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Cocktail History
The Adonis is a classic sherry cocktail that was created at New York City’s famous Waldorf Astoria Hotels after the 1884 burlesque show of the same name hit a historic milestone of five hundred showings. Similar to the Bamboo, it’s traditionally made with sherry, vermouth, and orange bitters but in different proportions.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Fino Sherry: This is the base spirit. It’s a dry, fortified wine made from palomino grapes.
Sweet Vermouth: This is a fortified wine that adds sweetness. We used Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth because it’s Alex’s favorite sweet vermouth, with dark notes of herbs, figs, licorice, cinnamon, and cocoa.
Orange Bitters: This adds a bit of the citrus’s sweet flavor to balance out the bitter ingredients. We used Scrappy’s Bitters Orange Bitters because they offer the classic taste of bitter oranges, herbs, and spices.
Orange Peel: This is the garnish. It adds fresh orange aroma and flavor when expressed over the drink.
Tasting Notes
The Adonis features sherry aromas with a prevalent taste of sweet vermouth initially followed by the crisp taste of the sherry while the citrus bitters add a light and flavorful airiness to the otherwise dry drink.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We think sharing its name with the Greek god of beauty and desire does this drink good justice. Picture a Manhattan with sherry instead of rye, and you’ve got yourself this light and flavorful beverage—a great cocktail to sip on before a Broadway musical.
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
AuthorThe Essential Cocktail BookPrep Time5 minsAdd fino sherry, sweet vermouth, orange bitters, and ice in a mixing glass.
Stir for 30-45 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with orange peel.
Ingredients
Directions
Add fino sherry, sweet vermouth, orange bitters, and ice in a mixing glass.
Stir for 30-45 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with orange peel.
Tools & Glassware We Recommend
More Sherry Cocktails
If you like this sherry cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
• Trident: An aquavit and sherry cocktail made with Cynar, peach bitters, and a lemon peel
• French Toast Flip: A sherry, Scotch, and apple brandy cocktail made with maple syrup, allspice syrup, egg white and yolk, orange and fig bitters, and ground cinnamon
• Cranberry Cobbler: A sherry cocktail made with cranberry syrup, orange slices, an orange wedge, mint, and cranberries
• Weeknight Wassail: An apple brandy and sherry cocktail made with apple cider, brown sugar, whole cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and an apple slice
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