Tío Pepe Challenge In The U.S.
The Tío Pepe Challenge has been running for 7 years and is an international mixology competition for creating cocktails with Sherry, attracting professionals from 21 different countries including USA, Germany, Mexico, Colombia, Sweden, UK, China, Italy…. and many more.
Bartenders from around the world have the unique opportunity to discover the infinite possibilities of Sherry wines and, with the guidance of our experts, demonstrate their knowledge, venencia skills, and creativity and talent in crafting signature Sherry based cocktails.
2020 sees the 3rd edition of Tío Pepe Challenge in the US where bartenders will compete to gain a place in the national final to be held in Miami in April. That will decide the winner to go on and represent the US in the international final in Jerez, Spain in May.
For information on previous editions see: www.tiopepe.es/tio-pepe-challenge
To receive more information please contact: chenderson@gonzalezbyassusa.com
Prizes
In addition to a fully paid 4-day trip to Spain there's a cash prize for our top 3 finalists!
- 1st: $2000
- 2nd: $1000
- 3rd: $500
Rules & Regulations
The Tío Pepe Challenge is made up of 3 main parts:
1. Masterclass & Registration
Learn straight from the expert with masterclasses led by our Sherry Educators.
Masterclasses will be held in February 2020. These are not compulsory.
Interested bartenders will register here and upload their Sherry cocktail recipe.
Tio Pepe Challenge USA Virtual Final
We are glad to announce that our 6 US finalists will be competing virtually to become the Tio Pepe Challenge USA Champion on August 17th.
Unfortunately due to Covid 19, and in the best interests of safety, the US Final in Miami and the Global Final in Jerez had to be cancelled. However, the 6 chosen finalists from the US will be competing for judges Jeff Greif (Chilled Magazine), Daniele dalla Pola (Esotico Miami), Valentino Longo (Four Seasons Miami, TPC finalist 2018) and Alvaro Plata (Brand Ambassador Tio Pepe).
The 6 finalists - Abigail Gullo, Lance Bowman, Ricardo Acevedo, Trinh Quan Huy Philips, Sam Treadway and Damian Langarica - will show their skill with a venencia, with points for both style and accuracy, and also present their Sherry cocktail creation live.
This will be a Facebook Live Broadcast on August 17th at 3pm EST.
Please join us on Chilled's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/chilledmag
Contest Requirements
To be eligible to participate in the National Finals, candidates are required to be employed as professional bartenders, to have registered for the contest and submitted their cocktail recipe here between January 3rd and March 27th, 2020.
Entering the Tío Pepe Challenge is free of charge and participation is subject to the entrants' acceptance of all the contest's rules, regulations, legal terms and conditions.
Registration & Evaluation
Registration Closed!
National Finals
An expert jury will select the best cocktails from among all those submitted. The creators of these cocktails will compete in person at the U.S. National Final to be held in Miami on April 7th, 2020.
The selection of finalists will be based on the following criteria:
- - Sherry theory multiple choice exam (10% of final score)
- - Blind tasting of 4 Sherry Wines (15% of final score)
- - Use of the venencia (15% of final score)
- - Preparation of the contestants' signature cocktail with a Sherry Wine (60% of final score):
- - Flavor (20%)
- - Aroma (15%)
- - Presentation (15%)
- - Glass (5%)
- - Decoration (5%)
Each participant will be given a maximum of 5 minutes to prepare his/her cocktail. Prior to the National Final, each finalist will receive a professional venencia to enable them to practice their technique. The finalists will also have access to a tutorial video about the venencia for viewing here.
The jury will judge contestants on their performance in each category, and the contestant who obtains the highest final score will be chosen to represent his/her country at the International Final in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.
Roundtrip airfare and one-night hotel stay will be covered for contestants competing at the National Finals.
Judges For The U.S. Final
- Daniele Dalla Pola - Reknowned Tiki mixologist and owner of Esotico Miami
- Valentino Longo - Four Seasons Miami. US Winner 2017 edition.
- Alvaro Plata - Sherry Ambassador Gonzalez Byass.
- Chilled Magazine
About González Byass
González Byass is a family-owned, collection of wineries founded in 1835 which spans across Spain's most important wine producing regions. From its foundation the González family have been dedicated to making fine Sherries and brandies in Jerez, Spain, creating such well-known brands as Tío Pepe Fino Sherry and Lepanto Brandy de Jerez.
Today the fifth generation of the family are the custodians of these exceptional brands having built the company into a family of wineries which produces wine in some of Spain's most famous regions; Bodegas Beronia (Rioja and Rueda), Cavas Vilarnau (Barcelona), Finca Constancia (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla), Finca Moncloa (Vino de la Tierra de Cadiz), Vinas del Vero (Somontano) and Pazos de Lusco (Rías Baixas). In each of these regions the family strives to make the best possible quality wines respecting the local terroir and the environment. Recently the company has acquired the renowned Chilean winery Veramonte, based in the heart of Casablanca.
At the same time the company has also expanded its interests further in the premium spirits business and has created pioneering brands such as The London No.1, MOM Gin, Druide Vodka and Nomad Outland Whisky.
Materials
Theory Presentation
Download the presentation here
Venencia Tutorial Video
Winners


