Why Sherry is no longer the Christmas villain...
A few years ago we saw the resurgence of Gin and it’s growth as a spirit, as well as the blossom of new flavours, styles and cocktails made with it. As incredible as that all was and how easy it was to love it, something else is making its out of the cupboard and not just for Nan to drink at Christmas.
A few of you will wrinkle your noses and shudder and I can’t say that I wasn’t with you on this at some point, but I now, like many in the cocktail world am coming to believe in the diversity of this great Spanish icon.
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of dry styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versions similar to white table wines, such as Manzanilla and Fino, to darker and heavier versions that have been allowed to oxidise as they age in barrel, such as Amontillado and Oloroso. Sweet dessert wines are also made, from Pedro Ximenez or Moscatel grapes, and are sometimes blended with Palomino-based Sherries.
After fermentation is complete, the base wines are fortified with grape spirit in order to increase their final alcohol content. Wines classified as suitable for aging as Fino and Manzanilla are fortified until they reach a total alcohol content of 15.5 per cent by volume. As they age in barrel, they develop a layer of flor—a yeast-like growth that helps protect the wine from excessive oxidation. Those wines that are classified to undergo aging as Oloroso are fortified to reach an alcohol content of at least 17 per cent. They do not develop flor and so oxidise slightly as they age, giving them a darker colour. Because the fortification takes place after fermentation, most Sherries are initially dry, with any sweetness being added later.
So why is Sherry making a come back?
A reason for the nose wrinkling is that Sherry has long been misunderstood. Most people won’t have had much contact with Sherry outside of Christmas at a grandparents house where it comes out of a warm cupboard where it’s been for god knows how many Christmases before that. And this is where we see our first mistake, Sherry like other fortified wines should be served slightly chilled between 7 and 10 degrees. The driest varieties also have an expiry date on them which unlike spirits and wines gives it a certain amount of time before oxidisation causes its rich flavours to break down. Like wines, the variety of flavours and characters in Sherry dictate the perfect serving temperature and the expiration date.
Now this is something that perhaps Nan didn’t know when she kept her dry Sherry in a cupboard for 3 years and probably why the general consensus on Sherry has been that it tastes icky.
So what can I do with Sherry?
Well besides testing out each style to see what you favour (at correct temperature of course) there are some great Sherry Cocktail recipes out there that you can try.
Following are my top 3 recipes:
It is impossible to go wrong with an all time classic and so at number one sits the Sherry Cobbler. This cocktail was extremely popular in the 19th century and for good reason.
In a shaker add 4 shots of either a dry Sherry such as Fino or Manzanilla, or a sweeter aged Sherry like Palo Cortado, which you choose depends on how you like your drinks and which style you prefer. Next add 20mls of sugar syrup if using dry, or 10mls if using sweeter. If you’re feeling adventurous you may even want to drop in some orange bitters. Throw in a wedge of Orange and a wedge of Lemon and shake the hell out of it. Pour it over crushed ice and garnish with fruit.
There is nothing in terms of base spirits/alcohol that doesn’t lend itself well to a good sour and Sherry is no exception.
In a shaker add 1 small egg white, 75ml of dry sherry, 20ml lemon juice, 10ml sugar syrup, a dash of both Angostura and Orange bitters. Dry shake to emulsify the egg and then shake a second time with ice. Strain into a glass and garnish with orange peel.
This cocktail is a little more wintry and so is fairly sweet too.
Muddle 4 cloves in the bottom of a Boston glass, add a small pinch of cinnamon, 2 shots Pedro Ximenez sweet Sherry, ¾ shot of lemon juice, 1 egg yolk, ¼ shot sugar syrup. Shake hard and fine strain into a chilled martini glass. garnish with a light dusting of Nutmeg.
Sherry can also be made into syrups in the same way that you would make gomme. Add desired amount of Sherry such as Amontillado into a non stick pan and add sugar. The amount of sugar depends on the thickness that you want to achieve. On a medium-high heat, heat the mixture until it begins to bubble, stirring to dissolve the sugar and then turn down to low. Let it reduce for about 2 minutes then leave to cool and bottle up.
blakekathryn
vaporwave
gummygunk
gamechangershow
romaincrisis
pixelskylines
