Diplomat Cocktail: Sophisticated Sipper with a Touch of Intrigue
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The Diplomat cocktail is ideal to imbibe during secret liaisons involving international negotiations and other clandestine affairs. It’s also a tasty tipple that you can craft at home in just five minutes.
Although the Diplomat has been tantalizing taste buds since 1922, we weren’t familiar with this particular cocktail until a reader who’s also a dear friend brought it to our attention. Thanks, Kevin!
That liaison (i.e., email) was the impetus we needed to discover and master the Diplomat cocktail. Well, that and a few bottles of liquor.
What Is the Diplomat Cocktail?
Technically a ‘shim’ due to its low-alcohol content and omission of hard liquor, the Diplomat is a sophisticated sipper. The cocktail combines both dry and sweet vermouth and adds splashes of maraschino liqueur and Angostura bitters for good measure.
Read The Art of the Shim: Low-Alcohol Cocktails to Keep You Level if you like to drink cocktails without the risk of a hangover.
It’s also a truly international cocktail. Originally crafted in London, the Diplomat sports a Belgian inventor and includes ingredients hailing from Italy as well as Trinidad and Tobago
History of the Diplomat Cocktail
While the Diplomat sounds like a cocktail with an exciting past involving espionage and intrigue, its history isn’t a mystery. In reality, it’s quite mundane.
Our research traces the Diplomat back to bartender Robert Vermeire, who included it in his iconic 1922 book Cocktails: How to Mix Them. Originally spelled ‘Diplomate’ due to its purported popularity within the French Diplomatic Service, Vermeire’s version included a 2:1 ratio of dry and sweet vermouth plus a splash of maraschino liqueur.
The Diplomat recipe evolved over the years to include a 1:1 dry/sweet vermouth ratio. At some point, Angostura bitters negotiated their way into the recipe too.
Ingredients
The ingredient list required to craft a Diplomat is both short and sweet:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
Despite its low alcohol content, the Diplomat recipe includes four different liquors.
Dry and sweet vermouth, the Diplomat’s two primary ingredients, are both fortified wines infused with aromatic botanicals. Long associated with teetotalers and elderly aunts, vermouth has experienced a resurgence in popularity in European countries like Italy and Spain. It’s also a key ingredient in drinks like the Manhattan, Negroni and Boulevardier.
Discover more dry vermouth cocktails and more sweet vermouth cocktails.
While maraschino liqueur and bitters are supporting players in the Diplomat’s recipe, both balance the drink and are a must. We keep bottles of Luxardo maraschino and Angostura Bitters in our liquor cabinet for crafting cocktails like this one. They show up in quite a few recipes and never disappoint.
Discover more maraschino liqueur cocktails.
How to Craft a Diplomat Cocktail
The first step in this recipe is to measure the dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and maraschino liqueur. We use a Japanese jigger but any jigger will suffice. You can use a small angled measuring cup if you don’t have a jigger.
Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.
Pour the three liquids into a mixing glass or other vessel. We typically use the bottom of our Boston shaker since it’s airtight and easy to use.
Add a dash of Angostura bitters.
Add ice and mix until the liquors are combined and chilled.
Strain the stirred cocktail into a coupe glass. You can use a small martini glass or lowball glass instead if you don’t have a coupe glass.
Garnish with either an orange twist or maraschino cherry. We typically have both on hand and choose based on our mood.
Both garnish options work equally well.
Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.
Diplomat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces vermouth (dry)
- 1 ½ ounces vermouth (sweet)
- ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 1 orange peel (garnish)
- ice cubes (for stirring)
Instructions
- Pour dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur and bitters into a mixing glass.
- Add ice and stir until ingredients are mixed and chilled.
- Strain into a coupe glass.
- Garnish with an orange peel twist.
Notes
- You can use a martini glass or lowball glass if you don’t have a coupe glass.
- You can garnish with a maraschino cherry instead of an orange twist.
Nutrition
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
A Diplomat Cocktail is a shim crafted with both dry and sweet vermouth plus splashes of maraschino liqueur and Angostura bitters.
Dry Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur, Angostura Bitters, Orange Peel or Maraschino Cherry (garnish) and Ice (for shaking)
The Diplomat Cocktail is stirred, not shaken.
We like to use a gold-rimmed coupe glass for this cocktail, but you could you a plain coupe glass or a small martini glass instead.
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Looking forward to raising a glass with you both just as soon as it can be arranged!
Yes! Hopefully sooner than later in Lisbon, Atlanta or some yet-to-be-determined location.
the vermouth pictured is not dry vermouth. it’s vermouth bianco, a semi sweet white vermouth