Dubonnet Cordials
Parisian aperitif wine, poured in Commack since the start.
The story behind Dubonnet
Joseph Dubonnet, a Parisian chemist and wine merchant, formulated this in 1846 to win a French government competition: make bitter malaria-fighting quinine drinkable for Foreign Legionnaires in North Africa. He masked the cinchona bark with fortified wine, cane sugar, black currant, tea and spices, and the result outlived the assignment. Modern French bottling happens in Roussillon and matures up to three years; the US version is made in Bardstown, Kentucky under license by Heaven Hill at 19% ABV.
We have sold Dubonnet across this counter for decades, through vermouth booms and cocktail revivals, and it never needed rescuing. It is a quinquina, not a vermouth, and the difference sits in the bark.
Explore the Dubonnet range
Three expressions, one grape-based recipe. Rouge for the classic serve, Blanc for something lighter and drier, and the liter Rouge for people who already know.
| Expression | Type | Proof / ABV | Tasting notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubonnet Rouge 750mL | Quinquina aperitif wine | 38 (19% ABV) | Cherry, plum, black currant, tea, warm spice, cinchona bite |
| Dubonnet Rouge Apertif 1L | Quinquina aperitif wine | 38 (19% ABV) | Same bittersweet Rouge profile, liter format for regulars |
| Dubonnet Blanc 1L | Quinquina aperitif wine | 38 (19% ABV) | Lighter, drier, citrus and white fruit over quinine |
| Dubonnet Rouge, French bottling | Quinquina aperitif wine | 29.6 (14.8% ABV) | Pernod Ricard Roussillon make, aged up to three years |
| Dubonnet and soda | Served tall over ice | Varies by pour | Rouge, club soda, lemon twist, low proof aperitif |
| Dubonnet cocktail (two parts to one gin) | Cocktail | Varies by gin | Queen Elizabeth II's pour, lemon wheel, over ice |
Which Dubonnet is right for you?
Dubonnet sits in the value tier, and we price it that way. The Rouge 750mL and the Blanc 1L both run $13.99, which is roughly what a middling vermouth costs and considerably less than most things with a Royal Warrant. Step up to the Rouge Apertif 1L at $16.99 and you get a third more liquid for three dollars, which is the sensible buy if you drink this the way it is meant to be drunk, a little before dinner, most nights. Buy Dubonnet online and pick it up curbside in Commack, or take local delivery.
Neat or over ice with lemon, before dinner, no ceremony required.
Liter format stretches the soda serve across a whole season.
Less sweetness, more citrus, works chilled where white vermouth would.
Dubonnet cocktails and pairings
Serve it cold, before food, with something salty and small. The quinine wants fat and salt, not sugar.