Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Squid Mixes: Lillet Reviver


A Lillet Reviver combines gin, Grand Marnier (or Coinreau or triple sec), Lillet blanc, lemon juice and absinthe (or Pastis) with a lemon (or orange) twist garnish.  I got my recipe from David Lebovitz's Drinking French.  Lebovitz admits the drink is also known as a Corpse Reviver No. 2 but he changed the name to emphasize the Lillet.  

Fortunately, absinthe is no longer illegal in the United States, its long-rumored hallucinatory properties disproved.  Even so, my wife has been skeptical as she is not a huge fan of anise flavoring.  It's not my favorite either though I'm less reluctant to experiment with it.  There's actually very little absinthe in the drink.  You pour a half-teaspoon into the empty glass, swirl it around, then dump out the excess.  There's just enough for a light scent and an even lighter flavor.  In my wife's words, it's a good drink for the absinthe shy.

She also suggested The Absinthe Shy would be a fantastic band name.

Otherwise, the drink is intensely lemony.  If I make it again, I might cut back a little on the lemon juice.

11 comments:

  1. I might give this a try but I hate the black licorice flavour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not a huge fan either but a lot of liquors have it. There's just a slight hint of the licorice in this drink - not unpleasant.

      Delete
  2. I so enjoy reading your reviews of the cocktails you make. Your wife is a hoot !

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't think I've tried absinthe, but, from what I understand, Chartreuse is a reasonable substitute.
    And I do have a Chartreuse drink that I love.
    I'll have to post it as it is my own recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As you know, I love Chartreuse but I don't see it as a substitute hear at all. Indeed, I think it would be an improvement - so much more dimension.

      Delete
    2. Not having tried absinthe, I'll take your word for it and keeping using Chartreuse. However, I hear there's a global shortage.

      Delete
    3. Gasp! That's horrible. Luckily, I recently bought a new bottle of the green.

      Delete
  4. Absinthe Shy would be a great band name. I have been away for over two weeks, in my travels I stayed with friends who are big gin drinkers (thankfully they also had some scotch). But he insisted I try this non-alcoholic gin he had... He wanted my opinion even if I'm not a gin drinker. It was terrible, a cross between turpentine and kerosene!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds awful!

      I don't understand non-alcoholic liquor. Why bother? So many non-alcoholic drinks worth appreciating instead.

      Makes me think of synthehol in Star Trek.

      I don't understand decaf coffee either. And yet I occasionally drink it.

      Delete
  5. The absinthe brings a little something different which is nice.

    ReplyDelete