Red Queen

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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 and yeast, which are fermented with the grape skins to produce alcohol with a rich color and deep flavor.

Bourbon: This is a type of whiskey made in the United States with at least 51% corn, with other grains, water, and yeast, which are distilled and then aged in new charred oak barrels to develop a rich, caramelized flavor.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe lemons that has a sweet, tangy flavor and light yellow color.

Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water, which are heated into a syrup with a sweet flavor.

Amaro Braulio: This is a liqueur made in Italy with a blend of Alpine herbs, roots, berries, and spices, distilled alcohol, water, and sugar, which are blended and infused and aged in oak barrels to develop an herbal, slightly woody flavor.

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.