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Diplomat Cocktail

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.

Diplomat-Cocktail-with-Bottles
Image: ©2foodtrippers

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 few bottles of liquor.

What Is The Diplomat Cocktail?

Diplomat Cocktail on White Marble
Despite its formal name, the Diplomat is a cocktail that’s both easy to craft and drink. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

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

Diplomat Cocktail with Maraschino Cherry Garnish
We crafted this Diplomat cocktail in Europe, the continent where it was invented. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

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

Diplomat Cocktail Ingredients and Tools
The Diplomat’s ingredients include dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur and Angostura bitters. Either an orange peel or maraschino cherry garnish completes the recipe. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The ingredient list required to craft a Diplomat is both short and sweet:

  • Dry Vermouth
  • Sweet Vermouth
  • Maraschino Liqueur
  • Angostura Bitters
  • Orange Peel or Maraschino Cherry (garnish)
  • Ice Cubes (for stirring)
Diplomat Cocktail Liquors
We used these bottles of Martini & Rossi vermouth, Luxardo maraschino liqueur and Angostura Bitters to craft our Diplomat cocktail. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

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 is a key ingredient in drinks like the Manhattan, Negroni and Boulevardier.

Discover our favorite dry vermouth cocktails and our favorite 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 our favorite maraschino liqueur cocktails.

How To Craft A Diplomat Cocktail

Diplomat Cocktail Mise en Place
We like to organize our ingredients and tools before we craft a Diplomat cocktail. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

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.

Measuring Dry Vermouth for Diplomat Cocktail
Our Diplomat cocktail includes a 1:1 ratio of sweet and dry vermouth. We measure each with a Japanese jigger for accuracy. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

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.

Pouring Sweet Vermouth into Diplomat Cocktail
We pour both vermouths as well as the maraschino liqueur into a shaker after measuring them. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Add a dash of Angostura bitters.

Splashing Bitters into Diplomat Cocktail
One dash of Angostura bitters goes a long way in our Diplomat cocktail recipe. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Add ice and mix until the liquors are combined and chilled.

Stirring a Diplomat Cocktail
The diplomat is better stirred and not shaken. We stir ours with a bar spoon. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

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.

Straining a Diplomat Cocktail
We strained this Diplomat cocktail into a fancy coupe glass in honor of its fancy name. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Garnish with either an orange twist or maraschino cherry. We typically have both on hand and choose based on our mood.

Crafted Diplomat Cocktail
We garnished this Diplomat with an orange twist. Another option would have been to garnish it with a maraschino cherry. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Both garnish options work equally well.

Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Diplomat Cocktail cocktail?

A Diplomat Cocktail is a shim crafted with both dry and sweet vermouth plus splashes of maraschino liqueur and Angostura bitters.

What are the ingredients in a Diplomat Cocktail?

Dry Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur, Angostura Bitters, Orange Peel or Maraschino Cherry (garnish) and Ice (for shaking)

Is the Diplomat Cocktail shaken or stirred?

The Diplomat Cocktail is stirred, not shaken.

What is the best glass for a Diplomat Cocktail?

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.

Did you craft this cocktail? If so, please rate the recipe below.

Diplomat Cocktail on White Marble
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Diplomat Recipe

The Diplomat cocktail is both low in alcohol and high in flavor. Why not drink one during your next liaison?
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drink
Cuisine: Cocktail
Servings: 1
Calories: 147kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ ounces dry vermouth
  • 1 ½ ounces sweet vermouth
  • ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
  • 1 dash angostura bitters
  • orange peel (garnish)
  • ice cubes (for shaking)

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.

Pro Tips

  • 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.

Estimated Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 0.1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 41mg | Sugar: 9g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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About The Authors

About The Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers their unique taste of the world.

Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Funding
We purchased the ingredients and tools used to craft this cocktail.

Original Publication Date: May 13, 2021

Recipe Rating




Kevin aka The Dear Friend

Thursday 13th of May 2021

Looking forward to raising a glass with you both just as soon as it can be arranged!

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Monday 17th of May 2021

Yes! Hopefully sooner than later in Lisbon, Atlanta or some yet-to-be-determined location.

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