The Angel Face
The Angel Face is a Prohibition-era cocktail, which has survived the test of time through the publication of its recipe in the 1930 book The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock. One story about the origins of its name, hard to definitively prove, goes that the drink was named after Abe “Angel Face” Kaminsky, a notorious mobster who robbed the Detroit speakeasies. Although he has an endearing name, Kaminsky was ruthless and scary, his tactic being to barge into bars and extract money from the owners at gunpoint.
Normally, a cocktail will have a single base spirit and a lower proof mixer. But the Angel Face stands out since it combines multiple spirits, calling for gin, Calvados or apple brandy and apricot brandy, all in equal parts. From the very first sip, the drink packs a punch, recalling hidden, smoke-filled parlors and jazz lounges, reminiscent of the roaring 30s.
The calvados is a French brandy made of either apples or pears. It is region specific, normally made in Normandy, where apples and pears are much easier to grow, given the climactic conditions, than grapes. The American applejack can also be used as a substitute for calvados, but the latter imparts a more complex flavour profile to the drink.
Apricot brandy normally comes in one of two forms—a liqueur, and a brandy. The liqueurs use a grape-based brandy with sugar and added flavours. The quantity of the ingredients can vary widely, and it can be served as a dessert that’s sipped neat or a boozy sugar-water concoction. The liqueur added a juicy punch to the drink, giving it a refreshing and bright character despite its low sugar content. The apricot brandy is essentially just brandy, which means a fermented and distilled spirit made with apricot juice. These are more common in Europe than in America, and are often more dry than sweet.
For the Angel Face, a liqueur based apricot brandy works best. This prevents the drink from becoming overly dry, which can happen easily since three strong liquors are essentially just being mixed together.
Normally, when making a cocktail with multiple spirits, the rule is to stir rather than shake it, and then chill it while keeping an eye on the water dilution. But this recipe calls for it to be shaken, which increases the water dilution, leading to the three drinks being better combined and resulting in a smoother drink. If you still prefer stirring, for aesthetic reasons, wanting a clear looking cocktail, then simply add ¼ ounce of chilled water and stir. It will have the same result.
An ideal Angel Face will have a striking balance of dry and sweet. To tweak it to your taste buds, you can use apricot brandy instead of liqueur or add a little bit more gin.
Ingredients
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously until completely chilled, for about 15–20 seconds.
Strain it into a chilled coupe or martini glass.
Garnish with an apple slice, if desired.
