Adonis

The Adonis is a 19th-century classic aperitif cocktail combining equal parts sherry and sweet vermouth, with an orange peel garnish.

Like the Rob Roy, this classic drink was created in the late 1800s in honor of a Broadway show. Adonis, considered the first Broadway musical, opened in 1884 and had a run of more than 600 performances.

Though the exact origins of the cocktail are debated, the drink’s creation is often credited to New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel (the Rob Roy’s birthplace). However, in drinks historian David Wondrich’s guide to classic American cocktails, Imbibe!, he writes, “According to the New Haven Register, the drink was invented by Joe McKone of the Hoffman House, New York; whoever invented it, it was before 1887, when it turns up in print.”

Because of its similar build to the more popular Bamboo, another Gilded Age cocktail, calling for dry vermouth instead of sweet and with aromatic bitters, the Adonis was often referred to as a Bamboo as well.