Abbey
Gin and orange, old-world grace.
Gin, Lillet and orange juice with a dash of Angostura, shaken and served up. Citrusy with a gentle bitter edge, it is an elegant aperitif straight out of 1930s bar books.
- Aperitif
- Shaken
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Strength
- Medium
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Gin
40 ml
-
Lillet Blanc
20 ml
-
Orange juice
20 ml
-
Angostura bitters
1 dash
Garnish
- Lemon twist (optional)
- Maraschino cherry (optional)
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Fill a shaker with ice.
- Pour the gin.
- Pour the Lillet.
- Pour the orange juice.
- Add a dash of Angostura.
- Shake hard.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Optionally garnish with a lemon twist or cherry.
The story
Origins
DocumentedOrigin attested by written sources of the time.
The origin of the Abbey is undocumented and no inventor is attributed to it. The earliest known recipe appears in Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book, published in 1930, where it is the opening entry: two parts gin, one part Kina Lillet, one part orange juice and a dash of Angostura, shaken and served up. A few years later, in 1937, William J. "Billy" Tarling included it in the Café Royal Cocktail Book. Because the original Kina Lillet is no longer made, many bartenders now use Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano, the latter considered closer to the bitter edge of the historic recipe.
Sources (4)
- Difford's Guide — Abbey (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Tuxedo No.2 — The Abbey (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Cocktail Mag — Abbey (opens in a new tab) recipe
- IBA — All cocktails, page 1 (opens in a new tab) recipe
Taste profile
- Citrus
- 3 out of 5
- Fruity
- 3 out of 5
- Herbal
- 2 out of 5
- Bitter
- 1 out of 5