One of my favorite things to do in the before times was sit at a bar. I don’t mean just go to a bar, I mean sit at the physical bar. I love the people-watching, as well as seeing the bartenders work their mixology magic.

The best is on a slower night, when you can actually strike up a conversation with the bartender. That’s when sitting at a bar is the best. Especially if you can become a recurring local.

More than once I’ve been able to chat with a bartender and have them come up with something I’ve never had before. If I’m lucky, I’ll even walk out with a recipe, usually crudely scribbled on some receipt paper. Such is the case for the cocktail this week: El Tesoro de Jerez.

I had this a long time ago when I was in New York City and took a co-worker to Please Don’t Tell. (Side note, PDT is worth going to once or twice. The atmosphere is great, but it’s kind of a pain in the ass to get in). When we sat at the bar, the bartender came over and started asking us questions about what we were in the mood for, what type of spirit we wanted, etc. I mentioned I was looking for something strong, and with gin. He came back with the Jerez. I so thoroughly enjoyed it I made a casual remark about how I’m going to bookmark it in the PDT book I have. That’s when the bartender informed me that it was not in the book, but happily wrote down what was in it so I could enjoy it at home.

El Tesoro de Jerez from PDT

2 oz. Gin (the bar uses Aviation)
.75 oz. Domaine de Canton
.5 oz Sherry 
Lemon twist for Garnish

So, apologies for leaving out the instructions after listing the ingredients. I’m actually unsure if it is supposed to be shaken or stirred, or if it is meant to be served up or on the rocks. In my infinite wisdom, I only took down the WHAT, not the HOW of this drink. So, I decided to shake with ice, and serve in a cocktail glass. I did reserve the ice in a rocks glass just in case.

On to the drink! It has a slight ginger nose, and that is about it. For a mostly gin drink I’m pleasantly surprised it doesn’t smell like it. There is a hint of something sweet, no doubt from the sherry. It isn’t too strong though.

The first sip quickly dashes any inkling that this is overly sweet. It is very gin forward, and lingers for a bit before the sherry and canton combine and come in to dampen the strong gin notes.  It is very dry, with a hint of sour in there. It also has an interesting mouth feel. It coats your palate, more so than I would expect. There isn’t anything really viscous that would linger after you’ve swallowed, but yet the Jerez feels like it. It could be a combination of ingredients. Possibly the Canton and sherry? Either way, I find it works in this cocktail.

The lemon twist doesn’t do much. Maybe adds a little bit of citrus zip, but the other flavors pretty much render it inert.

I did enjoy this, and I’m glad I was able to get the recipe. I don’t think I’d have more than one in a single sitting, however. This is best served as a pre-dinner or early evening drink.

Go forth and enjoy the weekend!

(Banner image found here)