Legacy - 1st Place (Tied)
Recipe by Damian Langarica
Ingredients:
- 2 oz (60ml) Don alfonso oloroso sherry
- 0.75 oz (20ml) spiced demerara syrup*
- 0.5 oz (15ml) preserved lemon juice**
- 1 egg white
- 0.5 oz (15ml) cinnamon Nectar Pedro Ximenez sherry***
Preparation:
Combine and dry shake all the ingredients except the PX sherry, then add ice and shake again. Double strain into a chilled coupe, and slowly pour the PX through a barspoon to the bottom of the glass to create the layering effect. Finally garnish the drink with an orange peel and grated cinnamon
*spiced demerara syrup:
Mix 2 parts of demerar sugar with 1 part of water, let it simmer until all the sugar is dissolved, then add (recipe for 2 quart of demerara syrup)
2 broken cinnamon stick,
1/4 of grated nutmeg,
8 pieces of star anise,
5 tbsp of clove,
3 tbsp of juniper berries
3 tbsp of whole cardamom
4 tbsp of allspice
2 tbsp of black peppercorn
And let everything simmer at low-medium heat for about 10 minutes
Preserved lemon juice**
For every 100grs of fresh lemon juice add 10 grs of preserved lemon brine (equal parts lemon oils, salt and sugar)
Cinnamon infused Px*** (quick infusion)
Add 7 broken sticks of cinnamon into with 500 ml of Nectar Px, combine all the ingredients in a ISI shipon and double charge the shipon and let infuse for 5 minutes
Garnish:
Orange peel/ Grated cinnamon
Glassware:
Sour coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
When I was creating this cocktail I wanted to create a cocktail where all the ingredients had a meaning that could relate to the history of sherry
This cocktail for me represents a small storyline throughout time and how all the different cultures that lived in Jerez helped to develop sherry into what it is today. The use of preserved lemon represents how the phoenicians who were great travelers, used a preservation technique by covering food in salt which was essential for long distance travel. They also brought wine making to the region.
I chose oloroso and Px as a representation of the Moors who were the ones who developed the fortification and distillation process into Iberia.
The use of exotic spices and sugar which weren't native to the region, represent the time when the Jerez was reconquered by the Spanish and became an open door to the new world and new flavors. They would ultimately help to export sherry throughout the world, giving it the repution that it has today.
The drink itself is also a tasting trip from both of the main grapes used in sherry(Palomino and Pedro Ximenez). In your first sip you will taste the dry but rich complex flavors of the oloroso, with subtle notes of baking spices from the syrup and enlightened by salty citrus. The more you drink and get closer to the end of your glass, you will discover new flavors coming from your spiced Px that will keep you entertained from your first sip to your last.
SALUD


When Worlds Collide - 1st Place (Tied)
Recipe by Ricardo Acevedo
Ingredients:
- Tio Pepe 1.75
- Coconut vermouth .75 oz
- Lemongrass sake .75 oz
- Saline
- Ginger olive oil 3 drops
- Stir all ingredients except ginger olive oil.
- Strain into Nick and Nora the finish with 3 drops of ginger olive oil.
Preparation:
Lemongrass sake:
375 ml dry sake.
50 grams lemongrass
Cook lemongrass on skillet on medium for 3 minutes to open up flavors. Blend sake with lemongrass then allow to infuse for 8 hours. Fine strain and refrigerate.
Coconut vermouth :
400 ml white vermouth
200 ml unrefined coconut oil.
Melt coconut oil then mix with vermouth . Store in airtight container and allow infusion for 20 hours. Fine strain through coffee filter and store.
Ginger olive oil:
60 grams fresh ginger
30 grams olive oil
On medium heat cook olive oil with chopped up ginger for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and store and infuse in airtight container for 16 hours. Fine strain and store.
Garnish:
Grapefruit peel ( express and discard)
Glassware:
Nick and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
When I was 13 years old me and my family moved to Singapore from Mexico.
The first dish I ever tried was A restaurants take on the iconic Tom kha soup.
As a kid trying unknown flavors to my palate such as lemongrass, Thai lime leaf, coconut milk and ginger created one of the most amazing culinary moments I had ever experienced.
Using the template of the bamboo cocktail I wish to recreate that moment using similar ingredients in a more subtle and elegant way that allows the Tio Pepe to shine through .


