Dubonnet Cocktail

The delicious Dubonnet cocktail replaces the dry vermouth of a classic gin martini with Dubonnet Rouge, a rich, sweet fortified wine with quinine and aromatics. It's a cocktail that's designed to showcase the finest gin you have in the liquor cabinet.  While the original Dubonnet cocktail was ungarnished, now it's often served with a twist of lemon and sometimes an orange peel.

The Dubonnet cocktail was said to be a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II and her mother, who preferred it served on the rocks. Serve it in chilled cocktail glasses as an aperitif at your next dinner party to give your shindig a royal flair.

What Is Dubonnet Rouge?

Dubonnet was created in 1846 by Joseph Dubonnet, a chemist and wine merchant from Paris. Dubonnet designed his fortified red wine to help make bitter medicinal quinine more palatable. (Quinine, the key ingredient in tonic water, was a treatment for malaria.)

To the fortified wine and quinine, he added various herbs, spices, and peels—the result was ​Dubonnet Rouge, a rich aperitif that's slightly sweeter than the average sweet vermouth. Some drinkers find notes of orange, nuts, chocolate, and coffee in the flavor.

In addition to the Dubonnet Rouge, which is used in the Dubonnet cocktail, there's also Dubonnet Blanc, which is made with a white wine base. It's dryer than Dubonnet Rouge and is similar to dry vermouth.

Either variety of Dubonnet can be served on its own when well-chilled or as a spritzer when topped with sparkling water or club soda. You can also use them in any cocktail that calls for vermouth.

It's interesting to note that the Dubonnet sold in the United States isn't the exact same as what's sold in France and elsewhere in Europe. Dubonnet is produced by Pernod Ricard in France, while in the U.S., Dubonnet is produced by Heaven Hill.