The Queen’s favourite cocktail features a classy liqueur that few people have lying around at home – Dubonnet Rouge – and sales of this French aperitif jumped 465% at some stores after her passing.
The Queen is dead. Many people are mourning. As part of that, some Australians are honouring her passing by re-creating her favourite cocktail: a drink comprising two parts Dubonnet, one part gin, ice and lemon. This has led to numerous Dan Murphy’s and BWS’s selling out of Dubonnet Rouge – a key ingredient of the drink and something most Aussies aren’t likely to have in their liquor cabinets.
Endeavour Group director of buying and merchandise Tim Carroll told the Sydney Morning Herald that Endeavour Group, which owns Dan Murphys and BWS, is stocking up on Dubonnet Rouge after several stores sold out over the weekend.
“In less than half [a week] we sold almost double that of Christmas, clearly showing a significant uplift from what we normally sell, and that was people clearly googling and recognising what is the Queen’s favourite drink and making it themselves,” Carroll told the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports: “the aperitif is back in stock at most stores, but Endeavour expects demand for Dubonnet to remain higher than usual in the lead-up to the national day of mourning next week to honour the Queen, who died on September 8.”
The popularity of Dubonnet Rouge has reportedly surged lately, gaining favour with consumers who are enjoying a lower alcohol drink (it’s 14% as opposed to gin, which is more like 40%). It has also become a trendy option for young people to chuck in a Negroni.
Dubonnet Rouge was created in the 1840s to make quinine more bearable for French Foreign Legion Troops, according to Drink of the Week. According to ABC, the Queen’s recipe is as follows: two parts Dubonnet Rouge and one part Gordon’s gin. You then stir it and strain it into a glass. To finish it off, you throw in a slice of lemon and exactly two cubes of ice.
This recipe was one of her mother’s favourites, The Daily Mail reports, but it’s not the only drink the Queen was known to enjoy. She also reportedly sometimes indulged in wine with lunch, and didn’t mind a martini or champagne in the evening.
