Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry

Cream Sherry is an Oloroso style Sherry made to be a bit sweater, and I gotta be honest, I've never even thought about ever trying Harveys Bristol Cream. I always just assumed it wasn't all that good. So man was I surprised to find that I actually really like the stuff! For the price it's quite an enjoyable Sherry and now I feel like I've deprived myself of having an affordable and serviceable Sherry all of these years! It's smooth and not too syrupy with a nice acidity that compliments the rest of the profile. There's aromas and flavors of caramel apples, raisins, prunes, and nuts, and it's got a long lasting sweet caramel-ly finish. Someone described this as "the holidays in a bottle" and I have to agree. If you've ignored Harveys like I have, maybe you should give it a shot. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, everybody!

Read More

Noe Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Pedro Ximenez Aged 30 Years by González Byass

This Sherry made from sun dried Pedro Ximenez grapes uses the Solera system, so you're talking about many vintages blended into one, and the average age here is 30 years. Let's put that into perspective: In 1989 the Russians pulled out of Afghanistan. Sega Genesis cost $190. Batman changed superhero movies forever by making the film more about the secret identity than the superhero. The Alaskan Exxon Valdez oil spill happened. That famous picture of a protester standing in front of a tank in Beijing's Tiananmen Square was taken. "Look Away" by Chicago was the #1 song. Alright, enough of that. Let's drink some 30 year old Sherry.

Read More

Cocktail Recipes: Vodkatini and Manhattan with González Byass Vermouth La Copa

I know what you're thinking! "These two cocktails are ridiculously basic!" and you're absolutely right! So why am I even doing this? Whelp... because both of the Vermouths involved use Sherry as their base wine. That's right! Sherry!

So rather than get convoluted and technical and fancy and add a bunch of things that would take away from your first experience with a Sherry-based Vermouth, it's better to keep it basic, right? Right! Plus, dammit Jim, I'm a wine guy not a mixologist! So let's start drinkin'!

Read More

Cocktail Recipe: Tío Pepe Fino Sherry Dirty Martini

Tío Pepe Fino Sherry is 100% Palomino that sees 4 to 5 years in American oak casks after going through the traditional Solera system. It's a pretty darn good Sherry on its own for the $20 it'll cost you, with that lovely flor yeastiness and nuttiness, but today we're making a cocktail out of this bad boy. Instead of using Vermouth to make a martini, we're using Tío Pepe.

WHAT YOU NEED: 

Cocktail Shaker

2 ounces of gin (I used New Amsterdam)

2 ounces of Tío Pepe Fino Sherry

Green olives

WHAT YOU DO:

1) Drop some ice into your cocktail shaker

2) Pour 2 ounces of Tío Pepe Fino and 2 ounces of gin into the shaker

3) Shake the crap out of it

4) Strain into a glass

5) Plop an olive or three or six and splash some olive juice in there

6) Drink up!

The botanicals of the gin play along really well with the classic flavors of Fino Sherry, but I really do believe that making this martini a dirty one is the key to making it all work. Honestly it's not for everybody and I wouldn't recommend it for people who don't like Sherry or gin or olives (how dare you in all cases), but I'm really enjoying it and making myself another one (or two)! Cheers!

Read More