Today’s guests claim that sherry goes with every spirit. A sherry Daiquiri? Why not?
This brings us to the Adonis, a cocktail with a split base of sherry and sweet vermouth, born behind the bar at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria. If an Americano is a low-ABV response to the Negroni, the Adonis is the low-ABV answer to the Manhattan. This fortified wine-driven riff borrows its name from the Greek god of beauty and attraction and a massively successful 1884 burlesque Broadway musical.
While fortified wine may not be as approachable as other mainstream spirits, our guests today are here to knock down sherry’s stigma as an intimidating cocktail ingredient.
It’s a sherry-soaked, historical deep dive on “Cocktail College” as we explore the Adonis. Here to break down the drink’s Broadway ties and shine a light on the delightful world of Spanish fortified wines are Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges of Denver’s Yacht Club. We’re going to talk sherry, vermouth, and even Madeira. It’s all right here on the “Cocktail College” podcast. Tune in for more.
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Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges’ Adonis Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces Valdespino Fino Inocente sherry
- 1 ½ ounces Dolin Rouge vermouth
- 1–2 dashes celery bitters
- Pinch salt or a drop of saline solution
- Garnish: lemon twist
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir until cold and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail, then discard.
