Adonis

Recipe: Adonis (serves one)

• 1 1/2 oz. dry oloroso sherry
• 1 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes (= 1/4 tsp.) orange bitters
• citrus fruit twist

Combine liquid ingredients in ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with citrus twist.

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We’ve been studying for our WSET Level 2 Exam in Wines, which is why we haven’t posted yet this year. The course has a section on fortified wines. So, for educational purposes, we opened a bottle of sherry, a fortified white wine from southern Spain. While we had the bottle open, we had to try using it in a cocktail. We got this recipe from The Art of the Shim; it’s a classic dating back to the 1880’s

This recipe uses oloroso sherry, which is made with oxidative aging, in contrast to fino sherry, which is aged biologically under a layer of yeast. The interaction with oxygen gives oloroso sherry a brown color and flavors of walnuts and caramel.

This low-alcohol cocktail is full of flavor and refreshing! If you’re looking for a similar but more spirit-forward drink, try the Palmetto, which uses aged rum instead of sherry.