Dubonnet Cocktail

The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them by Hon. Wm Boothby (1908, p.26) — Boothby 1908

1. Stir the Dubonnet, dry sherry, orange bitters, and cracked ice thoroughly.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Squeeze lemon peel over the top and serve with ice water on the side.

Garnish: Twist of lemon peel

Ice: Cracked ice

Nose

Quinquina herbs and citrus peel rise with a faint wine note.

Palate

This sits between wine aperitif and cocktail, with the sherry drying out Dubonnet's richer fruit and quinine profile.

Finish

The finish is lightly bitter, vinous, and appetising.

Summary

A wine-led aperitif from the broader quinquina cocktail field.

Jack's Manual by J. A. Grohusko (1910, p.48)

1. Fill the glass with ice and add the Dubonnet.
2. Twist orange peel over the drink, shake, strain, and serve.

Garnish: Orange peel

Ice: Ice

Straub's Manual of Mixed Drinks by Jacques Straub (1913, p.25) — Straub 1913

1. Shake.
2. Serve in a cocktail glass.

This matters because it keeps the quinquina aperitif field visible as a distinct strand beside the Martini and Manhattan lines.

Rawling's Book of Mixed Drinks by Ernest P. Rawling (1914) — Rawling 1914, cocktail section

1. Stir with ice until cold and strain; a dash of French vermouth may be added.

Ice: Ice

Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo R. Ensslin (1917, p.16) — Ensslin 1917

1. Stir well in a mixing glass with a cube of ice.
2. Strain and serve.

Ice: Cube of ice

This matters because it preserves Dubonnet as a central cocktail modifier in the mature pre-war aperitif field.

Its identity lies in chilled bitter-wine clarity rather than garnish or dilution drama.

Cocktails (Metropolitan Club Washington DC) by Metropolitan Club, Washington, D.C. (1920) — Metropolitan Club standard cocktail

1. Frappe.

Ice: Ice

L'Art du Shaker by Dominique Migliorero (1925, p.22)

1. Stir very cold in the mixing glass, serve in a cocktail glass, and express orange zest over the top.

Garnish: Orange zest

Cheerio! A Book of Punches and Cocktails by Charles (1928, p.14)

1. Mix the Dubonnet and dry gin in a container filled with ice.
2. Stir well, do not shake, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

Ice: Ice

Cocktails by Pedro Chicote (1928, p.138) — Pedro Chicote 1928

1. Shake and serve in a cocktail glass.

Ice: Chopped ice

This matters because it gives us a Spanish professional checkpoint for the mature Dubonnet cocktail line.

Cocktails Bar La Florida by Constante Ribalaigua Vert (1934, p.30)

1. Do not shake. Strain and serve very cold.

Ice: Ice