Port or sherry for cocktails? Or both?

[bostonapothecary]

so i just picked up the orange peel aromatized sherry from harvey's. the product was launched a couple years ago as a gateway to get more people into sherry but was unfortunately doomed to obscurity... well its quite tasty. and i'd say probably less orangey than lillet... and it needs a cocktail to show it off...

so far i made the dewey d but i only had campari... i'd say it has about the same sweetness as the lustau east india solera. well the drink did show off the sherry but it didn't blow my mind. i kind of wanted to contrast the orange against other things by not mixing it with other orange aromatized products like unfortunately most all amaros.

i did mix something like a last word/ward

1:1:1:1 rye, orange sherry, green chartreuse, lime juice.... only slightly amusing and the sherry really got lost...

anyone using it? any ideas?

2 oz. rye

1 oz. orange sherry

2 dashes fernet

this will be my next try...

[thirtyoneknots]

Got to give another endorsement to the Bamboo. Oddly enough I had picked up a bottle of the Sandeman's Character Amontillado to try the week before all this discussion began but only recently got around to opening it. What a great drink to have while cooking, up or on the rocks. Extremely elegant, and I think the Character might even be a good candidate for a 'gateway' to the world of sherry.

Such a pity drinks like this went out of fashion. I feel like the world is a lesser place for it.

[Kent Wang]

I got the Lustau Amontillado and tried the Bamboo and thought it tasted rather watery. You have two low alcohol fortified wines (sherry and vermouth) that are both light-bodied (e.g. dry sherry, dry vermouth) -- as opposed to a richer sherry or sweet vermouth -- I just don't see myself growing to like this drink.

I think I'd like to try a richer sherry, sounds like Sandeman's Character or Lustau East India?

Also picked up the Six Grapes port. Any port cocktails out there? I think I recall seeing a few in the Savoy Cocktail Book.

[thirtyoneknots]

I got the Lustau Amontillado and tried the Bamboo and thought it tasted rather watery. You have two low alcohol fortified wines (sherry and vermouth) that are both light-bodied (e.g. dry sherry, dry vermouth) -- as opposed to a richer sherry or sweet vermouth -- I just don't see myself growing to like this drink.

I think I'd like to try a richer sherry, sounds like Sandeman's Character or Lustau East India?

Also picked up the Six Grapes port. Any port cocktails out there? I think I recall seeing a few in the Savoy Cocktail Book.

←

Yeah I think what is needed for cocktail sherry is a Medium Amontillado, which will have been lightly sweetened (presumably with the addition of PX, as in the case of the Sandeman's Character). Contributes some body. Doesn't hurt that the stuff is delicious by itself, too.

Imbibe! lists some Port drinks as well, lurking in the vacinity of the sherry ones. Port wine sangaree is not to be missed. Don't forget the nutmeg.

[bostonapothecary]

SanRu @ saveur.com

saveur points out the sanru cocktail from a mid century spanish bar book.

1 oz. amontillado sherry

1 oz. dubonnet rouge

1 oz. gin

1/2 tsp. cherry heering

anybody ever try it?

[thirtyoneknots]

SanRu @ saveur.com

saveur points out the sanru cocktail from a mid century spanish bar book.

1 oz. amontillado sherry

1 oz. dubonnet rouge

1 oz. gin

1/2 tsp. cherry heering

anybody ever try it?

←

That's a drink worth making twice; the subtle bitterness from the dubonnet matches oh so nice with the orange notes in the Sherry (Sandeman's Character was what I used). Tastes are reminiscent of a sweet [vermouth] Martini with Orange Bitters. And how could you go wrong with that?

[thirtyoneknots]

Was reminded of the Artist's (Special) Cocktail today while discussing the Savoy with a friend and realised I now had all the ingredients due to my recent acquisition of quality Sherry (Sandeman's Character). The whiskey was Sazerac, as per eje's recommendation and the Groiselle syrup was of my own manufacture, made from some perfect puree samples we had at work.

