Name: Angel Face
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Gin; 30 ml Calvados apple brandy; 30 ml Apricot liqueur; 10 ml Chilled water; 1 swath Lemon peel

Angel Face
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Photographed in an Urban Bar Alto Coupe 18cl

Ingredients:
1 oz	Hayman's London Dry Gin
1 oz	Calvados / apple brandy / straight applejack
1 oz	Luxardo Apricot Albicocca Liqueur
¹⁄₃ oz	Chilled water omit if using wet ice
1 swath	Lemon peel

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select a Coupe glass.
Prepare garnish of lemon zest and apple wedge or (dehydrated) apple slice..
REGAL STIR all ingredients (including lemon zest).
STRAIN into chilled glass.
Express lemon zest twist and discard. Garnish with apple wedge on rim or float (dehydrated) apple slice.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

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Cocktail of the day:

26th July 2025 is It's the anniversary of The Great Los Angeles Smog

Review:

Rich apricot and apple with a backbone of botanical gin. Balanced rather than dry or sweet.

This cocktail looks better when stirred, but Harry Craddock's original 1930 recipe is shaken, and the extra dilution helps mellow this spirit-forward classic. Hence, I've added a splash of water to increase the dilution of the stirred recipe. Although an act of heresy, a splash of processed and packaged clear "apple juice drink" also works in place of added chilled water.

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History:

Adapted from a recipe in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book which stipulates "Shake well and strain into cocktail glass," rather than to stir as modern convention dictates.

ANGEL FACE COCKTAIL.
1/3 Dry Gin.
1/3 Apricot Brandy.
1/3 Calvados.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
Harry Craddock, 1930

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 10 of 16 comments for Angel Face.
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Calvin Grant

5th April at 02:58

Just revisited and still excellent. Added lots of lemon peel and a long.... stir. Tanqueray export strength, Rothman & Winter Apricot, and a decent fruity V.S. Calvados rang all the right bells! ♡♡♡♡♡

Mike Gibb

20th January at 18:28

Hi Simon, the how-to-make instructions should link to the 'Regal Shake (and Regal Stir)' page.

Simon Difford

21st January at 09:49

Thanks, Mike. I've asked our IT team to add this link.

Jacques Merley

20th January at 16:00

I tried the IBA récipé and was disappointed. The apple scent and taste of Calvados did not ally well with the apricot and the bitterness of gin.

Jason Edward CLAPHAM

2nd November 2024 at 23:44

I prefer this one with ½ measure of Crème de Abricot and two dashes of orange bitters and a lemon twist. Sublime.

Andy Parnell-Hopkinson

1st November 2024 at 18:27

Fruity.

John CARR

30th May 2024 at 13:13

The dilution is definitely essential to avoid this becoming overly sweet. The apricot still dominated a little for my taste, and on the sweet side. Perhaps shaking will fix this? Noted Conor’s comments re dropping the apricot and upping the apple slightly…. Next time!

Kim Josefsen

7th March 2024 at 13:43

Cocktail really depends on the apple brandy - mine has a very cidery flavor, so I went down to 3/4 and it balanced better with 1 oz dry gin and 1 oz apricot liqueur

Arild Anda

24th July 2023 at 20:05

Lovely cocktail, one of those favourites I don’t have so often, because, as you say, it might need adjustments depending on the ingredients at hand. My favourite way to do this is 100% “à la française” with Giffard’s Abricot de Roussilon, a very smooth but little oaked Ch. de Breuil calva, and Citadelle dry gin. I sometimes add a splash of Pernod absinthe if I am in the mood for something slightly more on the dry side.

Herbert Brant

27th June 2023 at 22:56

Very gentle, and very elegant. So simple, but satisfying with just the right balance of sweet (Apricot) and pungent (Dry Gin). Added to favourites.

Marcin Michniowski

14th January 2023 at 21:56

I absolutely love how this cocktail takes equal parts of three seemingly incongruous partners and joins them to make one balanced and harmonious drink. Sad to see it out of the Cocktail Hall of Fame, but it will still have its glory at my little bar!

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