Sherry Cobbler
Sherry, sugar and orange shaken and poured over crushed ice. Light, fruity and cold; a craze of 1840s America.
- MethodShaken
- GlassCollins glass
- IceCrushed
- Strengthabout 10.2% ABV
- BaseWine & aperitivo
- Tasterefreshing, fruity, sweet
Recipe
| 90 ml 3 oz | Amontillado sherry or Fino sherry |
| 15 ml ½ oz | Simple syrup (1:1) |
Garnish. Half an orange wheel, a few berries in season and a sprig of mint on top of the ice, with a straw.
Method
- Put the sherry and syrup in a shaker with two half wheels of orange.
- Add ice and shake hard for about 10 seconds to bruise the orange and chill the wine.
- Strain into a tall glass packed with crushed ice.
- Top with more crushed ice, add the fruit and mint, and serve with a straw.
About the Sherry Cobbler
The Sherry Cobbler is sherry shaken with sugar and orange and served over a mound of crushed ice with fruit on top. It is low in alcohol, nutty and fruity, and very refreshing. Amontillado gives a rounder, nuttier drink; fino a drier, saltier one.
History
Documented
The cobbler was an American craze of the 1830s and 1840s. The earliest known record is an 1838 diary entry by Katherine Jane Ellice, a young Englishwoman travelling in New York State, who noted down a recipe. Charles Dickens wrote about cobblers after his 1842 American tour and gave the Sherry Cobbler a famous scene in Martin Chuzzlewit (1843 to 1844), where it is drunk through a straw, then a novelty. Jerry Thomas's How to Mix Drinks (1862) prints it, and it remained popular through the 19th century.
Legend and lore
The name is sometimes said to come from the "cobbles" of crushed ice. That is a guess, as is every other explanation of the name.
Disputed or unclear: The origin of the name is unknown.
Variations
- Whiskey Cobbler. Bourbon or rye in place of sherry, a little stronger.
- Bamboo. Sherry stirred with dry vermouth and bitters, served short.
- Mint Julep. Another crushed-ice classic of the same era, with spirit and mint.
Bartender's notes
- Shaking with the orange pieces is what gives the drink its fruit; do not leave them out.
- Pack the glass tightly with crushed ice; the drink should be very cold and slow to dilute.
