Sherry Is Your Best Bet For A Low-ABV Apple Cider, According To Experts

During the holidays, seasonal favorites like mulled wine and boozy apple cider often make their way back into people's homes. Typically mixed with dark spirits like bourbon or rum, both of which have an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 40-50%, a few cups of spiked apple cider can leave you feeling very merry indeed. But because holiday drinking is a marathon, not a sprint, you might consider spiking your cider with sherry instead.

Produced in Spain, sherry is a fortified wine, meaning that distilled alcohol (typically brandy) has been added. With 15-22% ABV, sherry not only makes for a less boozy batch of cider, it also enhances the flavors of the drink. Kavé Pourzanjani, co-owner of the tropical East Village bar Paradise Lost, explained that their top choice for spiked cider is Amontillado sherry, a darker variety than the more popular Fino sherry. "The rich nuttiness of Amontillado compliments the spices in apple cider perfectly without adding the syrupy sweetness that a sherry like Pedro Ximenez might," Pourzanjani told Mashed.

Pourzanjani went on to explain, "The oxidation that occurs in the process of making Amontillado also adds some of those ripe fruit flavors that I love as well, making for a really luscious and round cocktail." Even richer and more fragrant than Amontillado sherry is the Oloroso variety, which Suzanne DeStio, sommelier and beverage director of One White Street‌, told Mashed "could be interesting" in a spiked cider. Alternatively, they suggest a pale cream sherry, which is made by combining a darker Oloroso sherry with one of the sweeter varieties, like Pedro Ximénez, for a thicker, sweeter sip.

If you want to play down the wine flavor and turn up the aromatics, Max Green, bar director at Point Seven, told Mashed that not only sherry but also vermouth can work well in cider. Another fortified wine, vermouth is heavily infused with botanicals, and according to Green, "All of the baking spice and savory notes we love are often built into the tasting notes."