Corpse Reviver No. 1
Our Corpse Reviver No. 1 is 30ml each of cognac, Calvados and sweet vermouth, stirred over ice for 20 to 30 seconds and strained into a chilled coupe, with no garnish. About 2.9 UK units. It is a short, stirred drink of two fruit brandies and vermouth, and nothing like the gin and lemon No. 2. The phrase came before the drink. Punch magazine used "corpse reviver" in 1861, and the Gentleman’s Table Guide of 1871 gave a Corpse Reviver of brandy, maraschino and Boker’s bitters. Harry Craddock printed a No. 1 and a No. 2 in the Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930, and the No. 2 is the one that took off. Proportions vary from book to book, and many recipes lean on the cognac at two parts to one each of Calvados and vermouth. Ours pours equal parts, which brings the apple forward and makes the vermouth a full partner.
Glassware: Coupe Glass
Garnish: Lemon twist expressed and discarded (optional)
Ingredients
30ml
A VS or VSOP at 40% ABV with some dried fruit. It is the backbone, and a harsh brandy shows through the vermouth.
30ml
Apple brandy from Normandy, made under appellation rules, at 40 to 42% ABV. It brings apple, dried fruit and oak that a generic apple brandy rarely matches.
30ml
A Torino-style vermouth at about 16% ABV, refrigerated once opened. At equal parts, a tired bottle shows at once.
Instructions
Chill a coupe.
Add the cognac, Calvados and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 20 to 30 seconds.
Strain into the chilled coupe.
Serve without garnish, or express a lemon peel over the top and discard it.
Our version
Recipes for the No. 1 vary. Many pour two parts cognac to one each of Calvados and sweet vermouth; ours pours 30ml of each, stirred, so the apple and the vermouth sit level with the brandy.
Source: our own specification. Last checked 10 October 2026.
Expert Tip
The vermouth is a third of the glass, so it decides the drink. Refrigerate it once opened and replace it within about four weeks; a stale bottle makes the whole drink taste flat and medicinal. Pour a true Calvados, not a generic apple brandy. Where it makes up a third of the drink, the difference in apple and oak is plain. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds. There is no citrus to sharpen it, so dilution is what joins three strong ingredients, and an under-stirred one tastes hot.
Behind the Corpse Reviver No. 1
Flavour Profile
The Origin
Corpse reviver was a name for a morning drink before it was a recipe. Punch magazine used the phrase in 1861, and the Gentleman’s Table Guide of 1871 gave a Corpse Reviver of brandy, maraschino and Boker’s bitters.
Harry Craddock printed a No. 1 and a No. 2 in the Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. The No. 2, with gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc and lemon, became a fixture of the cocktail revival. The No. 1 did not.
The Structure
Two fruit brandies and a sweet vermouth, stirred and served up, put the No. 1 in the Manhattan family. Cognac brings dried fruit and the strength. Calvados brings apple and a little earth. The vermouth brings body, wine and sweetness, and joins the two brandies.
The Harvard is the same idea on cognac alone, and the Jack Rose takes apple brandy the other way, shaken with lemon and grenadine.
The Calvados Question
Calvados is apple brandy from Normandy, made under appellation rules on how it is produced and aged, and some carries pear as well as apple. At a third of the glass its character is plain, so a thin, sweet apple brandy shows straight away.
Equal Parts or Two to One
Two ways to pour a Corpse Reviver No. 1
Cognac
- Cognac-led, two to one
- 45ml
- Ours, equal parts
- 30ml
Calvados
- Cognac-led, two to one
- 22.5ml
- Ours, equal parts
- 30ml
Sweet vermouth
- Cognac-led, two to one
- 22.5ml
- Ours, equal parts
- 30ml
Character
- Cognac-led, two to one
- Drier, brandy in front
- Ours, equal parts
- Apple and vermouth forward
UK units
- Cognac-led, two to one
- About 3.1
- Ours, equal parts
- About 2.9
| Element | Cognac-led, two to one | Ours, equal parts |
|---|---|---|
| Cognac | 45ml | 30ml |
| Calvados | 22.5ml | 30ml |
| Sweet vermouth | 22.5ml | 30ml |
| Character | Drier, brandy in front | Apple and vermouth forward |
| UK units | About 3.1 | About 2.9 |
How to Serve It
Stirred, strained and served cold in a chilled coupe, with no garnish. A lemon peel expressed over the top and discarded adds a lift on the nose without changing the drink. It suits after dinner, in place of a brandy.
Make it at home
The Spirit
CognacCognac is a brandy distilled twice from white wine in copper pot stills in the Cognac area of western France, aged at least two years in oak and sold at no less than 40% ABV. The letters on the label are minimum ages: VS at least two years, VSOP four, XO ten. A VS or VSOP is what our cocktails assume.
Master the Techniques
More to explore
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Corpse Reviver No. 1?
How does it differ from the Corpse Reviver No. 2?
Why is it called a Corpse Reviver?
Are equal parts correct?
Can I use apple brandy instead of Calvados?
Should it be shaken or stirred?
How strong is a Corpse Reviver No. 1?
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Where this one sits
Recipe by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 9 October 2026