Young, dry sherry brings unexpected savoriness and nuttiness to gin.
Dry sherry's heightened acidity makes for a brighter martini.
You know how it goes when you travel. There are the memories that get trapped in amber—particular meals or climbing the 1,500th castle step—and then there's everything else. Wait a few years and a trip once bursting with vivid experiences blurs into a few general atmospheric impressions.
So it was with Spain and me. I was on assignment in Andalucia towrite about ham, but after spending a few days surrounded by more pigs than people, I took some time for myself to wander the city of Seville. Along the way I encountered someincredible ginand, since it would have beenrudenot to, I drank plenty of thelocal sherryas well.
A year and change later, I can still recall the way the orange trees planted along every block made the very air seem to glow, but I'll be honest, most of my time in Spain has blurred into an amalgam ofham-gin-sherry. I do not hate this, and ever since getting back to the States I've been looking for ways to get more of that triad in my life.
I've found a solution that works. It involves drinking a lot of martinis, but with sherry in place of the dry vermouth. And I may never go back.
"Where dry vermouth has a medicinal lilt, dry sherry is mouthwatering: saline and nutty, bright and downright savory."
Like vermouth, sherry is a fortified wine. But unlike vermouth, it draws its distinctiveness from the funky powers of yeast and oxidation—and the wine itself—rather than added herbal botanicals. Where dry vermouth has a medicinal lilt, dry sherry is mouthwatering: saline and nutty, bright and downright savory. Pair gin with vermouth and you get botanicals on top of botanicals. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but bring sherry into the mix and you'll find something both more smooth and electrifying, with hints of marcona almonds and, yeah—ham.
"You get these autolytic qualities of yeast, bread dough, and oxidation," says Talia Baiocchi, the editor-in-chief ofPunchwholiterally wrote the book on sherry. "I like to taste that in a martini, and by adding sherry it's already more distinctive."
"There's historical precedence for this that dates back to the late 19th century," Baiocchi explains. "You start to see all these riffs with sherry. The most famous of them is the Tuxedo...but some also say theBamboo—which is dry vermouth, bitters, and sherry—was a martini variation." There's theCoronation, too, which takes the vermouth-sherry mix of the Bamboo and adds maraschino and orange bitters; it dates back to 1903.
All this has happened before and it'll all happen again, but some good ideas are worth repeating, and if you're looking for a savory change-up to your martini rut, it's never too late to get started.
Gins, Sherries, and Our Preferred Ratio
After mixing a dozen sherry martinis with different styles of gin and sherry, I've picked up a few pointers about how to do it right.
Most important is nailing the ratio. Sherry is more subtle than vermouth, so you need a good amount for its flavors to shine through. Two parts gin to one part sherry works best for me—the same as ourstandard martini recipe. Even if you prefer your martinis more dry, consider making this one wet. You want to taste the sherry, so now's not a time for Churchill.
Both London dry and less juniper-forward gins work well here, and we havea few recommendations on the best gin for your martini. If you can find it, the SpanishGin Mareis wonderful; its olive oil richness works magic with the nutty notes of dry sherry.
Your choice of sherry is more constrained. Young, bright sherries best replicate dry vermouth, so it's good to stick to fino and manzanilla styles. Baiocchi likes Innocente's fino and Lagitano's manzanilla for this; I also dug Fernando de Castilla's bright, almondy fino. That said, I've had some fun pairing richer, nuttier amontillado sherries with bone-dry gin like Beefeater. It's a deeper, more rounded drink, hardly a martini in spirit, but nice all the same.
This drink needs no garnish or bitters, but they're always welcome. For Baiocchi, lemon peel is a must. But remember the ham part of that ham-gin-sherry metamemory? Yeah, a sliver ofjamon Ibericowill do you right.
Small strip of Spanish ham or lemon twist, for garnish (optional; see note)
Directions
Combine gin and sherry in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir well until chilled, then strain into a chilled co*cktail glass. Garnish with ham or lemon twist, if using. Serve.
Notes
This complex martini needs no garnish, but a sliver of Spanish ham is a nice touch, as is a lemon twist.
Special Equipment
Mixing glass, co*cktail strainer
Read More
A Guide to Sherry Varieties: Everything You Need to Know About Spain's Famed Fortified Wine
The Serious Eats Guide to Gin
Classic Martini co*cktail Recipe
Dirty, Sopping-Wet Martini Recipe
Martini Oaxaqueño (Mezcal Dirty Martini With Castelvetrano Olives) Recipe
Always make sure your martini glass is chilled, by either storing it in the freezer or by filling it with ice while you're stirring your drink. Another top tip from Hannah: when there is no hurry put the whole drink in the freezer for five minutes. Remember the chief objective - as cold as possible!
