Duboudreau Cocktail

About the Duboudreau Cocktail

Rich, bitter, and floral all at once, the Duboudreau Cocktail stirs Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey with Dubonnet Rouge, a small measure of Fernet Branca, and St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, finished with a lemon twist. This is a cocktail of contrasts: Fernet Branca’s intensely bitter, minty, medicinal character sits right up against St. Germain’s delicate elderflower sweetness, with Dubonnet’s fortified wine richness bridging the two, and rye whiskey holding the whole structure together underneath. Timber Creek’s black rye whiskey is well suited to a build this bold because of how the distillery makes it; under the PureBlend process, each grain component is distilled and aged in its own barrel before being blended together, which produces a whiskey with genuine peppery spice and roasted depth that does not get lost against Fernet’s famously assertive bitterness, something a lighter or younger whiskey would struggle to do.

To build it, combine the whiskey, Dubonnet, Fernet Branca, and St. Germain in a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well chilled and properly diluted, giving it a bit more stirring time than a simple two ingredient cocktail since Fernet needs to fully integrate rather than sit as a sharp top note. Strain into a chilled coupe and finish with an expressed lemon twist. The result is a complex, slightly bitter cocktail that rewards slow sipping, since the elderflower notes tend to emerge more as the drink warms slightly in the glass.

This pairs naturally with roasted duck or a mushroom tart, and its bitter, herbal profile also stands up well against blue cheese and walnuts for a cheese course. Given the presence of Fernet Branca and a full whiskey pour, this is a strong, assertive cocktail best sipped with intention, so pace yourself accordingly through the evening and keep a glass of water on hand alongside it.

Rich, bitter, and floral all at once, the Duboudreau Cocktail stirs Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey with Dubonnet Rouge, a small measure of Fernet Branca, and St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, finished with a lemon twist. This is a cocktail of contrasts: Fernet Branca’s intensely bitter, minty, medicinal character sits right up against St. Germain’s delicate elderflower sweetness, with Dubonnet’s fortified wine richness bridging the two, and rye whiskey holding the whole structure together underneath. Timber Creek’s black rye whiskey is well suited to a build this bold because of how the distillery makes it; under the PureBlend process, each grain component is distilled and aged in its own barrel before being blended together, which produces a whiskey with genuine peppery spice and roasted depth that does not get lost against Fernet’s famously assertive bitterness, something a lighter or younger whiskey would struggle to do.

To build it, combine the whiskey, Dubonnet, Fernet Branca, and St. Germain in a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well chilled and properly diluted, giving it a bit more stirring time than a simple two ingredient cocktail since Fernet needs to fully integrate rather than sit as a sharp top note. Strain into a chilled coupe and finish with an expressed lemon twist. The result is a complex, slightly bitter cocktail that rewards slow sipping, since the elderflower notes tend to emerge more as the drink warms slightly in the glass.

This pairs naturally with roasted duck or a mushroom tart, and its bitter, herbal profile also stands up well against blue cheese and walnuts for a cheese course. Given the presence of Fernet Branca and a full whiskey pour, this is a strong, assertive cocktail best sipped with intention, so pace yourself accordingly through the evening and keep a glass of water on hand alongside it.