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! ♡♡♡♡♡

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

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.

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

Fruity.

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!

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

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.