which we can't in Canada):

Corpse Reviver #1
2oz brandy
1oz sweet vermouth
1oz applejack

Combine ingredients with ice, stir, and strain into a coupe.

"The Savoy Cocktail Book," one of the better historical drink books you will find, brings us another cocktail suitable for Halloween and different than the usual in that it contains orange juice: "Satan's Whiskers." There are two versions listed, the "Straight" using Grand Marnier, or the "Curled" using a different orange curacao (Cointreau or triple sec works just fine in this drink as well). It is similar to a Bronx cocktail, which is just gin, sweet and dry vermouth, and orange juice without the liqueur or bitters.

Satan's Whiskers
3/4oz gin
3/4oz sweet vermouth
3/4oz dry vermouth
1/2oz Grand Marnier (or other orange curacao)
1/2oz orange juice
Dash of orange bitters

Combine ingredients with ice, shake, and strain into a coupe.

Last up is the Zombie, a drink that has sparked many a debate over the years. The original was created in 1934 by Don the Beachcomber. Tiki drinks tend to contain a lot of ingredients, which fans the flames in the recipe debate. The modern go-to man for Tiki is Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, so I will list his recipe, and I will also list Martin Cate's from the best Tiki or rum bar I've ever been to - Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco. Martin's recipe is essentially the original. (For more ideas, Gary Regan, Dale Degroff, and Dr. Cocktail have all come up with recipes too).

Zombie (Jeff "Beachbum" Berry)
1oz lime juice
3/4oz pineapple juice
3/4oz papaya nectar
1/2oz applejack
1oz dark Jamaican rum (Myer's)
2oz Barbados rum (Mount Gay)
1oz light Puerto Rican rum (Brugal)
1/2oz 151 Demerara rum (Lemon Hart)

Shake everything with ice except the 151. Pour into a tall glass, fill with ice, and float the 151 on top. Garnish with a cocktail cherry, pineapple slice, and a sprig of mint if you desire. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Zombie (Martin Cate)
6oz crushed ice
3/4oz lime juice
1/2oz grapefruit juice
1/4oz cinnamon syrup
1/2oz falernum
1.5oz Puerto Rican gold rum
1.5oz aged Jamaican rum
1oz Lemon Hart 151 Demerara rum
1 teaspoon grenadine
Dash Angostura bitters
6 drops of Pernod or Herbsaint

In a blender jar, add all ingredients and blend until slushy, about 2-3 seconds. Pour contents into a zombie or pint glass and add more crushed ice to fill. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

The Fall Series:

You can see the series introduction here
and more terrible Halloween cocktails here
"Death & Oranges" by Donnie Wheeler
"Jones' Bitter Aperitif" by Evelyn Chick 
"The Satchmo" by Simon Ogden 
"Dark City" by Jay Jones
"The Giant Huntsman" by Lauren Mote
"The Bay Harbour Butcher" by Shaun Layton  
"A Nightmare On Juniper Street" by Shea Hogan 


[[ Photography by
smallscreennetwork.com - Corpse Reviver #1
understandingcocktails.com - Satan's Whiskers
tastingtable.com - Martin Cate's Zombie ]]

The Leap Year Cocktail

So it's close to midnight and therefore kind of late for this post, but I'll do it anyway.

It's February 29th, 2012. A leap year. So, obviously, what is a more fitting cocktail than the Leap Year Cocktail? The great thing about this one is that it's a classic from one of the greatest bartenders of all time, Mr. Harry Craddock of the Savoy Hotel in London. The great thing about discussing any Craddock cocktail is that I get to share an Al Bowlly song, since they both worked at the Savoy Hotel at the same time, and Bowlly is one of my favourite singers ever.
(You can read a little more about Craddock and Al Bowlly here in the post about the Corpse Reviver #2).

One of the exciting things about the Leap Year is that we can actually pinpoint exactly when and by whom it was created. Craddock, while running the bar at the Savoy after fleeing from Prohibition America, created the drink specifically for the leap year party at the Savoy on February 29th, 1928. This is also the year that Bowlly first made his appearances at the Savoy with Fred Elizalde, before moving on to work with Ray Noble and record the most famous songs of his career (while also playing at the same hotel).

So first, let's find out how to make the cocktail...

The Leap Year

2oz gin
1/2oz Grand Marnier (other orange liqueurs will do)
1/2oz sweet vermouth
dash lemon juice (measuring about a barspoon-full is a good way to go)

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, stir, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.

So here is a cocktail containing juice that you won't be shaking. (Previously I've mentioned a general rule that you should only shake cocktails that contain juice, cream, or egg, and everything else should be stirred). Because the amount of juice is so small, there isn't as much force required to fully mix the ingredients, and stirring works just fine. If you want to shake it, feel free, but it's not really necessary.

The Music
Al Bowlly we've already discussed on my post about the Corpse Reviver #2, so let's just talk about Elizalde. As a young man he bounced between Europe and America, between law school and leading jazz bands. By 1927, he had truly chosen music as his calling, and led a new band in England on some famous late 20's recordings, and performing regularly at the Savoy Hotel. He openly criticized European jazz for being too classical-minded, and tried to adopt more American rhythms and styles into his band (fitting, what with jazz being American and all). Savoy Hotel crowds were famously split in their reception of his band, with the younger crowds loving the dirty, rhythmic, and American big band sound, and the older crowds were offended. By 1929, the BBC radio chose not to renew his contract because of this mixed response, and further poor receptions marked the end of the band. He thereafter composed mostly classical music, and worked with such famous composers as Wagner and Ravel, and after a fairly long life (for the time), retired and passed on. While his jazz years were very short-lived, they were integral to modern European music as he pushed for real jazz, and therefore the most important modern movements in music, to become a mainstay.

For the Leap Year Cocktail, please enjoy this collaboration between Fred Elizalde and Al Bowlly in 1928, when they were both working at the Savoy Hotel in London while Harry Craddock was creating and serving this particular cocktail. (Note how much higher and thinner Bowlly's voice is as it's just at the beginning of his professional recording career).

[ Photography by Eat Magazine from Shawn Soole at Clive's Classic Lounge in Victoria ]