This Two-Ingredient Classic Cocktail Looks Like a Manhattan and Drinks Like an Aperitif

The Adonis is a 19th-century classic aperitif cocktail combining equal parts sherry and sweet vermouth, with an orange peel garnish.

Like the Rob Roy, this classic drink was created in the late 1800s in honor of a Broadway show. Adonis, considered the first Broadway musical, opened in 1884 and had a run of more than 600 performances.

Though the exact origins of the cocktail are debated, the drink’s creation is often credited to New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel (the Rob Roy’s birthplace). However, in drinks historian David Wondrich’s guide to classic American cocktails, Imbibe!, he writes, “According to the New Haven Register, the drink was invented by Joe McKone of the Hoffman House, New York; whoever invented it, it was before 1887, when it turns up in print.”

Because of its similar build to the more popular Bamboo, another Gilded Age cocktail, calling for dry vermouth instead of sweet and with aromatic bitters, the Adonis was often referred to as a Bamboo as well.

What makes the Adonis cocktail work?

Though the Adonis is made with just two ingredients, the drink has a complexity that belies its simple structure. Much of this balance hinges on the ingredients used. 

In early recipe renditions, the type of sherry used is not specified. The Spanish fortified wine ranges in style. Fino and manzanilla sherries tend to be crisp, dry and savory, while amontillado and oloroso sherries are richer, sweeter and display more nutty characteristics. 

This recipe features a fino sherry, leaning into the drink’s light, easy-drinking aperitif qualities. This elegant style also allows the dark fruits and herbal botanicals from the sweet vermouth to surface. 

This recipe doesn’t call for bitters, but instead uses the zest from the orange peel garnish for additional citrus aromatics.