Adonis
Fino sherry, sweet vermouth and orange bitters, stirred. An 1880s New York aperitif named for a Broadway hit, light enough to drink two of and complex enough to want to.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
Add the sherry, sweet vermouth and orange bitters to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for about 25 seconds.
Strain into the chilled glass, express an orange peel over the top and drop it in.
A thoughtful finish
- Both bottles are wine and both must be fresh. A fino opened last month and a vermouth kept on the shelf will make a flat, tired drink no matter what you do.
- Stir a little less than you would a spirit-forward drink. At under 20% ABV it dilutes fast.
- Manzanilla for a saltier, lighter drink; fino for a nuttier one; an amontillado if you want it richer and darker.
Common mistakes
- Cream sherry or any sweet sherry. The drink becomes dessert.
- Over-dilution. Stir, taste, and stop when it is cold.
- Angostura instead of orange bitters. It works but it is a different drink; orange is what lifts the sherry.
A few good questions.
How strong is an Adonis?
Around 15% ABV after dilution — roughly the strength of a glass of wine, which makes it one of the few classic cocktails you can have two of before dinner.
What is the difference between an Adonis and a Bamboo?
Vermouth. An Adonis uses sweet vermouth; a Bamboo uses dry, with both orange and Angostura bitters. They are siblings.
Which sherry?
Fino or manzanilla, dry and fresh. Amontillado makes a richer version that some prefer.
Can I serve it on the rocks?
Yes, over a large cube with an orange slice. It becomes a long, light aperitif and is very good that way.
Variations
- Bamboo — Sherry and dry vermouth with two bitters.
- Americano — Campari, sweet vermouth and soda.
- Vermouth and Soda — The simplest wine-based aperitif.
- Sherry Cobbler — Sherry, sugar and fruit over crushed ice.
Where it comes from
c. 1886 · New York City · Waldorf-Astoria (attributed)
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
Adonis was a burlesque musical that opened on Broadway in 1884 and ran for over 600 performances, the first show to do so, and the cocktail was named in its honour somewhere in the following years. It is usually attributed to the bar of the Waldorf-Astoria — the hotel’s bar book of 1935 prints it — but the hotel did not open until 1893, so the attribution is to a later popularity rather than an origin. The drink’s structure, sherry and vermouth in equal parts with bitters, is the same as the Bamboo, which appeared in Yokohama at about the same time. Both were revived with the sherry cocktail boom of the 2010s.
Sources
- Albert Stevens Crockett, The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, 1935 (book)
- Talia Baiocchi, Sherry, 2014 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
Strength. About 0.87 US standard drinks at an estimated 14.2% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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