Angels Share No. 2
Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 31.4% ABV ∙
The Angel's Share No. 2 is a built cognac cocktail with walnut liqueur and tawny port, poured into a glass rinsed with flamed green Chartreuse. Rich and nutty, with warm cognac depth, a raisiny port sweetness, and a brief herbal lift from the Chartreuse before a dry, boozy finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour the Chartreuse into the glass and coat the inside of the glass with the liqueur by tilting and rotating it
- Discard excess liqueur
- Carefully set the liqueur on the inside of the glass alight and allow it to burn for a few seconds
- Extinguish flame by placing a saucer over the glass
- Add the remaining ingredients: Cognac 45 mlWalnut liqueur 25 mlTawny port 15 ml
- Stir well
- Beware of hot glass rim
Tips
- Coat the glass with the Chartreuse and pour off the excess before lighting it — the rinse is there for aroma, and what stays behind is a thin caramelised film rather than a measure of liqueur.
- Let the flame burn only a few seconds, then smother it with a saucer; the rim stays hot afterwards, so give it a moment before the drink goes anywhere near a lip.
- Add the cognac, walnut liqueur and port to the warm glass and stir well — there is no ice anywhere in this build, so the stir is what marries them.
- Measure the port at 15 ml: with no dilution to soften it, any more and its raisiny sweetness buries the walnut liqueur.
History
Angels Share No. 2 was created in 2005 by bartender Jacques Bezuidenhout at Harry Denton's Starlight Room in San Francisco. The recipe pairs cognac and tawny port with walnut liqueur, and calls for coating the inside of the glass with green Chartreuse, then briefly setting that coating alight before building the rest of the drink, a flaming rinse technique distinctive to this version.
It shares its name and numbering with Angels Share, a lighter cognac-based cocktail built around Licor 43, orange marmalade, and lemon juice. The "No. 2" designation marks it as a second, separate house recipe under the same name rather than a direct riff on the first drink's ingredients, with the flamed Chartreuse rinse serving as its defining, distinguishing step.
