Whiskey Cocktail Hour: Minor Cobbler

Over the last few years I have become a pretty big fan of sherry. It’s not a thing I had much exposure to until I started bartending. For some people, their only exposure to sherry is in the kitchen, as an ingredient for things like sherried carrots or sherry mushrooms. My only exposure to it growing up was when my Portuguese grandmother would use it while cooking. Therefore, I heavily associated sherry with my grandma, and as such, was not eager to seek it out until I had the opportunity to taste a wide variety of sherry as part of a cocktail training I attended in New Orleans one year.

If you’re not familiar with sherry on its own, dear whiskey drinker,  you may be familiar with it as an element of the aging/barreling process that many Scotch whiskies go through. Many Scotch producers, quite notably the Macallan, use sherry barrels for finishing their whiskies. Sherry finishing can add a wonderful complexity with notes of stone fruit as well as spices that you would not typically get from using ex bourbon casks. Sherry often has a nuttiness to it that can be very enjoyable when paired with other flavors that compliment that.

It’s World Sherry Day on May 26th, and what better way to celebrate than by doing a whiskey-forward riff on arguably the most popular sherry cocktail, the Sherry Cobbler. I wanted to use a whiskey with a sherry finish, but I didn’t want to use a Scotch. That proved to be a bit of a challenge, but luckily in my research I stumbled across Minor Case, a straight rye whiskey that is finished in cream sherry casks.

Minor Case is produced and aged at MGP in Indiana, and is then finished at Limestone Branch Distillery in Kentucky. Limestone Branch was founded by Steven and Paul Beam back in 2012. You may be familiar with their other whiskey line, Yellowstone. In any case, this whiskey delivered on the sherry in some interesting ways. It has a more citrusy palate than expected and I got notes of dry curacao and orange blossom. I was excited to pair it with some sherry for this cobbler.

I ended up using two different sherries for this drink. I chose an Oloroso for its sweet rich notes, and a Fino for its dry nuttiness. Everything came together with the addition of some fresh blood orange juice and a touch of lemon to brighten it all up. Served over crushed ice, this drink is a refreshing sipper for those warmer months when you want something light and cold. I hope you’ll enjoy it and consider adding sherry to your cocktail arsenal. Cheers!

Minor Cobbler

• 1 1/2 oz Minor Case Straight Rye
• 1 oz Blood Orange Juice
• 1/2 oz Oloroso Sherry
• 1/4 oz Fino Sherry
• 1/4 oz Lemon Juice
• 1/4 oz Demerara Syrup (simple syrup made with Demerara sugar)

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a glass piled high with cobbled ice. Add more ice, and garnish with fresh berries, citrus, mint, or whatever you have on hand that’s pretty (I’m always a fan of edible flowers). Enjoy!