Angels

2 reviews of “Angels”

Lucy Howard
• 26th September 2021 Log in to Reply
Angels is a little gem, a perfect – and angelic – haven to while away the hours in style on a cold, wet evening. This cosy retreat has flickering candles on the bar, black and white prints of Hollywood legends on the walls and smooth music playing, creating the kind of ambience that makes you want to linger.
The extensive and innovative cocktail menu at Angels, which features stories behind each concoction as well as its ingredients, includes classics such as margaritas and mojitos as well as elegant vintage cocktails inspired by favourites of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as the Vesper, the original James Bond ‘shaken, not stirred’ martini, of which James himself said, ‘Once you’ve tasted it, it’s all you want to drink’.
Also on offer unique cocktails created by the expert bartenders at Angels that are not available anywhere else – I recommend the Passionate Champagne (a signature Angels favourite), featuring fresh passion fruit and Chambord liqueur topped up with fizz.
On the appropriately-named ‘Heavenly’ list is the Grasshopper, an indulgent cocktail with crème de menthe, crème de cacao and cream. If you’re not drinking alcohol, that’s no problem either – there are some fantastic mocktails too.
What’s more, if there’s something else you’d like, or you’d like some inspiration for a bespoke cocktail, just ask the lovely Dominika, who can concoct anything you like – and it will always be spectacular.
The cocktails look as good as they taste too: Instagram-worthy, they are garnished with fruit, cream, chocolate and even toasted marshmallows.
They are also very reasonably priced – just £4.95 at ‘Heavenly Hour’ between 4.30pm and 9pm – and you can overindulge as must as you like, as Angels can even organise your taxi home. I’ll definitely be back.

John Hobart
• 22nd April 2021 Log in to Reply
Oxford offers a choice of venues where you can sip a cocktail – from hotels to restaurants and clubs to bars. The challenge is to be something special, and Angels succeeds with a menu of vintage classics and modern creations served with the glamour of the silver screen.
Located on trendy Little Clarendon Street, a short walk from the city centre, Angels immediately feels a bit different. As you step in you are greeted by a member of staff on the door and Bette Davies, Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo on the walls, while the polished red bar and gilt-framed mirrors give a sense of timeless glamour.
When a space is comfortable with itself, it is easy to relax within it. This was evident from the range of people there at 6pm on a Saturday with younger and older couples on dates or having pre-dinner drinks and groups of friends of all ages meeting and laughing. The bar had a great feel to it, friendly and relaxed with everyone there to enjoy the moment.
The cocktail menu is not overly-long, but is guaranteed to have something different and the staff are great at giving advice! There are the classics that you’ll recognize (Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Daiquiris and Sours), but alongside them are Vintage cocktails and Angels Lab.
The Vintage section offers cocktails rediscovered from old books or films, like the Yokohama Romance from the Romance nightclub in Japan where brandy, cherry brandy, lime and passion fruit are combined in a martini glass to create a rich fruity concoction, or the more delicate than expected Corpse Reviver of gin, Cointreau, vermouth, lemon and absinthe.
The Angels Lab showcases the mixing skills of the bar team who love creating new drinks for customers and adding them to their repertoire and, for the most popular, to the menu. New favourites include the Pear and Cardamom sidecar – muddled cardamom seeds shaken with Xante pear brandy, Cointreau and lemon giving a subtly spiced cocktail with an exotic undertone – and the now famous Tiramisu, which tastes like the dessert in a glass with layers of espresso, Kahlua and Mozart white & dark chocolate liqueurs.
In addition to serving drinks Angels offers afternoon classes in how to make them, and a venue you can hire for private parties. For Angels it is all about the customer enjoying themselves, and that means they are flexible, creative, friendly, and well worth visiting!
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