This work has won many ans in theindustry—in act, at January’s Copa Jerezinternational ood and sherry pairing com-petition challenging ches and sommeliersto develop and deend the best matches,American sommelier Roger Kugler took tophonors. And sales results have been good butmodest, as imports to the U.S. last year grewby 1.7%, according to gures provided bythe Sherry Council o America. The recentpopularity o Spanish ood and tapas dininghas helped, as neophytes are inevitably morewilling to try a glass o

fno

manzanilla

togo with their

croquetas.

Yet getting restaurants to carry moresherries and oer them by the glass hasn’tcreated much breakthrough in on-premiseconsumption. An insightul campaignstarted nearly ve years ago, however, hasestablished the ortied wine as part o thecocktail renaissance.

On the Menu

Could bartenders be capable o giving sherry new lie? Sherrycocktails are now showing upat many destination bars. AtCantina in San Francisco, you’llnd the “Jerez Margarita” (

re- posado

tequila, Grand Marnier,lime, agave nectar and Savory & James

amontillado

) and the “Car-men Amaya” (Rittenhouse rye, Cointreau,lemon, muddled basil and

amontillado

). In New York City, the Mexican bar and res-taurant Mayahuel, recently opened by no-table bartender Phillip Ward, eatures the“Smoked Palomino” (

amontillado

, mezcal,graperuit and lime) and the pan-Asian res-taurant Pranna included on its summer listthe “Bengal Tiger” (saron and cardamom-inused vodka,

manzanilla

, ginger juice andsparkling water).All this is no accident, but the result o aslowly building program challenging bartend-ers to develop and deend sherry cocktails. Inthe past ew years as quality ingredients, clas-sic cocktails and mixology experimentationhave taken hold o the bar business, these e-orts have been bearing ruit.As unusual an ingredient it may seem totoday’s untutored cocktail an, sherry’s ad-dition to mixed drinks predates the classicAmerican cocktail, one o the reasons SteveOlson and his aka wine geek team launchedthe competition in 2005. Originally intend-ed to be a small part o the overall sherrypromotional campaign, the contest becamecrucial to turning around the image o sherryin the U.S. Olson says the move to all-reshingredients and high-end premium versionshas helped sherry by association.“I you have a good product, it’s just amatter o time beore it becomes an impor-tant cocktail ingredient and a lot o peoplecatch on,” he says.

CompetitionBreeds Creativity

Many products employ bartender contests tospur interest and mixability in a particularcategory. But ew are as tough as the sherrycompetition. Not only must drinks be listedon a restaurant’s menu, but each competitormust explain its ood riendly qualities, howit ts with the rest o the menu and why heor she used a particular sherry.The competition has drawna response—and a high qualityo entries—that surprised evenorganizers, according to sherryambassador Andy Seymour. “Bar-tenders love new products andfavors, and while sherry isn’tnew, it’s undergoing a reawaken-ing and getting back to where it

category focus

By Jack Robertiello

Sherry, Baby

Can the Cocktail Save Spain’sClassic Fortied Wine?

or years there has been a struggle to overcome themusty image rom which classic sherry suers. It’sbeen a labor to acquaint sommeliers and retailerswith the wide range o favors sherry bodegas produce in

fno, manzanilla, amontillado, oloroso

and other styles.

At San Francisco’s Nopa,Neyah White makes the“Sherry Shrub” cocktail