Queen Elizabeth Loved This Two-Ingredient Cocktail Before Lunch—Here’s the Surprising Reason Why
There’s nothing like relaxing with a cocktail at the end of a long day, but enjoying a little tipple before lunch? Well, that may be reserved for college students trying a hair-of-the-dog hangover cure—and apparently royals who can do pretty much whatever they’d like because, well, they’re royalty! Believe it or not, it’s not Harry or William who indulged in these midday drinks back in the day but their grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
That’s right—England’s longest-reigning monarch had a daily cocktail ritual, and who knows, maybe it contributed to her long life. After all, she did live to the ripe, old age of 96. But her pre-lunch imbibing wasn’t about boozing it up. (How undignified!) No, her favorite two-ingredient cocktail actually served a purpose that may surprise you.
Read on to find out the reason for the queen’s midday drink and which cocktail she favored. You just may end up adding it to your favorites list too!
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What was Queen Elizabeth’s favorite cocktail?
Queen Elizabeth II loved a Dubonnet and gin cocktail, according to Darren McGrady, her personal chef from 1982 to 1993. Never heard of it? The queen-approved drink calls for two parts Dubonnet and one part gin, half a wheel of lemon and two ice cubes. That’s it! If you fancy drinking it in true royal style, pour it into a martini glass or a small wine glass.
Dubonnet, in case you’re not familiar with it, is a French aperitif created by the spirits brand Pernod Ricard. This wine-based beverage has an alcohol content of 14.8%, and according to Difford’s Guide, it has “rich fruity notes with raspberry, cherry and jammy blackberry and plum,” with an “herbal complexity” containing hints of “grass and sawn oak.” It’s similar in taste to the Italian liqueur Campari, though somewhat sweeter and fruitier and without the bitterness. It has been sold since 1846, and interestingly, it was originally used to treat malaria. When the queen died, sales skyrocketed, and stores in the U.K. and Australia ran out of the Dubonnet as royal fans stocked up on the monarch’s favorite drink as a way to honor her.
As for the gin, while the queen’s go-to brand was Gordon’s, according to McGrady. That said, the royal family also sells its very own brand, Buckingham Palace Dry Gin. According to its product page, it boasts “citrus and herbal notes” and is made from 12 botanicals handpicked from the palace gardens.
Who else loved this drink?
The love for this Dubonnet and gin cocktail seems to run in the family: The queen mother, Elizabeth I, was also a fan. Like mother, like daughter! The British press reported that Elizabeth I was once overheard joking, “I think I will take two small bottles of Dubonnet and gin with me this morning, in case it is needed,” before heading to a royal engagement.
The royal ladies’ preference seems to reflect the times of their reigns. The Dubonnet was very fashionable in the U.K. in the early half of the 20th century, starting in the 1920s. It looks like the queen mother was the trendsetter among the British royals, and her daughter carried on the tradition. In fact, Elizabeth II adored the French aperitif so much that she gave it a royal warrant, her official sign of recognition, in November 2021.
It’s not (yet) known if King Charles is also a Dubonnet fan.
Why did the queen drink it before noon?
While happy hour is usually later in the day, Queen Elizabeth II, just like her mother, typically ordered her favorite drink before lunchtime—as an appetite stimulator. Monarch or commoner, drinking during working hours tends to raise eyebrows these days, but we must not forget that the queen grew up in a time when pre-lunch cocktails were a perfectly proper social norm. In Elizabeth II’s heyday, alcohol was simply a sign of being an adult. The trick was to enjoy a drink (or two) but never get drunk, especially not in public—one of the many unofficial royal etiquette rules.
Elizabeth II even had her own barman, Paul Whybrew, whose No. 1 job it was to make her daily Dubonnet and gin cocktail. Not a bad gig!
Did the queen enjoy any other cocktails regularly?
While Dubonnet and gin was her all-time favorite drink, Queen Elizabeth II also sipped classic dry gin martinis, usually during lunch. And because not even a queen can have fancy cocktails all the time, she regularly mixed things up with a glass of sweet German wine and some champagne.
If that sounds like a lot to you, well, you’re not wrong. Rumor had it that for a while, Queen Elizabeth II drank a minimum of four cocktails and other alcoholic beverages every day! McGrady, however, set the record straight in a 2017 interview with CNN, clarifying that he had been previously misquoted. “She’d be pickled if she drank that much,” McGrady said. “She doesn’t wake up in the morning and have a large gin and tonic. … She certainly doesn’t drink four glasses a day.”
That being said, it seems the queen’s doctors were a bit concerned about her drinking habits. According to various sources, they recommended that the queen cut down on the cocktails ahead of her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, a huge royal spectacle to mark her 70 years on the throne.
What drinks do other senior royals love?
Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t the only member of the Firm who loved a drink. King Charles, apparently, likes a martini before dinner (there’s even a rumor that he doesn’t travel without a supply of gin, vermouth and his own cocktail glass!), while his wife, Queen Camilla, prefers a glass of a fine English wine.
Prince William and Princess Kate equally enjoy their wines, especially the white ones, but don’t turn down spirits either. During a royal visit in Birmingham in 2023, Catherine told fans that she “quite liked tequila,” while William admitted his favorite drink was a Kamikaze cocktail, a “silent but deadly” mixture of vodka, orange liqueur and lime juice.
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Sources:
- Food & Wine: “How to make Queen Elizabeth’s favorite cocktail — a Dubonnet and gin”
- The Independent: “Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite tipple sells out in stores following her death”
- The Independent: “A royal tipple: The Queen Mother’s favourite gin and dubonnet cocktail”
- Difford’s Guide: “Dubbonet Red”
- The Telegraph: “Queen gives up drinking after advice from doctors”
- CNN: “Royal chef sets record straight on what Queen Elizabeth eats and drinks”
- Vanity Fair: “The queen has four cocktails a day, but not at the times you might expect”
- Metro: “How to make the perfect Martini – King Charles’ favourite cocktail”
- Woman & Home: “Prince William and Kate Middleton have ‘deadly’ taste in cocktails and their favourite drinks are so unexpected”
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