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Oloroso sherry
By Ann | January 30, 2008
Before perusing Moro: The Cookbook, I thought of sherry as a very proper tipple served in stuffy British homes — something you’d drink at the vicar’s house for example. (Not that I’ve ever personally known a vicar.) It also seemed quite old fashioned and literary, the type of thing Dickens would drink, or, obviously, Edgar Allan Poe — after all, he wrote a whole short story about sherry, “The Cask of Amontillado.” (In fact, sherry is also known as “sack,” a word that I’ve definitely seen in 19th century literature.)
What is sherry? It is a wine fortified with brandy, produced in Jerez, Spain. There are several types of sherry; some are very sweet like cream sherry (yuck — the only type I had tried; I think they use it in trifle). Dry sherries include fino (pale), amontillado (darker), and oloroso or “scented” (the darkest), which is aged for long periods.
Many of Moro’s recipes call for Oloroso sherry, like yesterday’s almond tart, or an intriguing paella with chicken and artichokes that I hope to try soon. To my surprise, I found a bottle of Oloroso at my local liquor store, for $21.99. This is probably not the finest Oloroso — though the label claims it is from Jerez, it doesn’t say how long the sherry was aged — but it is delicious, with a nutty, rich flavor reminiscent of brown butter. It’s a pleasant, very civilized aperitif, though apparently it also pairs well with cheese. And what better way to enjoy a tipple, then in my new crystal sherry glasses from Washington Consignment (pictured in photo above)? I look forward to sampling more Oloroso sherry, hopefully with my friend, Sherry, who is right — everything involving Sherry is good.
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January 30th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I love the Sherry glasses! You’re on for the Sherry sampling when I come visit DC (this spring?). As an aside, my mother almost named my younger sister Brandy, but she was afraid everyone would think she was an alcoholic.