This drink has some serious mojo in the flavor combo. With some tweaking (or maybe none at all) it could have serious legs. The redcurrant syrup does present a problem, unfortunately, especially since the perfect puree products are so expensive (though excellent). At any rate, if the expense involved isn't too great it's worth the effort to make the syrup just for this drink. Yum.

Maybe my favorite Sherry cocktail yet, right up there with the Bamboo.

[bostonapothecary]

Was reminded of the Artist's (Special) Cocktail today while discussing the Savoy with a friend and realised I now had all the ingredients due to my recent acquisition of quality Sherry (Sandeman's Character). The whiskey was Sazerac, as per eje's recommendation and the Groiselle syrup was of my own manufacture, made from some perfect puree samples we had at work.

This drink has some serious mojo in the flavor combo. With some tweaking (or maybe none at all) it could have serious legs. The redcurrant syrup does present a problem, unfortunately, especially since the perfect puree products are so expensive (though excellent). At any rate, if the expense involved isn't too great it's worth the effort to make the syrup just for this drink. Yum.

Maybe my favorite Sherry cocktail yet, right up there with the Bamboo.

←

so i tried the sanru and found it to be very dry and sophisticated... quite the aperatif but i did use manzanilla pasada over an amantillado. the pasada may have more body than other manzanillas but i guess you still get more acidity than can skew the balance of the drink... under the right mood i'd drink it again...

i also drank the artists special cocktail...

1 oz. overholt

1 oz. harvey's orange aromatized sherry

.5 oz. grenadine (i didn't have the funky currant syrup from the savoy)

.5 oz. lemon juice

i actually made this three times. first i used the low sugar primi frutti strawberry liqueur instead of grenadine but the sugar balance wasn't ideal. i really enjoyed the rye version but then kicked it up a notch with glen fiddich 15 yr which is rather smokey and seems alittle off balance in a fun way... pairing the sherry with the intense scotch was awesome and added serious depth to the drink... you could really taste the contributions of each to the drink. simple grenadine provided interesting enough flavor contrast but next i'm gonna try some chartreuse.

the harvey's orange is a keeper.

[Kent Wang]

Just tried the sherry cobbler with raspberry syrup (Stonewall Kitchen) and Lustau amontillado. The low alcohol content of the sherry goes much better than say, gin. I could drink a gallon of this stuff. I'm definitely serving it at my next cocktail party.

It also goes well various fruit liqueurs like creme de cassis and Clear Creek loganberry.

[mkayahara]

I see lots of discussion of sherry in this thread, but precious little of port. I recently bought a bottle of Graham's Six Grapes, and promptly made one of my favourites, a Coffee Cocktail. I love 'em, but there are only so many I can drink, since they're so rich. I also tried a Chancellor:

2 oz. blended Scotch

1 oz. ruby port

1/2 oz. French vermouth

2 dashes orange bitters

But there's still a lot of port left in the bottle, so I could use some other suggestions! Anyone have any favourites?

[KatieLoeb]

Here's the recipe I submitted for the 2009 Vinos de Jerez cocktail competition, along with a photo of the drink. Sadly, I didn't make it to the 10 finalists, but I still like this drink a lot. I enjoyed the idea of putting sherry, port and Applejack all in the same glass since each has been produced in its area of origin for at least several hundred years. And when else would those spirits all make each other's acquaintance??

Iberian Jackrabbit

1.25 oz. Lustau “Los Arcos” dry Amontillado

.75 oz. Osborne Ruby Port

.75 oz. Laird’s 7.5 year aged Apple Brandy (or sub Calvados)

.5 oz. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum

.25 oz. fresh lemon juice

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish: flamed orange peel

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish by heating a “contact lens” slice of orange peel from the side of an orange with a lit wooden match, and then expressing the oils through the flame over the surface of the drink. Rub the peel side of the garnish around the edge of the glass, dip into the drink and discard. Garnish with a decorative curl of orange peel, if desired.

