Coronation Cocktail
A dry and bitter cocktail ∙ Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 20.4% ABV ∙
The Coronation Cocktail is a stirred equal-parts blend of gin, Dubonnet, and dry vermouth, served up in a coupe.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 30 mlDubonnet/French rouge aromatized wine 30 mlDry vermouth 30 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Stir over ice for around 30 seconds so the drink gets properly cold and takes on enough water.
History
The Coronation Cocktail name covers two distinct early drinks from the pre-Prohibition era. The better-documented one is a sherry, vermouth, and maraschino mix credited to bartender Joseph Rose of Murray Brothers' Café in Newark, New Jersey, who entered it in the 1903 Police Gazette Bartenders' Contest as a tribute to King Edward VII's 1902 coronation at Westminster Abbey. It later appeared in the Hoffman House Bartender's Guide (1905). A separate recipe using equal parts gin, French vermouth, and Dubonnet, matching this build, surfaces slightly later, in Jacques Straub's 1914 book Drinks, and was subsequently included as a second "Coronation Cocktail" in Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book.
FAQ
What is a Coronation Cocktail?
A stirred, equal-parts mix of gin, Dubonnet (a French aromatized wine) and dry vermouth, served up with a lemon twist. Dubonnet's bittersweet, quinine-tinged flavor leads.
What is in a Coronation Cocktail?
Equal parts London dry gin, Dubonnet and dry vermouth, 30 ml each. Nothing else goes in, so it is vegan, vegetarian and lactose-free, at roughly 143 calories.
Is a Coronation Cocktail shaken or stirred?
Stirred. With no citrus, egg, or cream, the gin and the two aromatized wines only need chilling and dilution, and stirring keeps the drink clear and silky.
What glass is a Coronation Cocktail served in?
A coupe glass, served up with no ice, garnished with a lemon twist.
