Tuxedo Cocktail
The Emmy’s are on Monday. I know it’s not as prestigious as the Academy Awards, but I’m a big TV fan. (I actually prefer it over the silver screen.) So, every year I get some Chinese Food and watch the show. While I usually have a glass of wine or beer with dinner, this year, I thought I’d have a cocktail. But not just any cocktail, one that’s perfect for this celebratory occasion: the Tuxedo.
The Tux is a spin-off on the classic martini, but instead of vermouth, it uses fino sherry. If you don’t know what fino sherry is, don’t worry, neither did I. Turns out it’s a white sherry. I know! There’s a white sherry! I thought it was only brown, but that’s because that’s all I’ve ever had. The reason it’s white is because it comes from, you guessed it, white wine. But this isn’t a reisling or a pinot grigio. According to Sherry Notes, the wine is actually a dry white wine that comes from Palomino grapes. That wine is then aged under a layer of flor (a dry yeast) for anywhere between two and seven years. The final product is a sherry that’s not only dry but has notes of saline and herbs, making it an ideal partner some gin and bitters.
If sherry and gin sound like a weird combination, it’s not as strange as you might think. This liquor combo has been around since the late 1800’s, but it’s the Tuxedo that’s the most well known cocktail. You might wonder, as did I, why the drink is called a Tuxedo since it’s crystal clear. Well, it turns out the drink’s name doesn’t refer to the black, shiny suit many men wear for special occasions. It actually refers to the New Yorkers who lived in a beautiful community called Tuxedo Park, just 35 miles outside of Jersey City. Before gated communities existed in every city across the country, Tuxedo Park was an anomaly; a paradise filled with cottages and tennis courts, a golf course and a clubhouse and plenty of well-dressed New Yorkers. These Tuxedoites, as they were called, would head into the city for a good time and frequent some of the most chic bars the Big Apple had to offer, one of which was the Waldorf-Astoria, where this drink was created.
Thanks to the famous hotel and its popular bar, this cocktail still appears on menus across the country. And I, for one, am so happy it has stood the test of time. It’s delicious and herbal and a really nice change from the classic, and more popular, martini. While the differences are subtle, each drink is distinct. So, if you’re a sherry fan like me, I urge you to taste this vintage cocktail. Something tells me you’re going to love it as much as I do.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces dry gin
- 1 ounce fino sherry
- 1-2 dashes orange bitters
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass, add a twist of lemon and serve.