[tobaccostains]

"I also tried a Chancellor:

2 oz. blended Scotch

1 oz. ruby port

1/2 oz. French vermouth

2 dashes orange bitters

But there's still a lot of port left in the bottle, so I could use some other suggestions! Anyone have any favourites?

Kent Wang"

I've been messing around with a variation on The Philadelphia Scotsman from the Savoy. I don't have it in front of me but I think the Savoy calls for 1 hooker of applejack, 1 hooker of port, the juice of half of an orange, top w/ ginger ale. What I've come up with is:

2 Lairds BIB

1 Port

.5 Ginger syrup

.5 Lemon juice

.5 Orange juice

shake/2x strain/collins/top w/ club soda.

It's quite tasty if I do say so myself. Also, I messed around with The Chancellor as well. Trying to make it less desert-y. I cut the port to a .5, up the vermouth to .75 and make Punt E Mes instead. To me, a much more elegant drink.

Colin

[mkayahara]

Enjoying an Adonis tonight, with some Amontillado and M&R sweet vermouth. The Amontillado makes it a bit too rich, but as I've been drinking it, I keep thinking to myself that this seems like the kind of drink where celery bitters would work beautifully. (Too bad I don't have any.)

[Chris Amirault]

Made this Sherry Netherlands by Philip Duff over in the genever topic tonight with slight changes:

1 1/2 oz Genevieve

1 1/2 oz Lustau PX

1/2 oz Señor Curaçao de Curaçao

dash Regan's orange bitters

dash Fee's orange bitters

Stir; strain.

I didn't shake, nor did I muddle raisins or garnish with them; it's so aromatic I don't think it needs any garnish at all. It's delicious, though next time I might cut back on the PX a bit to allow the Genevieve a little bit more room.

[KatieLoeb]

Sometimes a port "float", poured gently over the top of the drink with a spoon is nice for the aromatics. Works particularly well with drinks served on crushed ice. I can't remember exactly where/how I had this, but it was a nice touch I stored in the mental Rolodex for future reference...

[thirtyoneknots]

Sometimes a port "float", poured gently over the top of the drink with a spoon is nice for the aromatics. Works particularly well with drinks served on crushed ice. I can't remember exactly where/how I had this, but it was a nice touch I stored in the mental Rolodex for future reference...

Jerry Thomas himself calls for this tactic a few times, so it certainly has a long history and unimpeachable pedigree.

[Chris Amirault]

More Lustau PX fun tonight. I found the Arawak Cocktail in Trader Vic:

1 1/2 oz sweet sherry

1 1/2 oz Jamaican rum

dash Angostura bitters

Stir; strain; no garnish.

First time, I used Appleton V/X and followed the recipe directly. Very tasty, but also very sweet, and the rum was lost in the PX. So I tweaked it a bit -- and cracked into one of my truly precious bottles:

1 oz Lustau PX

2 oz Inner Circle Green

scant dash Angostura

scant dash Bittermens Xocolatl Molé bitters

scant dash Regan's orange bitters

The drier, higher proof rum out front, and the array of bitters, turn this into a remarkable drink, changing with each sip and with a long, long finish thanks to the trio of bitters.

[KD1191]

One of my favorite sherry drinks is from the current menu at Violet Hour.

Heads You Lose: Vida Mezcal, Lustau Sherry, Nux Alpina Black Walnut Liqueur, House Orange Bitters

Proportions? Your guess is as good as mine, I haven't inquired because I don't own even one of the ingredients and don't need the temptation. I'd try something like 2:1:+.25:Dash

[Chris Amirault]

Any idea which sherry?

[LPShanet]

In the spirit of winter drinking, port (either tawny or ruby) can be excellent in a flip as well.

In terms of durability, it seems that ports and the sherries with higher RS will last a bit longer than the drier ones on average.

[KD1191]

Any idea which sherry?

I think it's the East India Solera...at least, that's the one that looks most familiar from a Google Image search.

