Veteran bartender Nate Brown describes it as his “secret ingredient”. Abbie Davies from the Vining Street Wine Club in Brixton, south London, says: “It adds a lot of flavour, salinity, umami and structure.” And Max Wolff at Nancy’s, in London Bridge, is of the opinion that “it can turn a good drink into a truly memorable one”. What exactly is this mysterious cocktail elixir? It is, of course, sherry.
Sherry, the great fortified wine of Andalusia, comes in many guises, from the bone-dry pale fino to the incredibly sweet pedro ximénez (PX), made from sun-dried grapes. In between these two poles there’s amontillado – a long-aged intensely nutty fino, dark pungent oloroso, and palo cortado that tastes like a cross between amontillado and oloroso. Finally there’s cream sherry which blends dry oloroso and PX. All of them play different roles behind the bar.
