Dubonnet Red Aperitif

In 1896 Mrs Dubonnet’s cat appeared on the label, and in 1932 the famous French artist Cassandre created the character of the ‘Dubonnet Man’ with the legendary slogan ‘Dubo, Dubon, Dubonnet’. Grapes from the sunny Languedoc-Roussillon region including muscat, grenache, carignan and macabeo are pressed and the juice mixed with a neutral base alcohol at 15% alc./vol. to prevent fermentation. This ensures the grape juice retains its flavours, aromas and sugars. (In contrast to fortified wines where the grape juice is allowed to start fermenting before being stopped by the addition of alcohol to kill the yeast.) Capturing the natural sugars in the grape must allows Dubonnet to be produced without the need to add sugar. The fortified grape juice, which is called ‘mistelle’ is then aged for three to four years in oak. Other flavours are then added to this mistelle by pumping it under pressure through percolators containing cocoa beans, quinine, colombo (mild variation on curry powder), orange peel, Columbian green coffee, cinnamon, camomile and elderflower. Lasting eight hours the process is repeated to fully extract the flavours. The blender then has the task of blending the different flavoured mistelles together to produce Dubonnet which is stabilised by holding close to freezing point at -9°C and then chill filtered prior to bottling. In the 10-15 years before the Millennium, Dubonnet Red underwent some dramatic changes being first reduced in strength from 18% to 16% alc./vol. and then finally to today’s 14.8% alc./vol.. Each time the alcohol content has been lowered the recipe has also been adapted to maintain the product’s balance. If you want to enjoy a product more akin to the original try Dubonnet 21°. Taking its name from its 21% alc./vol. strength this has a higher quinine content and is altogether spicier and less floral than the standard product.

Dubonnet Red AperitifTasting Notes

Nose: Rich fruity notes with raspberry, cherry and jammy blackberry and plum, herbal complexity and faint grass and sawn oak.

Palate: Soft red jammy red berry fruits with raisiny, honeyed, sloes, orange, coffee, chocolate, cinnamon and a mild quinine bitterness.

Finish: Red berry, plum and zesty orange with light quinine bitterness.

Distillery Information

Dubonnet was first sold in 1846 by Joseph Dubonnet, in response to a competition run by the French Government to find a way of persuading French Foreign Legionnaires in North Africa to drink quinine.

DISCLAIMER** This is a single item listing unless otherwise noted in the description. Retailer advises either in stock or in route to their location. Usually ships within one to four business days. Longer processing times may occur especially around holiday(s). Some items may become backordered or delayed without notice due to demand & will ship out upon arrival. Overseas 700ml products typically have longer processing/transit times. You can always verify product availability by calling 1-888-548-0333. Please refer to our cancellations & returns agreement or reach out to our support team at help@caskcartel.com for any additional questions.

Our dedicated team specializes in creating personalized shopping experiences. If you’re looking for a specific item or collection that isn’t appearing on our marketplace, please reach out to us at concierge@caskcartel.com or fill out the product inquiry form and one of our dedicated team members will be in touch.  Whether it’s a product you’ve experienced while traveling or a rare, hard to find item you’ve been searching for, we have an established global network of retailers with the ability to locate and source the rarest and hardest to find products.