Wedding Belle Cocktail
1/6 Orange Juice. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Orange Juice)
1/6 Cherry Brandy. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Cherry Brandy)
1/3 Dry Gin. (3/4 oz Junipero Gin)
1/3 Dubonnet. (3/4 oz Dubonnet Rouge)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
Source: Harry McElhone’s “ABC of Cocktails”, 1928-1929

Like the Vanderbilt Cocktail, this is on the sweet side for me, even with early season Valencia Oranges.  Still, not unpleasant, and fairly light.

I chose Junipero, first because it is a high proof, intense gin.  Being only 1/3 of the cocktail, I knew the gin would have to have some spine to cut through the other ingredients.  I also used it, instead of a more traditional London Dry Gin, because I like the way it works with darker flavors like Cherry Heering and Dubonnet Rouge.

I would be tempted to add some bitters to the Wedding Belle to punch this cocktail up a bit, but afraid that would tilt it towards Robitussin-ish type flavors.

Maybe just a dash of orange bitters?  Or even Absinthe, which would bring it within spitting range of the similar, and delicious, Chas Baker, Jr. Cocktail, the Remember The Maine.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.