Foolish Men - 3rd Place
Recipe by Abigail Gullo
Ingredients:
- 1.75 oz Tio Pepe Fino En Rama Sherry
- .75 oz Singani or Pisco
- .75 oz Cocchi Rosa
- ½ oz Gonzalas Byass Solera 1847, Oloroso Dulce
- Garnish:
- 4 drops saline rosemary thyme olive oil solution*
Preparation:
Stir ingredients in a mixing glass and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with 4 drops of saline rosemary thyme olive oil solution*
*To make the soluntion, infuse 1 cup of olive oil with 2 fresh sprigs each of rosemary and thyme and let sit for at least 24 hours. Remove herbs and add 1 tablespoon of 1:1 sea salt hot water solution. Stir until incorporated.
Garnish:
4 drops saline rosemary thyme olive oil solution*
Glassware:
Chilled stemmed cocktail glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was inspired by Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz who wrote a famous poem titled Foolish Men. She is known as America’s First Feminist and she was bad ass. Sor Juna Inez was an erotic feminist poet in the 17th century who refused marriage to a viceroy and became a nun instead so she could have her creative and actual freedom. Unwittingly, the path I seem to have taken as well. Though I hope to avoid death by leprosy.
To honor her, I choose an unaged American brandy to play with the Tio Pepe en rama as well as a soft rose vermouth. This holy trinity makes a mouth watering aperitif cocktail. A touch of duche Oloroso gives the cocktail some backbone, like the lovely lady herself. And the drops of olivie oil solution on top enhances the top nots of salinity from the sherry while creating a savory mouth feel.
Entries

Sherry Mai Tai

Sherry Mai Tai
Recipe by Evan Charest
Ingredients:
- 2oz Tio Pepe Fino
- .5oz Aurora Amontillado Sherry
- 1oz Pistachio Orgeat ( recipe below )
- 1oz Lime Juice
- 1 Dash Orange Bitters
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, shake & strain into a small stemless wine glas with crushed ice. Top with crushed ice to fill and garnish with a mint bloom.
Pistachio Orgeat Recipe:
3 cups near-boiling water
7 oz. shelled, unsalted pistachios
2 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
Nut-milk bag (or super bag)
In a blender, combine the water and pistachios and blend on high for 2 full minutes. Fine-strain the nut mixture through a nut-milk bag into a container. Add the sugar and blend again for an additional minute.
Garnish:
Mint Bloom
Glassware:
Small Stemless Wine Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Our menu is focused exclusively on low abv, champagne, and sherry cocktails with over 30 sherries by the glass and and extensive bottle selection.
Because of this we wanted to created a few tiki classics, but with 100% sherry base. We found fino with the addition of a small amount of amontillado a classic mai tai was given a fun and innovative twist. Plus the incorporation of house pistachio orgeat allowed for a more lush and elegant profile.

Sidewinder Islander

Sidewinder Islander
Recipe by Josh Curtis
Ingredients:
- Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Sherry
- Reposado Tequila
- Mezcal
- Pineapple
- Lime
Preparation:
Pour the ingredients into the small half of a Koriko shaker tin, dry shake without ice and pour unstrained into a clay pot. Fill with crushed ice.
Garnish:
Activated sage branch.
Glassware:
Clay pot
Cocktail Inspiration:
I'm fascinated with the Algonquin cocktail and a sense of flavors created by the combination of dry vermouth against pineapple. I’ve found that the Rye whiskey can be exchanged with most spirits. Also Tio Pepe Fino dry Sherry is a more nutty, flavorful replacement for dry vermouth.

