Alfonso XIII

From The Artistry of Mixing Drinks by Frank Meier

photo: Lizzie Munro
Alfonso Sherry Cocktail Recipe

Not to be confused with several contemporaneous drinks named the Alfonso featuring adjuncts like gin, bitters and Champagne, the Alfonso XIII is a two-bottle ditty that first appeared in Frank Meier’s 1936 book The Artistry of Mixing Drinks. It’s named after Alfonso XIII of Spain, a playboy king and well-documented bar patron who fled his home country in exile in 1931. Dan Greenbaum of Brooklyn’s Diamond Reef stumbled across the drink in Meier’s book and was taken by its simplicity (his only addition is a lemon twist). “Equal parts Dubonnet and a dry, bracing fino or manzanilla work really well, and the lemon twist makes it a drink,” he says.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 1 1/2 ounces Dubonnet Rouge
  • 1 1/2 ounces Dubonnet Rouge
  • 1 1/2 ounces fino sherry
  • 1 1/2 ounces fino sherry

Garnish: lemon twist

Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled.
  2. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
  3. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Tagged: Dubonnet, equal parts

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