Widow’s Kiss
A Widow’s Kiss is 45ml of calvados, 22.5ml of yellow Chartreuse, 22.5ml of Bénédictine and two dashes of Angostura, stirred over ice for 20 to 30 seconds and strained into a chilled coupe, with a cherry. About 3.7 UK units, which is more than it tastes. It appears in George Kappeler’s Modern American Drinks of 1895: one pony of apple brandy, half a pony each of yellow Chartreuse and Bénédictine and two dashes of Angostura, shaken and strained into a fancy cocktail glass. Our measures keep his two, one, one; we stir it and add a cherry. The calvados brings apple and a spirit backbone, the Bénédictine honey and spice, the yellow Chartreuse saffron and herbs. The bitters are the only dry note in the glass, and they keep two liqueurs from settling into syrup.
Glassware: Coupe Glass
Garnish: Maraschino cherry
Ingredients
45ml
Normandy apple brandy at about 40% ABV. Kappeler asked only for apple brandy; calvados keeps the orchard note bright against two sweet liqueurs. An older bottle pushes the drink towards dried fruit.
22.5ml
At 43% ABV: saffron, honey and herbs. It binds the calvados to the Bénédictine. Green Chartreuse, at 55%, is hotter and sharper and makes a different drink.
22.5ml
At 40% ABV: honey and warm spice from a Normandy recipe. It overlaps the Chartreuse enough to join the two halves of the drink.
2 dashes
Two dashes, at 44.7% ABV, as Kappeler wrote. The only dry note in the glass; a third dash is a fair change if you find the drink too sweet.
Instructions
Chill a coupe.
Add the calvados, yellow Chartreuse, Bénédictine and Angostura to a mixing glass.
Fill with cubed ice and stir for 20 to 30 seconds.
Strain into the chilled coupe.
Drop in a maraschino cherry.
Our version
George Kappeler’s 1895 recipe is one pony of apple brandy, half a pony each of yellow Chartreuse and Bénédictine and two dashes of Angostura, all shaken. We keep his two, one, one as 45ml of calvados and 22.5ml of each liqueur, stirred, with a cherry.
Source: our own specification. Last checked 10 October 2026.
Expert Tip
Yellow Chartreuse, not green. Green is 55% ABV against yellow’s 43%, with a peppery heat that buries the calvados. Yellow is sweeter and softer, saffron and honey, and it is the one Kappeler named. Give it the full stir, 20 to 30 seconds, because two liqueurs and a brandy make a dense, sugary mix that needs the dilution to open; under-stirred, it is thick and closed. Serve it small and late. Nearly four units sit in a short glass, and the sweetness builds as you drink. Take it in place of dessert and let it warm in the hand.
Behind the Widow’s Kiss
Flavour Profile
Where It Comes From
The Widow’s Kiss is in George Kappeler’s Modern American Drinks, published in 1895. His recipe is short: half a mixing glass of fine ice, two dashes of Angostura, half a pony each of yellow Chartreuse and Bénédictine, one pony of apple brandy, shaken and strained into a fancy cocktail glass.
A pony is about 30ml, so his drink was two parts apple brandy to one each of the liqueurs, the ratio poured now. Who first made it, and why it has that name, the book does not say.
The Two Liqueurs
Bénédictine and yellow Chartreuse drive the drink, and they overlap by design. Bénédictine comes from Fécamp, on the Normandy coast, and is honey and warm spice. Yellow Chartreuse, made by the Carthusian monks in the Isère, is saffron, honey and a long herbal tail. Where they meet, the seam disappears.
Yellow, not green, is the choice that matters. Green Chartreuse is 55% ABV against yellow’s 43%, and sharper and hotter throughout. It makes a harsher drink rather than a stronger version of this one, with the calvados buried and the apple gone.
The Calvados
Calvados is apple brandy from Normandy, distilled from cider and aged in oak. Kappeler wrote only apple brandy, so calvados, applejack or another apple brandy all fit. Cognac makes a sound drink with grape in place of apple.
Age changes the character rather than the quality. A young calvados keeps the apple bright against the sugar; an older one deepens it towards dried fruit. The same bottle serves the Angel Face.
Balance and Sweetness
It is a sweet drink and meant to be, but it sits close to the edge. Forty-five millilitres of calvados against 45ml of liqueur is parity, and the two dashes of Angostura are the only bitter and the only dry element.
A third dash is a fair adjustment for anyone who finds the drink cloying. Cutting the liqueurs is not, because the ratio is what gives the drink its density. If it is still too sweet at three dashes, pour a smaller glass rather than changing the recipe.
Kappeler’s Recipe and Ours
Kappeler’s 1895 Widow’s Kiss beside ours
Apple brandy
- Kappeler, 1895
- One pony
- Ours
- 45ml calvados
Yellow Chartreuse
- Kappeler, 1895
- Half a pony
- Ours
- 22.5ml
Bénédictine
- Kappeler, 1895
- Half a pony
- Ours
- 22.5ml
Angostura
- Kappeler, 1895
- Two dashes
- Ours
- Two dashes
Method
- Kappeler, 1895
- Shaken with fine ice
- Ours
- Stirred for 20 to 30 seconds
Glass and garnish
- Kappeler, 1895
- Fancy cocktail glass, no garnish named
- Ours
- Chilled coupe, maraschino cherry
UK units
- Kappeler, 1895
- Not stated
- Ours
- About 3.7
| Element | Kappeler, 1895 | Ours |
|---|---|---|
| Apple brandy | One pony | 45ml calvados |
| Yellow Chartreuse | Half a pony | 22.5ml |
| Bénédictine | Half a pony | 22.5ml |
| Angostura | Two dashes | Two dashes |
| Method | Shaken with fine ice | Stirred for 20 to 30 seconds |
| Glass and garnish | Fancy cocktail glass, no garnish named | Chilled coupe, maraschino cherry |
| UK units | Not stated | About 3.7 |
How to Serve It
Up, small and after dinner, in place of dessert. Stir it cold, then let it sit: it opens as it warms, and the herbs come through over ten minutes or so.
One maraschino cherry, dropped in. Apple brandy and warm spice suit the autumn, when the fruit is picked, but the drink keeps all year.
For calvados with gin and apricot brandy, make an Angel Face; for rye and Bénédictine alone, a Monte Carlo.
Make it at home
The Spirit
CalvadosCalvados is Normandy’s apple brandy: cider made from apples, and sometimes perry pears, distilled, then rested two years or more in oak before bottling at 40% or stronger. Its name is protected, with three appellations, and its dry, baked-apple depth is what our Widow’s Kiss, Angel Face and Corpse Reviver No. 1 are built on.
Master the Techniques
More to explore
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created the Widow’s Kiss?
Yellow or green Chartreuse?
What does a Widow’s Kiss taste like?
Where does the name come from?
Shaken or stirred?
Can I use applejack instead of calvados?
How strong is a Widow’s Kiss?
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Where this one sits
Recipe by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 12 October 2026