Tres Uvas

Tres Uvas
Recipe by Eric Kurss
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Tío Pepe Fino Sherry
- .5oz Pisco
- .5oz Dry Vermouth
- .25oz Dry Curacao
- .25oz Vanilla Gomme Syrup
- Orange Peel Garnish
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass
Add ice
Stir until chilled and properly diluted
Strain into Coupe Glass
Express orange oils and swath over rim
Hang orange peel on rim for garnish
Garnish:
Orange Peel
Glassware:
Coupe Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
After falling in love with Sherry on a trip to Spain a few years back, it instantly became a go-to staple at my home bar, as well as my work bar. I'm fascinated by it's variability, complexion and ability to create well-rounded, low-ABV alternative cocktails. I love sharing stories and recipes with guests, bouncing ideas off each other and deciphering the mystique of different expressions of the grapes. This specific cocktail came to mind while recipe testing for a new restaurant opening menu. Choosing sherry, dry vermouth and Pisco tie in a balance among three different grape-oriented juices. The orange and vanilla are subtle, but round out the flavor profiles to create a balanced, fun cocktail for your 5:00pm breather or your swan song before retiring at the end of a night.

Fino Island

Fino Island
Recipe by Sam Treadway
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Tio Pepe fino sherry
- 1 oz pineapple juice
- 0.5 oz orgeat
- 0.25 oz green chartreuse
- 0.25 oz lime juice
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients with ice
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish:
Lime wheel, pineapple frond on a umbrella pick
Glassware:
Nick and nora or similar cocktail glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I lived in Hawaii for a year and it became part of my soul. I love the beaches, the people, the sea salt air and the spirit of the islands.
I wanted to take the deliciously savory salty vibe of Tio Pepe fino sherry and send it across the globe to a tropical getaway.
The "Fino Island" is refreshing and low abv. It has classic tiki flavors with pineapple, lime and orgeat, but then a unique savory quality with the sherry and chartreuse.

Chocolate Covered Sherry

Chocolate Covered Sherry
Recipe by Thomas Carrara
Ingredients:
- 2oz Tio Pepe Sherry
- 3/4 oz Chocolate Covered Cherry Cordial
- 1 oz Lepanto Brandy
- 2 oz Cream Soda
- Edible Flowers as Garnish
Preparation:
Cherry Chocolate cordial:
Macerate cherrys and coco nibs, cover in neutral grain spirit, let sit for 2 hours, strain and 1:4 ratio sugar to weight of cordiall.
Combine all ingredients from cocktail(except cream soda) light whip, top off with cream soda and garnish in a 7 oz glass.
Enjoy!
Garnish:
Edible flowers
Glassware:
8oz glass or snifter
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was inspired by my dad who would love cream soda and Sherry. I always thought it was an amazing combination. After putting this cocktail together I see why he loved it so much!

Velvet Star

Velvet Star
Recipe by Logan Saunders
Ingredients:
- .75 lemon juice
- .5 ginger syrup
- .25 st Elizabeth allspice dram
- .5 plantation 5 Star rum
- 2 oz medium Gonzalez Byass sherry
Preparation:
Ginger syrup:
Juice fresh ginger
Weigh juice
Add equal parts Demerara sugar by weight
Combine components in shaker tin
Shake
Fine strain over big cube in rocks glass
Garnish:
Star anise pod on big cube
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Sherry is one of my favorite liquids. It’s main influence isn’t necessarily the grape. Oxygen makes sherry truly what it is. This cocktail brings out all of the nuttiness and complexity of the sherry while being bright and spicy.

My Sherrey Amore

My Sherrey Amore
Recipe by Christine Gumpper
Ingredients:
- 1.5 ounce. Bombay gin
- .75 oloroso El meistro Sierra Sherry 15 años
- .25 luxardo marachino liquor
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- Absinthe rinse
Preparation:
Pour ingredients into mixing mixing glass, stir, double strain into coupe
Garnish:
Orange Twist
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
The mariachi's name was Kris.

