The Vermouth Episode

Featured Cocktail: The Adonis

Today’s featured cocktail is the Adonis cocktail, which was developed in the 1880s when Vermouth really hit its stride here in the U.S. and is named in honor of the first Broadway musical to eclipse 500 shows.

It’s a very light cocktail, and it’s an excellent aperitif if you’re looking to keep things reasonable on a weeknight, or if you’re doing some light day drinking.

To make an Adonis cocktail, all you need is two bottles: sweet vermouth and sherry. And to be quite honest, we haven’t talked a whole lot about sherry on the podcast, but basically, you can think of it as another type of fortified wine, similar to vermouth, but made using different methods.

So, you take equal parts (usually 1 or 1.5 oz) of sweet vermouth and sherry, combine those in a stirring glass with ice, add a few dashes of orange bitters, stir, and then strain into a wine glass or stemmed cocktail glass. The last step is to garnish with an orange twist, but sometimes I like to get funky and toss a lemon twist in there instead if I’m feeling rebellious.

The Value of Low-ABV Drinks

One note I’ll make here is that, as a host, it’s your responsibility to think of your guests’ safety and enjoyment throughout the whole event you’re hosting. And part of that is knowing how to tactfully moderate alcohol to make sure things stay fun and safe. To that end, a really sessionable cocktail like the Adonis, or the Americano, which we’ll mention later, is a really great asset to have at your disposal. You get all of the great flavor of a handcrafted drink, plus the control that comes with lower ABV.