Yes, that’s a curious color, but it seems to be how the Dubonnet works when well-diluted. I hadn’t thought to question it before, so thanks for asking.

Thanks! You, too.

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Thanks! I’d be interested to hear how you use the liqueur.

Rouge, yes.

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Did you use the Dubonnet Rouge for the cocktails in your photos? (The Blanc is very elusive to me, even living a major US cocktail city.)

Thank you ! I’ve never seen the white here in Europe. I’ve tried the cocktail: it’s really tasty and I think it will become one of my favorites !

Both red and white Dubonnet (“rouge” and “blanc” in Dubonnet-speak) are manufactured in the US by Heaven Hill Distilleries. As I understand it, the white version is a late-20th century invention; the red would certainly have been in the original Opera.

A most excellent experiment, Brother, and one I look forward to duplicating as soon as I can. I’ll have to see if one of my local shops can order in some of the Ciccio mandarine, it sounds like it does provide a worthwhile improvement.

Thanks for taking time to make comparisons (somebody has to do the hard work!), and for reporting back.

Ok, I’ve been experimenting here, using the French Dubonnet (I don’t have any of the fake US version in house, as a friend from Toronto supplies me regularly with the real thing)

The Straub version is, as you said, very sweet, though I can certainly see it as a short aperitif in its era. In this I used the 2 bar spoons of Don Ciccio & Figli Mandarinetto. A very fine product, produced not in Italy but in Washington D.C.

I made your take on the drink, using the Ferrand in one and the Ciccio in the other, both with 2 oz of gin, and .5 of the modifiers. While the Ferrand was tasty, the Mandarinetto shined, brightening the edges and rounding the drink off, and complementing the bitter orange of the Dubonnet.

But I kept thinking of a balance between the Straub and your version, as well as the Savoy, though I don’t think the Maraschino would make his a better drink. Au contraire! So I offer up this remix….again, with the specific ingredients that are not available everywhere (the Napoleon Mandarin liqueur is good, though I don’t have any in house currently). So I did this –
1.5 oz London Dry Gin
1 oz Dubonnet
.25 oz Don Ciccio & Figli Mandarinetto
Stir with ice and strain

This tastes, to me, exactly like your description, “The Opera starts with….”. The split between the gin and the quinquina balances them both better, and the drink is less sweet. And the raised amount of Mandarin liqueur is still not too sweet to ruin it. It’s not an aperitif anymore, but a cocktail. I would retain the same garnishing you used.

Thanks for letting me join in the fun!

I’ve never tried the non-USA Dubonnet; I look forward to sampling it sometime soon. And I’m eager to see your comparison of the mandarins and curaçao Operas. Thanks!

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