Red Sun Rising

Red Sun Rising
Recipe by Jared Bailey
Ingredients:
- 50 mL Caol Ila 12
- 50 mL Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Sherry
- 3 Dashes Fee Brothers Cranberry Bitters
- 15 mL Amaro Nonino
- 1 Dash Orgeat Syrup
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, and stir until well-chilled. Strain neat into a martini glass and garnish with a flamed lemon peel.
Garnish:
Toasted Lemon Peel
Glassware:
Martini Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
When considering the briny and coastal aspects that are imparted into the flavor profile of the Palomino Fino Sherry, my thoughts immediately jumped to another coastal inspired drink in the Caol Ila, whos flavor profile lends itself to emphasizing the flavors in the sherry instead of suppressing or fighting them. In striving for complete balance in the drink, I wanted to add some sweetness and to raise the drink from completely earth-toned and elevate it with a fruit, which is why I chose to add the amaro, bitters, and orgeat.

Breath of Air

Breath of Air
Recipe by Kristopher Kneisler
Ingredients:
- Highland park magnus, sherry finished scotch 4 parts
- Manzanilla sherry 3 parts
- Palo cortado sherry 2 parts
- Honey 1 part
- Italicus 2 parts
- Regans orange bitters 2 dashes
Preparation:
Pour all ingredients into a glass, stir. pour into chilled coupe. enjoy!
Garnish:
Express and discard orange peel
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to highlight different flavors of sherry through finished whisky and and bright manzanilla sherry as well as the mingling of different flavors developed through oxidation in this cocktail. Combining that with bright fruit flavors makes for a nice drink. cheers!

Midas Touch

Midas Touch
Recipe by Christopher Day
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Tio Pepe Fino
- 0.5 oz Rhum Clement Canne Bleue
- 0.75 oz Pineapple Gomme*
- 0.5 oz Lime
- Small pinch salt
Preparation:
Build in a shaker tin and hard shake.
Double strain into coupe (or a teacup, if your bar doesn't have coupes).
Garnish.
*Pineapple Gomme* : Fold 250g cane or granulated sugar into 250mL FRESH pineapple juice under low heat (til it simmers).
Bottle and store cold for up to 1 month.
Garnish:
Lime wheel (with or without pineapple)
Glassware:
Coupe/Teacup
Cocktail Inspiration:
The over-arching theme of my thought process while making this drink was, "something fun and approachable that would appeal to sherry and non-sherry drinkers alike."
I'd argue that nobody DOESN'T like a pineapple daiquiri, which is where the base of this drink is derived, subbingpineapple juice for a rich gomme in order to fill and compliment the dry nuttiness of Tio Pepe and fortifying it slightly with a grassy, funky agricole rum for good measure.
As it's name suggests, I'm hoping that this drink drinks like liquid gold.

Levante y Poniente

Levante y Poniente
Recipe by Emanuel Santiago
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Tío Pepe Fino
- .75oz Flor de Caña Gran Reserva 7 Year Rum
- .75oz Wildflower Honey Syrup (3:1)
- .5oz Lemon Juice
- 1 Spray The Bitter Truth Creole Bitters (In Atomizer)
Preparation:
Cocktail:
1. Combine all ingredients in mixing tin.
2. Add ice and shake.
3. Fine strain into chilled glass.
4. Using a julep strainer, serve Chamomile Air up to the rim of the glass.
5. Spray bitters in atomizer over the foam being careful not to create indentations on top of the foam.
6. Garnish with edible flower.
Chamomile Air
Ingredients:
655g Strong Chamomile Tea
200g Hot Water
55g Simple Syrup
42g Lemon Juice
8g Sucro
Equipment: Digital Scale, 2 Hotel Pans (one small, one large), Immersion Blender.
Prep:
1. Activate Sucro by mixing it with hot water (at least 158°F) and blending it with a hand blender.
2. Once the Sucro has activated (and is well blended), remove from heat and combine with rest of the ingredients in an ice bath
3. Blend with an immersion hand blender.
4. Let rest until Chamomile air is cool, blend when needed for service.
Garnish:
Chamomile Air (See Prep Instructions.) , Edible Flower
Glassware:
Vintage Diamond Line Cocktail Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
My cocktail was inspired by the two winds that blow through Jerez, the Levante and the Poniente.
The Levante is represented in the Chamomile Air that is on top of the cocktail which flower grows in some parts of Jerez.It is dry and pleasant with added complexity thanks to the Creole Bitters.
The Poniente which is the cooling wind is represented by the actual cocktail which features Tio Pepe Fino as its main component. While experimenting with different spirits i found Flor de Caña 7 year added an incredible sense of rusticity to the cocktail which is made even better by a combination of honey syrup and lemon.
The edible flower is a nod to the flowers Spanish flamenco dancers wear while dancing.