The prototypical sherry co*cktail, this drink's origin dates back to the mid-1800s, making it one of the oldest classic co*cktails in existence. Its formula is simple: sherry, a sweetener, crushed or pebble ice, and a menagerie of fruit and herb garnishes.
How dry do you want it? -Not dry- 1 count dry vermouth. -Dry- 2-5 drops dry vermouth. - Extra dry- 1 drop dry vermouth. - in and out- swich around dry vermouth in glass and throw it away.
Stir together vodka, dry vermouth, brine, and olives in a mixing glass. Pour into a glass or shaker with ice. Serve on the rocks, or strain into chilled co*cktail glasses. Enjoy!
Once you have consumed two, you must move on to a soft drink, such as wine or a gin and tonic. The reasons for this are obvious and I try to adhere to this rule at home. The rule is defended most enduringly (and elegantly) at Duke's Bar in Central London, where years of experience … Continue reading.
Dolin is a popular brand, and the one I reach for the most, though Martini & Rossi and Cinzano are ubiquitous and serviceable, especially if you seek out their premium lines. When making a martini, you'll want a dry vermouth.
For something sweeter, towards the end of a meal, try soaking some juicy sultanas in Pedro Ximenez (PX) Sherry and pour them over a really good vanilla ice-cream. If you fancy something festive and fruity, try poaching pears or peaches in sweet Cream sherry and serving it with unctuous mascarpone.
The traditional 'catavinos' glass is the ideal drinking glass for sherry. An all purpose white wine glass with a proper bowl (to allow the wine to breathe) and a stem (to avoid warming up) will allow you to enjoy Sherry. Never use a small glass. Fill the wine glass up to one third and allow to breathe before enjoying.
FORTIFIED: 100% of all Sherry is fortified from a grape spirit. Port is fortified with brandy. This gives stability to what might otherwise be an unstable wine. Sherry is fortified with a spirit made from grapes which then in turn is aged in old Sherry casks, producing Brandy de Jerez.
Bone Dry. Almost no vermouth is used. “Bone dry” is a common way to specify just a whisper of vermouth. If you are in a bar, ordering an extra dry Martini amounts to the same thing.
The term 'dirty' means that olive brine, usually from a jar of co*cktail olives, has been added to the drink. An olive garnish is typically assumed, too. Most bars add equal parts vermouth and brine, though you can specify 'extra dirty' or 'filthy' if you prefer more brine.
One of the best co*cktails for beginners, a Classic Martini calls for a simple mix of gin and vermouth, with a garnish of either co*cktail olives or a lemon twist. Perhaps just as iconic as the co*cktail itself is the signature V-shaped glass that it's poured into.
Dry Martini: Refers to the amount of vermouth in your Martini. The less vermouth, the drier it is. Wet Martini: Usually signifies a Martini that's a little sweeter than the average. The more vermouth you add, the 'wetter' your Martini is. A classic wet Martini has about 3 parts gin/vodka to 1 part vermouth.
What makes a martini co*cktail dry is a lower level of vermouth – a dry martini co*cktail has a low vermouth to vodka ratio. The less vermouth you put in, the drier a martini co*cktail becomes. More vermouth? That means it's a wet martini co*cktail.
Clean Martini. A dirty martini means that olive juice or olive brine is mixed in. This can be on its own, or in addition to “with a twist” for a lemon brine or “with an olive”. A clean martini refers to a martini served without a garnish.
It's easy to think of a martini as a glass of straight liquor, but vermouth is absolutely key. Dry vermouth is clear or very pale yellow in color, so it blends in visually with the rest, but offers complex botanical flavors that you might describe as citrusy, herbaceous or floral.
Stirring your martini gives it a smooth texture and chills it down to icy-cold temperatures, while still allowing the juniper-flavor of gin to shine. Shaking it melts a ton of ice into the co*cktail creating a bubbly, watery soup.
Gin is full of botanical flavors, most of which are juniper-forward. It's like the friend who's always wearing a bright, funky-colored shirt and despite how you feel about it, it just works. Gin works because it pairs really well with the herbal qualities of dry vermouth, the next key ingredient in a classic martini.
Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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