What do you do with Dubonnet?

Straight spirits, even with a dash or two of bitters, are still just spirits and nothing too fancy. Gin (or Vodka) with no vermouth ain’t a martini, it’s booze.

You can’t make a mixed drink without a mixer.

Vermouth is probably the most familiar mixer for cocktails and mixed drinks, but it’s just a start. A good start, but just a start.

Pia Zadora 'When in America, do as the French do.'

There are hundreds of possible mixers available from every part of the world. Most, like vermouth, were originally designed as a beverage in their own right, usually as an aperitif (before a meal) or a digestif (after a meal). Rosso (red) Vermouth on the rocks with a freshly cut slice of orange remains a marvelous start for a meal, especially with Italian cuisine.

So how about the aperitif that the Queen of England loves so much: Dubonnet? According to its producer’s web site, Dubonnet is the U.S.’s top-selling aperitif. Who knew?

What the heck is Dubonnet?

Similar to Vermouth, Dubonnet is a wine-based spirit that’s infused with herbs and fortified with additional neutral spirits. Dubonnet is sweeter than Vermouth and, unlike Vermouth, Dubonnet has quinine added giving it a certain bitterness as well.

Here’s a drink you should be able to order at just about any bar, should they actually have Dubonnet:

Dandy Cocktail

2 ounces rye (or bourbon if you must)
2 ounces Dubonnet
1 dash Angostura bitters
3 dashes Cointreau
Shake, serve up with lemon or orange twist

This drink is a lot like the manhattan, although the Dandy is quite a bit sweeter at these proportions.

Tags: , , ,

March 1, 2008 by John Martin under Spirits, Wine

One Response to “What do you do with Dubonnet?”

  1. Posted by: Veronique - 04/04/2008

    Dubonnet’s the greatest aperitif on this planet… Ok, next to kir royal and many other drinks but still. Oh well, I grew up on this stuff since my dad worked for Ricard!

Leave a Reply of Your Own