When it Rains

When it Rains
Recipe by Jeremy Young
Ingredients:
- 1.25 oz Alfonso Oloroso Sherry
- 1.25 oz Plantation Fancy Pineapple Rum
- 1.25 oz Jays Basic Stock Mix #1**
- 10 blueberries
- 2 dashes Chocolate Bitters (I used fee brothers)
Preparation:
**Jays Basic Stock Mix#1
5.5 oz fresh grapefruit juice
4 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz honey
3 oz Falernum
1 oz Angostura
3 dash cinnamon
In a shaker tin build:
Chocolate bitters
Blueberries
Stock mix
Sherry
Pineapple rum
Add ice, and shake for 8 seconds
Fine strain into tiki mug
Top generously with crushed ice
Garnish with pineapple fronds, and a skewers of blueberries.
Garnish:
Pineapple fronds and a Skewer of Blueberries
Glassware:
Tiki Mug
Cocktail Inspiration:
They say inspiration can come from anywhere. This cocktail inspiration came to me one afternoon sitting at a patio bar with some good friends enjoy a local IPA. They flavor was phenomenal with the citrus from grapefruit and pineapple and a hint of blueberries and I knew I wanted to translate this painting into a cocktail. After much trial and error getting the flavors to pair just how I imagined them in the beer, I present to you "When it rains".

If Sherry had a soul

If Sherry had a soul
Recipe by Katerina Markoska
Ingredients:
- 2oz Sherry (Pedro Ximenez)
- 2oz Pomegranate Liquor (Pama)
- Ginger beer
- Mint leaves
- 2 Lime wedges
Preparation:
In a cocktail shaker we add mint leaves , Sherry , pomegranate liquor and squeeze 2 lime wedges.
Fill the glass with ice , and shake it vigorously for 10 sec.
With the strainer release the content into a glass top it of with ginger beer.
Garnish:
Lime swirl on the stem with a mint and peeled off lime wheel
Glassware:
Coupe glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Just like the song Sherry Baby by Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons
This cocktail is nocturnal, romantic sips nice and easy and make you loose you mind with elegance and texture.

Fortunado's Demise

Fortunado's Demise
Recipe by Olivia Knighton
Ingredients:
- 50mL Gonzalez Byass Jerez 12yo Amontillado Seco
- 20mL Gonzalez Byass Jerez Rojo Vermouth La Copa
- 15mL Templeton Rye
- 2.5mL Regan's Orange Bitters No 6
- 2.5 Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters
Preparation:
In a 5 Liter barrel (previously housing aged Black Manhattan's) combine;
2,750mL Amontillado, 1,100mL Rojo Vermouth, 825mL Templeton Rye, 137.5mL Regan's Orange Bitters No 6, and 137.5 Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters.Fortunado's Demise will see oak for 6-8 weeks, then bottled in glass and stored chilled. To serve, simply measure 90mL, stir slightly in ice, strain into a coupe, and express/discard a fresh orange peel.
Garnish:
Expressed & discarded orange peel
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Following the inspired theme of 'The Blackbird,' Fortunado's Demise is a play on the classic poem by Edgar Allen Poe, The Cask of Amontillado. Fortunado being the poor soul who was seduced by a delicious aged sherry wine and met his demise. The orange and rhubarb bitters in the cocktail were inspired by the nut and citrus nuances both the sherry and rye contains. Barrel aging is a wonderful program I run in the bar I manage, and am curious how this cocktail will taste after weeks in new American oak. As I have not tasted the end result, if chosen, I will be eager to share the finished in oak cocktail with the judges.

Todo Para Ti

Todo Para Ti
Recipe by Jacquenette Arnette
Ingredients:
- 1.5 rhum agricole
- .75 sherry de Jerez
- .50 fresh grapefruit juice
- .50 maraschino liquor
Preparation:
Hard Shake all ingredients and strain
Garnish:
Luxardo wrapped into grapefruit peel on a pic and 3 dashes angostura bitters
Glassware:
Nic and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to make another version of the Hemingway Daiquiri that wasn’t so lean and citrus forward. This one is more robust and the sourness from the grapefruit and the heat from the rhum really pair well with the condensed sweetness of the sherry.

