Coronation No. 1
A Coronation No. 1 is 45ml of fino sherry, 45ml of dry vermouth, 5ml of maraschino liqueur and two dashes of orange bitters, stirred over ice for 20 to 30 seconds and strained into a chilled Nick and Nora glass, with a lemon twist. About 1.6 UK units, with no spirit at all. The Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide of 1905 prints a Coronation Cocktail credited to Joseph Rose of Murray Brothers’ Café in Newark, New Jersey, and says it won second prize in the Police Gazette Bartenders’ Contest for 1903. Difford’s Guide says it was created for, or soon after, the coronation of Edward VII, held on 9 August 1902. The maraschino is the point. Two dry wines in equal measure make a pale, austere aperitif. A small spoon of cherry liqueur lifts them with a faint almond note and a touch of sweetness, which turns a plain glass into one that suits a toast.
Glassware: Nick & Nora Glass
Garnish: Lemon twist
Ingredients
45ml
At our working 15% ABV, cold and opened within the last few days. It gives the saline, mineral spine. Amontillado makes a nuttier, rounder version for autumn.
45ml
French-style dry vermouth at our working 18% ABV, which we keep in the fridge. An equal partner, so the bottle matters as much as the sherry; buy the smallest size you can find.
5ml
At our working 32% ABV, measured to 5ml. Made from Marasca cherries, it brings a faintly almond, medicinal note that neither wine has. Any more and it takes over.
2 dashes
Two dashes. Orange suits two pale wines better than aromatic bitters, whose clove and cinnamon would weigh down a drink with no spirit to carry them.
Instructions
Chill a Nick and Nora glass.
Add the fino sherry, dry vermouth, maraschino and orange bitters to a mixing glass.
Fill with cubed ice and stir for 20 to 30 seconds.
Strain into the chilled glass.
Express a lemon twist over the surface and drop it in.
Our version
45ml each of fino and dry vermouth, 5ml of maraschino and two dashes of orange bitters, stirred. Credited to Joseph Rose in the Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide (1905) and carried into Craddock’s Savoy (1930); our measures are given in ml.
Source: our own specification. Last checked 10 October 2026.
Expert Tip
Both bottles need to be fresh and cold. There is nothing in this drink to hide behind: no spirit, no citrus and no sugar beyond 5ml of liqueur. A vermouth open on a warm shelf for a month tastes as tired as it is, and so does a fino that has stood about. Measure the maraschino. It is pungent, and at 10ml it stops lifting the wines and sits on top of them. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds, then strain. The wines chill quickly, and over-diluting a drink this light leaves cold water and a pleasant smell.
Behind the Coronation No. 1
Flavour Profile
Joseph Rose and the Coronation
The Royal Family’s own page says the coronation of Edward VII was set for 26 June 1902 and postponed, two days beforehand, to 9 August because of an attack of appendicitis. The 1905 Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide says Joseph Rose of Murray Brothers’ Café, Newark, New Jersey, arranged a Coronation Cocktail of French vermouth, dry sherry, maraschino and orange bitters that won second prize in the Police Gazette Bartenders’ Contest for 1903; Punch says he won the contest.
Charles S. Mahoney’s Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide printed it in 1905, credited to Rose, and Harry Craddock carried it into his Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930 as the Coronation Cocktail (No. 1), the first of two Coronation recipes there. Punch says the drink has lived on because of those two books.
Two Wines and No Spirit
Two pale wines make the body. The fino brings salt, almond and a mineral edge; the vermouth brings herbs and a light bitterness. In equal parts each fills in what the other lacks, which is why the ratio is one to one rather than the two to one a Martini would use.
Two dashes of orange bitters tie the pair together, and the lemon twist puts fresh oil on top. Without the maraschino, the glass would be a close cousin of the Bamboo.
The Maraschino Measure
Five millilitres of maraschino is the whole difference between this drink and its plainer relations. It sweetens a little, but it is there for its character: maraschino is made from Marasca cherries and carries a faintly medicinal, almond note that neither wine has.
That note gives two dry wines something to point at. Add more and it takes over, because maraschino is loud for its size; 5ml lifts the glass without perfuming it.
