Low-Proof But Still Stiff
March's Cocktail of the Month features Sherry in the starring role
The Cocktail - Iberian Drought
The last 2 months we’ve had low-proof cocktails that are dense but not what I’d describe as “strong.” This month, we’re changing that up with a cocktail that has way less booze in it than it tastes.
As the name suggests, this is a very dry drink. That’s primarily because the Sherry you’ll use is very dry, and even a bunch of sugar won’t change that much. The goal here to to take a low-proof recipe but treat it in a way that ignores that fact; it’s a stiff drink, it just doesn’t have near the ABV you generally associate that phrase with. For my money, a dry Sherry is the best low-proof ingredient to star in a cocktail and enable this approach.
What You Have - Madeira, Bonal Reduction
This cocktail starts similar to last month’s: you’ll have the same bittersweet, stone fruit, and oxidization. But this time, instead of amplifying and extending those flavors with bubbles, we’re going to compliment them with some additional strength.
What to Buy - Amontillado Sherry
As is usual these days, this is the broadest possible overview - if you think that means a Deep Dive later this month, you’re correct.
Did I initially become interested in Amontillado Sherry because I both legitimately like the story, and appreciate the memes of, The Cask of Amontillado? Yes. Of course. It’s a great story, while also being as accessible as Poe gets, and it makes for good jokes. What’s not to like? But Amontillado Sherry is much more than a punchline. Let’s start with the Sherry piece and move on.
Sherry is a fortified wine, like vermouth and Bonal and Madeira and many, many of the things I write about. It’s all hyper-regional, coming from a very specific part of a the small Spanish region of Andalusia in the southwestern corner of the country. It’s primarily made from Palomino grapes, which are also grown in South Africa and the Douro Valley of Portugal. But those places don’t make Sherry, at least not officially.
Sherry varies wildly bottle-to-bottle, style-to-style; it’s similar to vermouth that way. There are 7 main styles of Sherry, and Amontillado tends to be the most basic and among the driest. Like Madeira, it’s intentionally exposed to oxygen and will keep a bit longer than you think (but should still be refrigerated). It’s also exposed to a very specific yeast strain that sits on a film on top of the wine as it eats. It comes out to ~16% alcohol, so it’s only slightly stronger than most traditional wines.
But, it drinks very different. It’s generally bone-dry, slightly oxidized (though to me it comes through much different than it does in Madeira, and in much less intensity), and has a strong flavor of un-ripened summer fruits and young herbs with a slightly-woody backbone. It’s a lot to drink straight, kind of like an intense scotch (but for very different reasons). That’s one of the reasons it’s such a great cocktail ingredient, and it shines through in this month’s cocktail.
What to Make - Citrus Syrup (And Candied Peels)
Two syrups in one cocktail? Yep, trust me. But this isn’t just sugar, because it picks up bitterness and some straight sour from the citrus rinds. Here’s how to do it.
First, peel ~4 citrus fruits. It’s citrus season in the Valley of the Sun, so for me that was a Meyer lemon, 2 tangelos, and a lime for good measure (those don’t really grow here but I wanted the flavor so…I cheated). Add the peels to a pot (larger than you usually use for syrups) and then add in the ratio you make for a heavy syrup (twice the sugar as water).
Turn the burner on low, and stir frequently. The rinds will release some liquid here, so the syrup will be looser than you’re used to. But this is a great way (via both sugar and heat) to extract concentrate flavor. Once the grit is gone, kill the heat and let it cool. The resulting syrup will taste more like Cointreau than a normal heavy syrup, though it won’t have any booze in it.
For bonus points, you can dry out your glazed rinds in the oven. Retain them when you strain out the syrup, and spread them on a covered baking sheet. Baking at 200 degrees for about a half hour should do the trick, and now you’ll have pretty, tasty, intense garnishes to go with your drinks for the week. This step is highly recommended.
The Recipe
I called this The Iberian Drought because damn near every ingredient is from the Iberian Peninsula (or at least cultures from the peninsula). Yes, Bonal is from further North in France. Yes, Madeira is an island to the west. Yes, the citrus isn’t all necessarily via Spain. But it’s close, and Sherry is in the heart of the peninsula and is the abject star of the show so I’m letting it slide.
The cocktail is simple - it’s just combined and stirred as such:
2 oz Amontillado Sherry
.75 oz Madeira
.5 oz Bonal Reduction
.5 ox Citrus Syrup
Strain into a cold glass with a big ice cube, and garnish with a candied citrus peel. Sit back and enjoy - you’ll enjoy a very bright cocktail that starts very bitter and sour but rounds out with just a little sugar. Overall, it drinks dry and strong, and you’ll swear it’s more than ~13% ABV.