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Ante

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (53)
Ante image
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
1 2⁄3 fl oz Calvados / apple brandy / straight applejack
2⁄3 fl oz Dubonnet, Byrrh etc. rouge light quinquina
1⁄3 fl oz Cointreau L'Unique triple sec liqueur
1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

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How to make

Glass

Photographed in a Waterford Mixology Coupe Clear

Prepare

  1. Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

  1. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Ante contains 161 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.5 standard drinks
  • 26.57% alc./vol. (53.14° proof)
  • 21.4 grams of pure alcohol

Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

History

The Ante notably features in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.

ANTE COCKTAIL.
1 Dash Angostura Bitters.
¼ Hercules.
¼ Cointreau.
½ Calvados or Apple Brandy.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Harry Craddock, 1930


The Savoy recipe calls for Hercules, a sadly long since defunct product that vintage newspaper advertisements for the brand describe as being a "Maté-Wine Apéritif" with an "alcohol strength over 25°."

Our recipe (updated August 2020) reflects one I found back in 2006 on DrinkBoy.com which substitutes Dubonnet Red for Hercules.

More cocktails by Harry Craddock

Review

Medium-dry, spiritous aromatised apple with delicate grape/berry fruit and faint orange.

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$1.06 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 37 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

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* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

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Gallery

Comments & Discussion

John CARR Premium Member
This one didn’t quite work for me… maybe heavy handed with the bitters? Or maybe picked the wrong mood…! Liked the dryness. I wonder what Hercules would be like..?
score: 1
John CARR Premium Member
Retried with careful tasting at each step… def needs care with bitters this one. Delicate is definitely the word that springs to mind. Quite charming!
score: 1
Dee Stump
Well, I must say… part of the fun of all this is improvising when you need to. I hardly had the equipment to make this as is, but made it anyway. I used Laird’s 7 1/2 year apple brandy, Punt E Mes, and Thyme infused Cointreau (from Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s The Bar Book). It was fantastic and also a lovely use for the Thyme Cointreau that I always forget I have.
score: 2
Geoff B.
As a Calvados lover, this was great. Instead of Dubonnet, I subbed Lillet Rouge. Both work great together. Cointreau was back a bit as well as the Angostura. Next time I’m upping the ante and using 2 dashes. Boozy and hint sweet this is a good one for a cold night...or any.
score: 3
David M. Premium Member
Substituted Lillet Rouge for Dubonnet. Nice autumnal flavors. Calvados-forward with great aromatics from the Rouge.
The Cointreau was hard to find in the flavor mix. But a nice drink overall.
score: 1

View 4 comments and discussion

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Difford’s Shop logo
$1.06 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 37 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

Checkout

* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

Visit Difford’s Shop USA

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