Short drinks · Gin · IBA official
Three ingredients, equal measures and no citrus at all. The Angel Face tastes of ripe apricot and baked apple on a dry gin frame, and its innocent name hides a seriously strong drink.
1 oz
London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
1 oz
apricot brandy an apricot liqueur of good qualitye.g. Marie Brizard · Bols · Rothman & Winter · DeKuyper
1 oz
calvadose.g. Christian Drouin · Père Magloire · Boulard · Busnel
Garnish: None (optional lemon twist, discarded) · Ice: Served up, no ice
Angel Face
Ripe apricot and red apple over dry juniper, with a warming, spirit-forward finish. Fruity rather than sweet, and noticeably strong.
The Angel Face appears in Harry Craddock's "The Savoy Cocktail Book", published in London in 1930 and one of the most influential bar books of the 20th century. Craddock ran the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel, and his book collected both his own drinks and popular recipes of the era. Whether he created the Angel Face himself is not recorded.
The drink follows a common pattern of its time, combining gin with fruit brandies and liqueurs rather than citrus. It is sometimes linked to Prohibition-era drinking, but the documented source is the Savoy book. The International Bartenders Association includes the Angel Face in its "Unforgettables" list with gin, apricot brandy and calvados in equal parts.
Very. With no juice or mixer, it is around 28 to 30% ABV once diluted.
In classic recipes, yes: "apricot brandy" usually means a sweetened apricot liqueur, not a dry eau de vie.
It is documented in Harry Craddock's "The Savoy Cocktail Book" from 1930, published in London.
The perfect sound
Innocent looking yet surprisingly strong.
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