031 – Fallen Angel

Sydney Covid ‘lock-down’ exploration of the ‘Fallen Angel’ cocktail.

Lockdown has inspired me to explore this Prohibition era (1920–1933) cocktail, from a ‘lock-down’ of another sort. Let’s take a look at the classic ‘Fallen Angel’ cocktail, and explore some of the cocktail’s history and construction.

Make your own ‘mix-at-home’ Locktail, the roaring ’20’s ‘Fallen Angel’.

METHOD – FOR THE MINT SYRUP (in advance) – Place 100gm Caster Sugar and 50ml Water into a pan and head until sugar is fully dissolved and mixture is hot to touch (around 70 Celcius), do not boil. Place around 2-dozen (24) washed mint leaves in the syrup while it cools. Allow to sit for around an hour and then strain out mint leaves and chill. Should make around 100ml of Syrup, enough for around eight cocktails and will last in the fridge for a few weeks. (Can also be used for the Southside, which is for most people the better cocktail).

FOR THE COCKTAIL – Add 60ml Gin (Old Tom or Prohibition Style or even Moonshine or other white spirit – I have used Prohibition Liquor Co.’s Bathtub Cut Gin from South Australia which is 69% ABV), 15ml Créme de Menthe (white), 15ml fresh lime juice, 15ml fresh lemon juice, 15ml of the Mint Syrup (details above) and 4-dashes of Dr Adam Elmegirab’s Bokers Bitters (use Cardamon or Angostura if needed) into a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice. Shake until cold (10-15 seconds) and double strain into a chilled Coupe or Martini glass. Garnish with a pair of mint leaves (ideally ‘wing’ shaped).

HISTORICAL NOTES – We know of the ‘Fallen Angel’ mostly from Harry Craddock’s 1930 publication of ‘The Savoy Cocktail Book’, possibly the most famous cocktail recipe book of all time, containing around 750 cocktail recipes from both the USA, England and other parts of the World.

His personal claim was that he mixed the last cocktail in the USA before Prohibition (17 January 1920 until 5 December 1933) and then left for Europe the next day. Harry Craddock started at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1920, became Head Bartender in 1926 and published the famous ‘The Savoy Cocktail Book’ in 1930 while Prohibition was still in place across the Atlantic.

The ‘Fallen Angel’ was popular during Prohibition, largely as a way of hiding the poor quality of illegal produced US Gin. Millions of gallons of ‘bathtub’ Gin and ‘rotgut’ Moonshine was produced during Prohibition and had a famously foul taste and all too often severe poisoning consequences. These ‘tainted’ mixtures, not really suitable for human consumption, killed as many as 10,000 Americans by the end of the 13-years of Prohibition, not to mention the period’s contribution to serious organised crime and drug-dealing in the USA.

Harry said of this cocktail in ‘The Savoy Cocktail Book’, “it has never been made quite clear as to whether this is intended to be taken by the Angel before or after falling; as an encouragement or as a consolation.”

There are a number of other cocktails that bear the name ‘Angel’ and most commonly they are ‘creamy Gin’ cocktails, with the exclusion of this ‘Fallen Angel’. This is a difficult cocktail to get to work as a sophisticated balance, as it was primarily made to make the ‘undrinkable’ … ‘drinkable’.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – The ‘Fallen Angel’ is not included in any of the International Bartender Association (IBA) official lists of cocktails. The closest to an ‘official’ recipe is Harry Craddock’s 1930 recipe that calls for, “1-dash Angostura Bitters, 2-dashes Créme de Menthe, the juice of one-lemon or half-a-lime, one glass of dry gin. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.”

TASTING NOTES – When the ‘Fallen Angel’ isn’t hiding sub-standard ingredients (bootleg Gin), it is really a cocktail for ‘Mint Lovers’. If you don’t adore mint, and want mint to be the absolute hero of the drink, then this is not a cocktail for you. Even then, we are talking about the mint in ‘mint chocolate bars’, rather than the mint in a ‘Mojito’ or ‘mint sauce’ with Lamb. The Harry Craddock 1930 version (photo above) is a very strong lemon-sour with less mint, better if you don’t like mint so much, but otherwise not much different to the simpler (and better) ‘Gimlet’.

The problem is that there are more elegant drinks for the same flavour profile, namely the ‘Southside’ which is an amazing mint, Gin and lime sour. There will be some people who love this drink, for most it is a historical journey to connect with the Prohibition Era.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – To try an make this Sydney Covid Lock-down, mix-at-home version of a ‘Fallen Angel’, both a connection with its Prohibition roots, but also a little more drinkable, I have made several changes.

The homage to Prohibition and the roaring-twenties, is the use of the Prohibition Liquor Co.’s – Bathtub Cut Gin (very juniper strong and at a whopping 69% alcohol content). As well as using Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Bokers Bitters, a reproduction of the dominant US Bitters of the day, the original version of which did not survive the Prohibition era. For some attempt at improving the flavour profile, I have gone with a half-half lemon and lime, some mint infused sugar syrup and finally good quality Créme de Menthe. I am happy with the end result, it just isn’t the best canvas to begin with.

Experiment completed, but I will be going back to Al Capone’s ‘Southside’, Locktail #027 when I feel like a refreshing ‘mint hit’, or the always enjoyable ‘Mojito’.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is the first of the 1921-1930 (‘roaring twenties’) bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. Full list in the index.