Three Pale Aperitifs Compared
The Coronation No. 1 beside our East India No. 2 and Adonis; all three are our recipes, with the units our calculation
Sherry
- Coronation No. 1
- 45ml fino
- East India No. 2
- 45ml fino
- Adonis
- 45ml fino
Vermouth
- Coronation No. 1
- 45ml dry
- East India No. 2
- 45ml dry
- Adonis
- 30ml sweet
Bitters
- Coronation No. 1
- Two dashes orange
- East India No. 2
- Two dashes orange
- Adonis
- Two dashes orange
Liqueur
- Coronation No. 1
- 5ml maraschino
- East India No. 2
- None
- Adonis
- None
Garnish
- Coronation No. 1
- Lemon twist
- East India No. 2
- Lemon twist
- Adonis
- Orange peel
UK units
- Coronation No. 1
- About 1.6
- East India No. 2
- About 1.5
- Adonis
- About 1.2
| Element | Coronation No. 1 | East India No. 2 | Adonis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherry | 45ml fino | 45ml fino | 45ml fino |
| Vermouth | 45ml dry | 45ml dry | 30ml sweet |
| Bitters | Two dashes orange | Two dashes orange | Two dashes orange |
| Liqueur | 5ml maraschino | None | None |
| Garnish | Lemon twist | Lemon twist | Orange peel |
| UK units | About 1.6 | About 1.5 | About 1.2 |
Swap dry vermouth for sweet and you have the rounder, darker Adonis. Take the maraschino out and you have the drier East India No. 2. The Coronation sits between them: dry like the East India, with a little of the Adonis’s softness from the cherry.
How to Serve It
Stirred, strained into a chilled Nick and Nora, with a lemon twist expressed over the surface and dropped in. With so little alcohol, the aromatics carry the drink, so the twist is part of the recipe rather than decoration.
Without the cherry, the same wines make our East India No. 2; with sweet vermouth in place of dry, they make an Adonis.
Make it at home
The Spirit
Maraschino LiqueurMaraschino is a clear Italian and Croatian liqueur distilled from marasca cherries, at 32% ABV on Luxardo’s product page, the bottle most recipes mean. It tastes of cherry stone, almond and flowers more than fruit, but it is sweet: Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 sets a floor of 250g of sugar a litre. It is the backbone of the Aviation, the Last Word and the Hemingway Daiquiri.
More to explore
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Coronation No. 1?
Which coronation is it named after?
Did the Coronation win a prize?
Should I use fino or amontillado?
Why is it called No. 1?
What separates it from a Bamboo?
How strong is a Coronation No. 1?
Sources.
Correct as of 19 October 2026.
- Charles S. Mahoney (1905), Internet Archive, “The Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide” (primary source, read 19 Oct in the Vintage Cocktail Books collection: Coronation Cocktail. This drink, arranged by Joseph Rose, of Murray Bros.’ Café, 184 Market Street, Newark, N. J., won second prize in the Police Gazette Bartenders’ Contest for 1903. Two dashes Maraschino, three dashes orange bitters, one pony French Vermouth, one gill dry sherry; stir, strain, olive and lemon peel (the OCR garbles some words)).
- Difford’s Guide, “Coronation Cocktail No.1” (secondary source: created for, or soon after, the coronation of Edward VII (postponed to 9 August 1902); first appears in the 1905 Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide, credited to Joseph Rose; second prize in the 1903 Police Gazette contest).
- Punch, “Coronation No. 1” (secondary source: dates to 1903, when Joseph Rose of Newark won the Police Gazette Bartender’s Contest with it; lived on through the Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide (1905) and the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930)).
- Harry Craddock (1930), Internet Archive, “The Savoy Cocktail Book” (primary source: CORONATION COCKTAIL (No. 1), 1/2 sherry, 1/2 French vermouth, 1 dash maraschino, 2 dashes orange bitters, shake; (No. 2) with brandy, Italian vermouth, peppermint, peach bitters, curaçao).
- The Royal Family, “Edward VII” (the royal family’s own page: Edward became King on 22 January 1901; the coronation was set for 26 June 1902 and postponed two days beforehand to 9 August by an attack of appendicitis).
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Where this one sits
Recipe by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 19 October 2026