Ep. 137 The Original Opening Night Cocktail: Adonis

The Adonis is a late-19th-century, low-ABV sherry-and-vermouth aperitif, originally mixed to honor a record-breaking Broadway hit and quietly carried through the golden age of American hotel bars. In this episode, we follow the Adonis from the footlights to the backbar, using this seemingly simple drink to probe how aromatized wines reshaped ideas of pre-dinner drinking. Along the way, we play with the spectrum of sherry (subtly shifting between oloroso, amontillado, and fino) and watch how each choice bends the cocktail’s nutty, oxidative, and saline contours in unexpected ways.

Italian Adonis Ingredients

1.5 oz Fino or Manzanilla sherry

¾ oz sweet vermouth

½ oz Amaro Nonino

1 dash orange bitters

Optional: 1–2 drops saline

Stir well with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish: Wide orange peel or a thin lemon twist.

TIP: differences in Sherry

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Jules