Gin and Dubonnet: The Royal Aperitif

Gin and Dubonnet is as simple as a drink gets: roughly one third gin and two thirds Dubonnet, a slice of lemon at the bottom of the glass and ice on top. Nothing is shaken and nothing is strained. The result is a dark red, gently bitter aperitif where the spice of the wine meets the juniper of the gin.

On Shookd the recipe is called The Queen's Drink.

Dubonnet is an aromatised, fortified wine of the quinquina type, flavoured with herbs, spices and a little quinine. Joseph Dubonnet began selling it in 1846. The story goes that it answered a competition run by the French government to get Foreign Legionnaires in North Africa to take their bitter quinine against malaria.

Today there are two versions: the French one, made by Pernod Ricard at 14.8% ABV, and the American one from Heaven Hill at 19%. Because Dubonnet is wine-based, an opened bottle belongs in the fridge, just like vermouth.

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother is the person most often linked to the drink. The clearest evidence is a handwritten note to her long-serving steward William Tallon, nicknamed Backstairs Billy by the press. Before an outing she asked for lunch outdoors and wrote that she would take two small bottles of Dubonnet and gin with her, in case they were needed.

The note was sold at an auction of Tallon's belongings in July 2008. It had been valued at a few hundred dollars but, according to NBC, fetched about $32,000. Other outlets give other figures.

Her mix is usually given as about 30% gin and 70% Dubonnet, with the lemon slice under the ice.

The drink passed to her daughter. Elizabeth II's version is described as one third gin and two thirds Dubonnet, two ice cubes and a slice of lemon, before lunch.

The story of a full daily routine, with gin and Dubonnet before lunch, wine with the meal, a dry martini and champagne in the evening, was based on her cousin Margaret Rhodes and spread widely in 2017. Former royal chef Darren McGrady pushed back: in his account the Queen did not drink every day, and certainly not four drinks a day. He did confirm that gin and Dubonnet was her favourite.

So what is certain is the drink and the moment, an aperitif before lunch. How often it was poured is less certain.

Put a thin slice of lemon in the bottom of a rocks glass and add two ice cubes on top. Pour in 30 ml gin and 60 ml Dubonnet and give it a couple of stirs. A classic London dry gin works best, as juniper and citrus balance the sweetness of the Dubonnet.

For a drier drink, move towards equal parts. For a colder, softer one, stir it with ice in a mixing glass and strain it, though that loses some of the simplicity that was the whole point.