It looks as if my cravat is beginning to choose my drinks for me. Yesterday I found myself strangely attracted to the faded charm (and fine French artwork) of a bottle of Dubonnet. It is, I rediscover, a very fine aperitif - up there in the Camapri or Amaro class, but robust and Gallic - and Wikipedia is unduly harsh in comparing Dubonnet to Buckfast Tonic Wine, of all things, the preferred tipple of the Lanarkshire underclass (ten per cent of world production heads straight for that county). Dubonnet is not easily confused with the 'commotion lotion' or 'wreck the hoose juice' - it is a cravat drink, not a string vest drink. If it has fallen off your alcohol radar too, give it another try. You might well be pleasantly surprised. (By the way, this is my first attempt to add an image to a post. Here's hoping it's worked...)
One of the things that most impressed my husband-to-be about my grandmother (still going strong at 98)was her seemingly infinite capacity for neat Dubonnet on ice with a lemon twist. Starting at 10 o'clock in the morning.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I find the stuff vile, but given that wonderful label it must surely be the aperitif of choice for any seasoned flaneur.
And the Queen Mother too, Sophie - Dubonnet got her past the 100 mark, and the Queen's said to be fond of the stuff too - see this! I think I might have to continue on the Dubonnet for medical reasons...
ReplyDeleteI always thought that Dubonnet tasted like mustard plaster, don't ask. We recently tried Pimms with lemonade and ice, commenting that "this seems a bit weak" then finishing the bottle, gradually tinkering with the proportions. We were both given the kiss of life by a friend.
ReplyDeleteSophie, it's amazing how many grandmothers were like that, my maternal grandmother died in her late nineties, fully pickled in Remy Martin, the crafty old girl never, ever offered it around.
Mustard plaster sounds pretty good to me, Malty, but I won't ask... Pimms is much weaker than it used to be, but still quite effective, esp with an extra slug of gin.
ReplyDeleteYou need to drink it like a 'Gin & It', but with the Italian vermouth being replaced by the Dubonnet. That mix has seen many a matriarch into her nineties.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'm a fine of the Negroni: equal parts Gin, Campari and Italian vermouth(i.e the red stuff), on the rock with a slice of orange. Perfection.
Fine. Fan. Whatever.
ReplyDeleteMy husband *always* orders red Dubonnet on the rocks with a twist -- it's still his favorite aperitif. Very few places have it nowadays though as it is an older person's drink, apparently.
ReplyDeleteTwenty-somethings favor drinks that taste like Kool-Aid (and are nearly as lethal as Jim Jones' brew). And I see the word "martini" undergoing a transformation here that is turning it into "cocktail." Drink lists at trendy spots in Philly often say "Martinis" and then list every weird concoction you can think of.
Susan, you remind that while watching The Thin Man last night, the Charles's guests were offered a choice of a martini or a cocktail. No mention made of what was in the cocktail glasses on the trays being carried around.
ReplyDeleteDamn you Nige! Don't you know that my PC can't handle these multimedia rich blogs which include pictures and... and... well... cravats!
ReplyDeleteNige, all you need now is a good graphic to accompany your profile and your comments. How about a "Scarlet Red Scrunchie Cravat"?
ReplyDeleteWe made Cassis last summer for the simple reason of trying to ensure Kir makes a comeback in Britain – having been popular twenty or so years ago.
ReplyDeleteSorry Dick - I only do this fancy stuff because I can, being at home with a working PC, rather than at NigeCorp with a steam-powered difference engine. Normal picturelessness will resume all too soon...
ReplyDeleteRandy, I sincerely hope you're not serious.
Great drink, kir - great drink, Negroni - feeling thirsty already...
I sincerely hope not as well, Nige. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe guy is definitely just, and there's no doubt.
ReplyDelete