Coronation Cocktail
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 22.3% ABV ∙
The Coronation Cocktail is a stirred equal-parts blend of gin, Dubonnet, and dry vermouth, served up in a coupe. Dry and wine-forward, with juniper pushing through a layer of quinine bitterness and herbal vermouth before a crisp, citrus-edged finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 30 mlDubonnet/French rouge aromatised 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 for around 30 seconds over ice — all three ingredients are clear, so there's no need to shake.
- Chill the coupe beforehand; with no ice in the final pour, a warm glass will dull the drink fast.
- Use a fresh lemon twist and express the oils over the surface just before serving for aromatic lift.
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 1913/1914 guide to mixed drinks, and was subsequently included as a second "Coronation Cocktail" in Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book. Its exact origin and the reasoning behind pairing it with the same royal name as the earlier sherry-based drink are not documented beyond its appearance in these bar guides.
FAQ
What is a Coronation Cocktail?
It is a stirred, equal-parts cocktail of gin, Dubonnet (a French aromatized wine), and dry vermouth, served up in a coupe with a lemon twist. It sits in the same family as other gin-and-fortified-wine stirred drinks, with Dubonnet's bittersweet, quinine-tinged character setting the tone.
What is the Corrie cocktail?
Corrie is a shorthand nickname for the Coronation Cocktail, the same stirred drink of gin, Dubonnet, and dry vermouth served up in a coupe with a lemon twist.
What is in a Coronation Cocktail?
Equal parts London dry gin, Dubonnet, and dry vermouth, stirred with ice and strained into a coupe, garnished with a lemon twist. It is vegan, vegetarian, and lactose-free, at roughly 143 calories per serving.
Is a Coronation Cocktail shaken or stirred?
Stirred. All three ingredients are clear and spirit-based, so stirring chills and dilutes the drink without clouding it the way shaking would.
What glass is a Coronation Cocktail served in?
A coupe glass, served up with no ice, garnished with a lemon twist.
