DOW: Dubonnet Cocktail

Yesterday, after shopping in vain for white crème de menthe, I picked up a bottle of Dubonnet. Named after its inventor, Joseph Dubonnet, this apéritif wine was invented in 1846, as a method of delivering quinine, the most effective antimalarial drug of the time.

Back home, I searched the web for a promising recipe. The Dubonnet Cocktail looked good, but it had so many different variations, it was hard to decide which to follow, so we picked three.

Version 1:

• 3 parts Dubonnet
• 2 parts gin

Version 2:

• 1 part Dubonnet
• 1 part gin

Version 3:

• 3 parts Dubonnet
• 1 part gin

All were quite enjoyable, but we found that Version 1, pictured above, gave the best balance of sweet and strength. We may experiment with other ratios; word has it that the Queen Mother liked 7:3.