Red Queen

This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy here.

Cocktail History

The Red Queen is a modern cocktail that was created by the editors of PUNCH and was first published in their book Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails. According to the authors, the recipe, which was named for a line in “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, was inspired by early 20th century drinks that turned to red wine as a base. This version pairs the grape-based spirit with American-made bourbon, the alpine Italian liqueur Amaro Braulio, lemon, simple syrup, and an array of aromatic garnishes.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Red Wine: This is a type of wine made with red grapes. I used Antigal UNO Malbec.

Bourbon: This is a type of whiskey made in the United States with at least 51% corn, grains, malted barley, and water. I used Wild Turkey 101 Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. I made mine using this stovetop recipe.

Amaro Braulio: This is a liqueur made in Italy with bitter oranges, herbs, botanicals, florals, and alcohol.

Lemon Wheels: This is a slice of lemon that has been cut into a circular shape.

Sage: This is an evergreen herb with long, light green leaves that have a velvet texture.

Thyme: This is an herb with small leaves that grow in small clusters on thin stems.

Rosemary: This is an evergreen herb with fragrant needle-shaped leaves that grow on thick, woody stems.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. I used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Dark and brooding burgundy color

• Aroma: Garden herbs and wine

• Taste: Initially heavy dry red wine flavor with slight bourbon oakiness, menthol, and citrus

• Finish: More red wine bitterness and herbal amaro

Kendall’s Take: “I honestly don’t know how to describe this recipe. I found it in the Winter Drinks book a while back and have been wanting to try it ever since, but I couldn’t find Amaro Braulio for the longest time. Now that I have some, it turns out the Red Queen is similar to a red wine with a bitter amaro aftertaste. It’s really unique and worth making if you have the amaro on hand, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to buy a bottle just to make this. I was honestly a little underwhelmed by the drink overall.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH.