Dubonnet

What is Dubonnet?

Dubonnet is a type of vermouth, consisting of fortified wine, herbs, and spices. The process of making this drink is quite different: adding alcohol to the mixture was stopping the process of fermentation. Joseph Dubonnet, a Parisian chemist and wine enthusiast in 1846, introduced this drink. Also known as the first successful quinquina, this drink became very helpful to French soldiers and colonials in North Africa, which was plagued by Malaria that time. Mainly, the ingredients of this famous drink are the following:

• Grape brandy
• Cinnamon
• Green coffee beans
• Chamomile
• Orange peel
• Quinine

The Success of Dubonnet

Because of its distinctive taste, Dubonnet became a popular drink in France. It was reported that this drink became the favorite alcoholic beverage of Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II. The triumph and fame of this drink spread throughout other countries.

A couple of centuries after it was introduced in the market, Dubonnet became the number one aperitif brand sold in the United States of America. No one can resist the distinctive fusion of sweet and bitter taste of this drink.

Enjoying Dubonnet

Dubonnet was originally famous as an ungarnished cocktail, and is usually served raw, just like how The Queen Mother enjoyed it. It was until the year 1914 when the cocktail version of this drink was first detailed in the book by Jacques Straub, a wine connoisseur at the Blackstone in Chicago, which was entitled "Drinks".

 

You can enjoy the famous cocktail by mixing the following:

• 1 ½ ounces of Dubonnet
• ½ ounce of London dry gin.

Stir the mixture with cracked ice, and then strain it into a beautiful and cold cocktail glass. As a finishing touch, garnish your favorite Dubonnet mixture with a lemon slice. You can also try mixing this wonderful drink with almost any spirit, like whisky, sherry vermouth or rum. The possibilities are endless!

 

If you want to enjoy this tipple in a light way, then Dubonnet Cooler is just right for you. All you have to do is mix the following:

• 3 ounces Dubonnet
• 1 ½ ounces of lemon syrup
• Club soda or Seltzer

Mix the Dubonnet and lemon syrup in a Collins glass, including 2 to 3 ice cubes to cool the mixture. Top this off by pouring cold club soda or seltzer.

 

Another famous cocktail variation of this tipple is the Tabby Cat. Dubonnet, unlike most of the liquors available in the market, contains less than half of the alcohols you could find from those. This makes this drink very versatile, and you could come up with a perfect cocktail with a distinctive taste, just like Tabby Cat. All you have to do is mix the following:

• 2 ounces Dubonnet
• 1 ounce Belvedere Pomarancza vodka
• 2 dashes of orange bitters

Mix everything including crushed ice to create the Dubonnet mixture. Strain the mixture and pour it into a cold cocktail glass. To garnish, add some orange twist.