Valencia Cocktail
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 14.6% ABV ∙
The Valencia Cocktail is a shaken apricot brandy sour built with orange juice and orange bitters, served up in a coupe. Fine-strained until silky, it carries a plush, fruit-soft body with a citrus-oiled lift from the twist and a lingering, delicately bittersweet finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Apricot brandy liqueur 45 mlOrange juice 25 mlOrange bitters 4 dashes
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake hard and fine-strain — apricot liqueur can turn cloudy or pulpy without a firm strain into the chilled glass.
- Use freshly squeezed orange juice; bottled juice mutes the fruit and throws off the balance against the apricot brandy.
- Express the orange twist directly over the drink before dropping it in — the oils carry most of the citrus aroma.
- Pre-chill the coupe so the drink doesn't lose its chill fast once fine-strained with no ice in the glass.
History
The Valencia Cocktail's earliest documented recipe appears in Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book, published in 1930, where it is built from apricot brandy, orange juice, and orange bitters. Beyond that citation, its deeper origin is not clearly documented, though its name is generally linked to the Spanish city of Valencia, a region long associated with orange production. Later guides list a second version, the Valencia No. 2, as a variant of Craddock's original formula.
FAQ
What is the Valencia Cocktail?
The Valencia Cocktail is a shaken apricot brandy liqueur drink, brightened with fresh orange juice and fine-strained into a chilled coupe with an orange twist. It runs about 14.6% ABV and takes its name from the Spanish city famed for its oranges.
What is in a Valencia Cocktail?
Apricot brandy liqueur, fresh orange juice, and orange bitters, shaken with ice and fine-strained up into a chilled coupe with an expressed orange twist.
