Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 20

S P IR ITS

Manz anilla

C OCK TA IL S
by RACHEL DELROCCO TERRAZAS

When Houston Eaves landed in Austin, Texas, behind the bar of the aptly-named Fino, the happy-hour menu
included $1 Sherries. This was an anomaly in Texas, and he recalls how the bar director, Josh Loving, had an affinity
for the category. "Josh talked about Sherry in a way that made me want to drink it and learn about it," says Eaves.

It didn't take long before the staff at Fino began to incorporate those
Sherries into the bar program. The words Fino and Manzanilla began
to pop up next to gin or in lieu of vermouth on their cocktail list. It
was a bold move to start using Sherries in their cocktails, as they were
considered esoteric and offered unique flavor profiles.
Fino and its sibling, Manzanilla (from the DO of Sanlúcar de Barrameda), are fortified and biologically aged, meaning that they age
under flor, a thin layer of yeasts created by the natural environment of
the coastal region of Jerez in southwestern Spain. This layer of yeasts
devours all traces of sugar-including glycerol, a component that adds
sweetness, weight and texture to wines, especially those with higher
alcohol levels. Without glycerol, these Sherries tend to range from 15
to 17 percent alcohol by volume, yet remain lifted, light and delicate
in structure. The flor also leaves Fino and Manzanilla Sherries bone
dry-quite different from vermouth, which often includes added sugar,

and from liqueurs, which always do. The flor can also impart unique
flavors-nutty, herbal and saline.
Eaves now runs a leading cocktail haunt in San Antonio, Downstairs
at the Esquire, where he often uses Sherry in his cocktails. Manzanilla
takes a lead role in many of his drinks, delivering a cocktail at a lower
proof than most Martinis or Manhattans. A drink like his Sherry-based
People of Reason offers a bright, low-ABV option for both wine and beer
drinkers, or anyone who wants to pair their cocktail with their dinner:
As in Spain, where Sherry is typically served with cured meats, fish,
salty olives and Marcona almonds, at Downstairs, Eaves's Sherry-based
drinks serve to elevate rather than dominate a food pairing.
"Sherry may be an unusual ingredient to see on a cocktail list, but it
tends to spark a lot of conversation," Eaves says. "Then we talk about
it, give people small pours, and we make cocktails with it-it's perfect
for our menu of meats, cheeses and oysters." n

People
of
Reason
from HOUSTON EAVES,
DOWNSTAIRS AT THE ESQUIRE

Ingredients

Instructions

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass
with ice, then strain into a cocktail glass.
Express lemon peel over the drink and
serve it with carrot ribbons soaked in
Herbsaint.
20

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2020

PHOTO BY KODY MELTON

2 ounces La Guita Manzanilla Sherry
½ ounce Reisetbauer Carrot Eau de Vie
¼ ounce pineapple gomme syrup
(Liber & Co. or Small Hands)
1 barspoon Legendre Herbsaint

Wine & Spirits - April 2020

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