Seductive Sherry

Posted by ReadyMade  
Project and words by Alex Day; Photo by Cameron Sadeghpour

La Viña is boozy, but light to the Manhattan drinker. It’s a rich combination of nut and raisin notes from the sherry, a slight orange-flavored bitterness from the amaro, and a peppery spiciness from the rye. It’s a perfect drink for fall.

“The wines of Southern Spain are as interesting and complex as the conquistadores that shaped the country’s history. Through it all, the gnarled vines of Palomino, Moscatel, and Pedro Ximénez grapes have produced one of the world’s most seductive wines: sherry. In and around the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, El Puerto de Santa María, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, sherry has been made and revered for centuries. In Spain, sherry is not just the domain of fireside grandmothers or snooty intellectuals, but rather a working man’s drink with a vibrant, modern sensibility all its own. Sherry is back on our side of the pond, too, and it’s one of my favorite ingredients.

This versatile wine runs the spectrum from the driest of the dry to the sweetest of the sweet. It’s excellent on its own, but as a cocktail ingredient, it’s adaptable as both a base and a modifier. In the dry Manzanilla and Fino varieties of sherry, there’s a crispness very similar to dry vermouth (in fact, using sherry in cocktails in place of vermouth is a great place to start). While this can be interesting for many drinks, I find the most enticing cocktails use sherry in larger amounts. Experiment with different styles, pairing more subtle sherries (Manzanilla, Fino, some Amontillados) with crisper spirits like gin and tequila, and rich sherries (Oloroso, Cream, Pedro Ximénez) with brown spirits like rye, bourbon, scotch, and rum. “