Diplomat
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 14.9% ABV ∙
The Diplomat is a low-ABV, vermouth-forward stirred cocktail of dry and sweet vermouth with a touch of maraschino liqueur and orange bitters. Delicate and wine-like, with a light almond-cherry sweetness threading through herbal, bittersweet vermouth and a dry, citrus-bitters finish — a gentle aperitif for before dinner.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: Dry vermouth 60 mlRosso vermouth 30 mlMaraschino liqueur 5 mlOrange bitters 1 dash
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and discard
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry on a skewer
Tips
- Stir with plenty of large ice cubes for about 30 seconds; this low-ABV, vermouth-forward drink can over-dilute quickly if shaken or over-stirred.
- Measure the maraschino liqueur carefully since only 5 ml is used—too heavy a pour overwhelms the two vermouths' balance.
- Chill the coupe glass in the freezer beforehand, as the stirred liquid starts cooler but has less spirit-driven insulation than a spirit-forward stirred drink.
- Express the orange twist over the surface and discard the peel, then add the maraschino cherry last so its color doesn't bleed into the pale vermouth base.
History
The Diplomat's earliest documented appearance is in Belgian bartender Robert Vermeire's 1922 book Cocktails: How to Mix Them, where it was spelled "Diplomate." Vermeire, who tended bar in London at the Royal Automobile Club, the Criterion, and the Embassy Club, noted that the drink was well known in the French Diplomatic Service, which is the likely source of its name. The cocktail later gained wider circulation after appearing in Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book and Patrick Gavin Duffy's 1934 Official Mixer's Manual, cementing it as a low-alcohol, vermouth-forward aperitif. No inventor beyond its documentation by Vermeire is credited in the sources, and no earlier printed version has been found.