[Czequershuus]

Having noticed there was not thread devoted to Sherry cocktails (please merge if I am wrong moderators), I thought it was an area worth exploring. The use of Sherry in cocktails seems to have increased dramatically, even in the short time I am been following the scene. I find it a challenging ingredient, because of the quick spoilage times associated with it, especially drier sherries. This holiday weekend I have been experimenting with a bottle of Sandeman Aramada Rich Cream Oloroso Sherry, and I thought I would share. THis first post is copied from one I posted in the Drinks thread, but I thought perhaps sherry deserved it's own discussion.

So what Sherry drinks is everyone experimenting with? What brands and varieties do you like?

[Czequershuus]

Seeing a long holiday weekend in front of me I thought it was the perfect opportunity to experiment with a newly acquired bottle of sherry. Specifically a bottle of Sandeman Armada Rich Cream Oloroso Sherry. I have to admit that when I bought the bottle I missed the rich cream part of the name, having been to excited about finally seeing a sherry with Oloroso in the name in a local liquor store. Not a totally loss, though, as some research soon revealed it would be a good substitute for East India Solera Sherry, which I had seen in a number of recipes on Cocktail Virgin Slut. So, on to the experiments from lat night.

And what to try first? Well, with sherry it must be a cobbler.I found a recipe on CVS for a cobbler made with a PX sherry. and as mine was quite sweet on the first taste, with a lovely nutty, slightly oxidized taste, this made sense to try

2 oz Sherry

1 bsp Demerara Syrup

17 drops Bittermans Xocoatl Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain over pearl(crushed) ice.

Hmm, nice, but maybe to sweeyt. I love the interplay of the sherry and mole bitters, but the cocktail seems to lack depth overall.

So next I decide to try the Sherry Cobbler recipe II had used for previous sherry experiments, and that had yielded a pleasing large format drink for a party some years ago.

4 Oz Sherry

0.5 Oz Simple Syrup(Rich Turbinado)

2 Orange Weges

2 ds Bitters (To match garnish or sherry, I went with one of Angostura, one of Mole)

Shake with ice and stran over crushed ice(Iw as lazy an pored out of the strained)

Much nicer. The shaken orange wedges impart an orange oil that I find works very nicely with sherry. Not complex, bot a lovely sipper. I would try this again, maybe with 0.25 Oz of syrup and a new bitters combination.

Finally, I thought I would try a sour cocktail, and found the recipe for the Spanish Union in my to try file. Also from CVS, it looked very interesting.

0.75 Oz Tequila

0.75 Oz East India Solera Sherry(Sandeman Armada)

0.75 Oz Lime Juice

0.75 Oz Cinnamon Syrup

1 ds Bittermans Xocoatl Mole Bitters

Wow, this was fantastic, and a fantastic use of Cinnamon syrup, and just a lovely cocktail in general. The spice is the dominant flavor, but never overpowering. The sherry and tequila harmonize excellently(a combo I need to explore) and the lim juice balances amazingly. A perfectly constructed cocktail.

I do love experimenting with sherry, and since a bottle only keep so long, there will be more to come!

[lstrelau]

I am an importer of Sherry and personally prefer it on its own but from a 'sales' standpoint, the more we can sell the better so I am happy to see it becoming popular as a cocktail ingredient.

A local Calgary restaurant featured a sherry-based version of a Johnny Appleseed on their fall menu - Calvados, Pommeau, bitters and Fino/Manzanilla.

Another restaurant in Jerez, Spain makes a Mojito using the entry level brandy that is produced by our Sherry bodega. (of course only Sherry-influenced since the brandy is matured in sherry casks.

I couldn't find the recipes but the recent SherryFest in Toronto included a Sherry cocktail competition. Perhaps someone on the forum knows the results of this event?

A couple of the sherry books I have include a list of cocktail recipes - will check those out tonight.

[EvergreenDan]

Um, here's a ton of sherry recipes: http://www.kindredcocktails.com/cocktail?scope=0&ingredient=Sherry

(If you're not logged in, you only see 10 at a time)

Edited November 29, 2013 by EvergreenDan (log)