Valencia Cocktail

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
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Updated on 04/29/21
Valencia Cocktail

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

The Valencia cocktail is a classic drink recipe that can be found in Harry Craddock's 1930 "The Savoy Cocktail Book." It's a fruity mix of apricot brandy and orange juice that makes a nice brunch drink. The name points to Valencia, Spain, an area that's known for producing world-famous oranges.

In its time, this recipe was known as the Valencia cocktail no. 1. It's a rather pleasant drink, though doesn't seem to appeal to modern drinkers as much as it did to those in Craddock's time. Yet, it is always interesting to get a taste of the original recipes, which you can then adapt to your personal taste. That has been done many times with this cocktail, as you will see. The variations include the popular (and arguably better-tasting) Valencia cocktail no. 2, which has a mimosa-like spin, as well as Spain's popular Agua de Valencia.

Explore all of the Valencia recipes to see which you like best. The one thing that's required is fresh orange juice, and if they're Valencia oranges, all the better!

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces apricot brandy

  • 1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice

  • 3 dashes orange bitters

  • Orange twist, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Valencia Cocktail ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour the apricot brandy, orange juice, and orange bitters.

    cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour the apricot brandy, orange juice, and orange bitters

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Shake well.

    shake the cocktail shaker

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

    strain the cocktail into a cocktail glass

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Garnish with an orange twist. Serve and enjoy.

    Valencia Cocktail with an orange twist

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Tip

For the apricot brandy, it's best to pour a top-shelf apricot brandy or liqueur. Giffard Abricot du Roussillon and Marie Brizard Apry are two popular options.

Recipe Variations

  • Some Valencia cocktail variations pour equal parts (1 ounce each) of apricot brandy, gin, and orange juice, then add a dash of lemon juice.
  • To make a Valencia cocktail no. 2 (or Valencia Royale) shake the same drink as above, strain it into a Champagne flute, then top it off with brut Champagne.
  • The Agua de Valencia ("Valencia water") cocktail builds on the sparkling wine recipe. It is popular in Valencia, Spain and the drink celebrates the areas oranges as well as cava, Spain's famous sparkling wine. The recipe is given to Constante Gil of the Café Madrid de Valencia in 1959. It's made by the pitcher: Combine 2 parts each fresh Valencia orange juice and cava with 1 part each gin and vodka. The ratio varies with different recipes and some are sweetened with a little sugar to taste. Another popular combination is 1 cup of orange juice, 2 ounces each of vodka and gin, and a full bottle of cava.

How Strong Is a Valencia Cocktail?

In general, all variations of this cocktail will be pretty mild drinks. For instance, if you make the Valencia cocktail with Marie Brizard Apry, a 42 proof liqueur, the drink will shake up to 12 percent ABV (24 proof). Surprisingly, adding 3 ounces of Champagne will produce a drink of the same strength.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
172 Calories
0g Fat
17g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 172
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 24mg 118%
Calcium 13mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 76mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)