Dubonnet and “droëwors”*

*Droëwors is a traditional South African cured sausage

As a consumer, I am apparently categorised as a singular niche market. I am constantly looking for some ingredient that is not readily available. Perhaps I should update my recipe books. On the other hand however, I do enjoy nostalgia and the romanticism of authentic traditional foods and drinks.

When Keith wanted to taste a cocktail preferred by the Queen of Great Britain et cetera, and her mother, while she lived, I thought it should not be difficult to find the ingredients. Keith is firmly of the opinion that the longevity and good health of their majesties, might well be ascribed to their love of this cocktail. It is well known that Her Majesty the Queen enjoys a Dubonnet cocktail before lunch. She prefers her cocktail with two parts Dubonnet and one-part Gordon’s gin (which holds a royal warrant) with two cubes of ice and a lemon slice.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, famously enjoyed the cocktail as her signature cocktail and the cocktail is known as the Queen Mother. One can make your own Queen Mother as follows.

For one person

1 part gin

2 parts Dubonnet

Orange or lemon twist to garnish (optional)

Pour one-part gin and two parts Dubonnet over lots of ice and stir, garnish with orange, lemon, or both.

Dubonnet is a blend of fortified wine, herbs, spices and quinine. It was first sold in 1846 by Parisian chemist Joseph Dubonnet. Dubonnet was a tonic created for French legionnaires so that they might drink quinine to fortify them against malaria during their campaign in North Africa.

My curiosity went beyond the British royals. I needed to find out more about the use of Dubonnet in cocktails. I started with the Savoy Cocktail book, published in 1930. On page 62, the Dubonnet cocktail is given as, ½ Dubonnet, ½ Dry Gin, Stir well and strain into cocktail glass.

The cocktail seemed quite straight forward. The Gordon’s gin, as our gin of choice for cocktails, was on hand. But alas, finding Dubonnet in South Africa, as I discovered, is impossible. I searched every specialty liquor shop in South Africa without success.

My last resort was to import it directly from the UK where I found an online liquor shop that delivered in South Africa. Ordering the six bottles of Dubonnet was very easy. Even the delivery was a breeze after one has paid the import duties, VAT and custom charges, in advance.

The bottles arrived expertly packaged and ahead of schedule. Within days of placing the order, Keith could enjoy his first Queen Mother cocktail. I thought it a perfectly sweet cocktail for a mature lady. Personally, I prefer the mix to be 1 part Dubonnet and 2 parts Dry Gin shaken with lots of ice in a shaker. It is less sweet that way.

On a hot Saturday afternoon, we could enjoy a very English cocktail made with French and Dutch inspired alcohol. Served with a very traditional South African snack, droëwors (cured dried sausage).