Dubonnet is an aperitif wine created in 1846 by French chemist Joseph Dubonnet to help fight malaria among French legionnaires. It is a blend of fortified wine with herbs, spices, and quinine. The drink gained popularity in North Africa and France, and is now available in three varieties.
Dubonnet is an aperitif wine, or one that is served before a meal to work up the appetite. It’s actually a blend of fortified wine — a wine that has been blended with a distilled beverage, such as brandy — with herbs, spices, and quinine. It was created in 1846 by French chemist Joseph Dubonnet, to help fight malaria among French legionnaires.
Quinine is a chemical derived from the bark of the cinchona tree. While it has antimalarial properties, one problem is that it is very bitter when eaten on its own. For this reason, it has often been added to mixed drinks to hide its off-flavor. The apéritif, a member of the quinquinas group of drinks, or drinks that contain quinine, is used to make some popular cocktails.
The French government created legionnaires in 1831 for foreign nationals who wished to serve France. These forces were commanded by French officers. Soldiers stationed in North Africa had horrific problems with malaria, an infectious disease caused by mosquitoes. The simplest way to stop the disease from decimating troops was to make sure they were consuming antimalarials, such as quinine, in drinks that contained the substance. In the 1840s, the French government organized a competition in search of a new drink containing quinine, and this is what inspired Joseph Dubonnet.
Dubonnet has eased the bitter bite of quinine by combining it with a fortified wine, herbs and spices. He used a wine that had been blended with grape brandy, as well as green coffee beans, cinnamon, chamomile and orange peel to create his signature drink. The concoction was so successful that it soon became popular with French colonials living in North Africa. This popularity quickly spread to France, where people also started creating cocktail recipes that included Dubonnet as an ingredient.
The aperitif has an intense ruby red color and an aroma that tastes like a combination of cherry, cinnamon and lemon. It mixes well with bitter lemon and other citrus flavors. The Opera cocktail usually includes a mix of Dubonnet with gin and maraschino cherry liqueur. To make another drink, a Merry Widow, Dubonnet is mixed with bitters, vodka and vermouth, another type of fortified wine.
The company was bought by Pernod Ricard in 1976. By that time, the drink had fallen out of favor and sales were lagging behind. Ricard embarked on an aggressive advertising campaign that helped the drink regain its popularity. The appetizer is now available in three varieties: red, gold and white or white.
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