Fallen Angel

The Fallen Angel is very different from other "Angel" family cocktails in that it is very dry and tart. It does have peppermint schnapps like many of its siblings, though. I'd say that Angel drinks have very little in common other than there being some sweet and almost imperceptible element in its flavor profile--that being the Angel.

In this case there is the botanicals of gin and peppermint. With so little peppermint schnapps, there's no sweetness. You get overwhelming amounts of lime acidity and booze. I thought that combination would be unbearable, but this drink demands a second sip. There are delicate floral notes from the gin and bitters that are worthy of note. It's not a terrible drink, it's actually just an squired taste like very tart drinks like the Rickey. If you do chose to make this drink, use a dry gin like Tanqueray, not some low-juniper wet gin from America. You want something dry and firm as the base.

• 2 oz. gin (Tanqueray used)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. peppermint schnapps
• dash Angostura bitters
• maraschino cherry

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry. 

Angel's Kiss / Angel's Delight

I got these lovely cordial glasses and have been using them to make these pretty drinks known as Pousse-Cafe. These drinks are very difficult to pour without having the layers mix, especially with certain liqueurs.That has required me to adjust the positioning of layers because the specific weights of liqueurs are different than those in the original recipe. Getting them out of order causes them to flip their positions and mix.

This post is a two-for-one because these drinks are both "Angel" drinks and Pousse-Cafe, which puts them on the same page of the New York Bartender's Guide.

First the Angel's Kiss (left). It begins with white creme de cacao. But sloe gin, which follows is lighter than even fatty half-and-half, it has to come third. Sloe gin is a blend of sloeberry liqueur and gin, so it tends to break up by the weight of its ingredients. You'll see it blend down into the cream and up into the brandy in the tall glass. So the recipes that follow take this into account.

Angel's Kiss

• 1/4 oz. creme de cacao
• 1/4 oz. half-and-half
• 1/4 oz. sloe gin
• 1/4 oz. brandy

Pour each ingredients in the order given over the back of a spoon into a Pousse-Cafe glass so that each ingredient forms a layer that does not mix.

Angel's Delight

• 1/4 oz. grenadine
• 1/4 oz. triple sec
• 1/4 oz. half and half
• 1/4 oz. sloe gin

Pour each ingredients in the order given over the back of a spoon into a Pousse-Cafe glass so that each ingredient forms a layer that does not mix.

Angel's Tit

A glance at the name, and you know that this rich cocktail belongs to the series of "breast"drinks like the Slippery Nipple and the Bosom Caresser. Take a look at the drink itself, and you see it is one of those layered drinks known as Pousse Cafe. It is designed to look like a nipple on the bottom with a creamy breast above it.

Difficulty with the specific weights of each liquor may determine the exact order you can put the ingredients. The recipe, though is mostly accurate in that it calls for white creme de cacao first because it is heavier, maraschino liqueur next because it is more alcoholic and less sugary, and half-and-half last because it is fatty and floats on top.

My maraschino liqueur is clear, so it is indistinguishable from white creme de cacao. I combined the creme de cacao with grenadine to make it visible and to give more of a nipple impression for the bottom of the glass.

(Now that I think of it, the maraschino cherry is probably intended to be the tip of the breast, so put it in the bottom of the glass, or do as I did with the grenadine and creme de cacao.)

• 1/4 oz. white creme de cacao (colored with grenadine if you wish)
• 1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur (Luxardo used)
• 1/4 oz. half-and-half
• maraschino cherry

Layer the ingredients in order they are listed by pouring over a spoon into a cordial glass. Refrigerate for a half hour before serving. Serve with a maraschino cherry.