Ambrosia Cocktail
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 23.3% ABV ∙
The Ambrosia Cocktail is a shaken dessert drink built on advocaat, with Cognac, Licor 43 and an herbal liqueur such as Yellow Chartreuse. Custardy and rich from the advocaat, with warm brandy and a citrus-spiced sweetness from the Licor 43, finished by a bitter herbal edge and a dusting of nutmeg — best sipped slowly as a dessert cocktail.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Cognac 20 mlLicor 43 Original liqueur 25 mlHerbal liqueur (e.g., Yellow Chartreuse) 15 mlAdvocaat liqueur 50 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with grated nutmeg
Tips
- Shake hard for a full 12-15 seconds since advocaat is egg-based and viscous, needing extra agitation to aerate and dilute properly.
- Use large cubes and strain fast into a chilled coupe to avoid over-diluting the dense advocaat, which can turn thin and watery quickly.
- Fine-strain through a mesh strainer to catch any curdled bits from the advocaat and keep the coupe's surface silky smooth.
History
The Ambrosia cocktail is generally traced to Arnaud's restaurant in New Orleans, where accounts place its creation around the time Prohibition ended, in the early 1930s, though some sources instead date it more loosely to the 1920s. It was built on applejack or apple brandy paired with a still-wine or brandy component, brightened with citrus and topped with champagne, and later versions have varied the base spirits and sweeteners while keeping the champagne float. The name refers to ambrosia, the food and drink of the gods in Greek mythology, chosen to evoke a luxurious, celebratory drink fitting for toasting the return of legal liquor.