Pepe in Paradise

Pepe in Paradise
Recipe by Michael Demahy
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Tio Pepe fino
- .5 oz Nectar, Pedro Ximenez
- .5 oz acid adjusted pineapple juice
- .25 oz falernum
- 1 bar spoon oleo saccharum
Preparation:
Acid adjusted pineapple juice - fresh pineapple 2%citric acid 1% malic acid
Falernum - 32 oz Wray and nephew rum, 200 cloves, 3 tablespoons whole allspice, 4 nutmeg, 29 lime zests, 1.5 cups ginger. Toast spices, add all ingredients to rum let sit for 24 hrs. Strain. Add 8 cups sugar, 4 cups water, and 40 drops almond extract.
Óleo saccharum - one cup orange, grapefruit, and lemon peals. 3/4 cups sugar. Let sit for 24 hours. Strain.
Garnish:
Mint, nutmeg
Glassware:
Snifter
Cocktail Inspiration:
My inspiration for Pepe in Paradise came from Gonzalez Byass being a family company, and that Tio Pepe is named after his uncle. Family is something I hold very close. I was raised in Pensacola Florida home of the most beautiful beach. When I started bartending and making cocktails I was instantly drawn to tropical exotic cocktails. They remind me of where I’m from and my family. I love the idea of creating a cocktail that transports you to a different time and place. Which is what I did with the cocktail Pepe in Paradise.

Pionera

Pionera
Recipe by Andrea Pentabona
Ingredients:
- 1.75 oz Solera 1847
- .5 oz Macchu Pisco
- .5 oz Giffard Apricot Brandy
- .25 oz Demerara Cinnamon syrup
- 1 whole egg
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to the shaker tin and dry shake. Add ice and shake until thoroughly incorporated. Double strain into glass. Garnish with fresh grated cinnamon and expressed lemon peel (discard).
Garnish:
Fresh grated cinnamon and expressed lemon peel
Glassware:
Large vintage coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was inspired by the classic Josephine Baker cocktail. This drink is a continuation of the spirit of the amazing woman. She was a celebrated entertainer but so much more, a civil rights activist, mother and trail blazer. The ingredients in this cocktail are unique and together they are more than the sum of their parts. The pisco and cinnamon highlight the subtle floral and baking spice notes in the sherry bringing a new dimension to the classic flavor profile of the cocktail. It's a delightful sip somewhere between dessert and a nightcap-or to start the evening if you’re feeling sassy.

Solar Vortex

Solar Vortex
Recipe by Rachel Sandra Johnson
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Tio Pepe Palamino Fino
- 0.5 oz Giffard Banane du Brésil
- 0.5 oz Aperol
- 0.5 oz lime juice
- 0.25 oz cinnamon syrup
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients with ice. Double strain into a coupe. Garnish with a fennel frond and a paper butterfly.
Cinnamon Syrup:
32 oz demerara sugar
16 oz filtered water
5 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
Simmer (don't boil) all ingredients for 30 minutes, then strain & chill
Garnish:
Fennel frond and paper butterfly
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
In January 2019, Chicago experienced a Polar Vortex, a whirling mass of Arctic air flowing south & sending windchills of -50 Fahrenheit through the Midwest. Soon after, I brought my 1-year-old daughter for her first visit to the butterfly room at Chicago's nature museum. Standing in the sunlight streaming through the greenhouse, I felt the tension of the endless Chicago winter lift for an hour. We breathed warm air while butterflies flew around us, our coats and sweaters forgotten in a pile. It was a brief respite, a mini daycation of color, sun, and warmth. “Solar Vortex” is that moment in a glass; “solar” for Jerez’s annual 300 days of sun and “vortex” for the meeting of the fresh Atlantic breeze with the warm African/Mediterranean wind that together influence the terroir for the Palomino Fino grapes. Solar Vortex, featuring Gonzalez Byass’s flagship sherry Tio Pepe Palomino Fino, is a cocktail that brings the sun to you!

The Mad Hätten

The Mad Hätten
Recipe by Aaron Broadworth
Ingredients:
- 2 parts Sazerac 6yr Rye
- 1/2pt sherry (Tío Pepe)
- 1/2pt cherry liqueur (Herring)
- 1 part *Housemade Spiced Pear syrup
Preparation:
*Prep Housemade syrup:
Slice 3 fresh Bosc pears and place in a pan. Cover well with granulated sugar. Place 1-2 cinnamon sticks in pan. Grate one whole nutmeg and add. Place 2 to 3 whole clove in next. Add hot water until pears are fully submerged. Let steep. Transfer to a clean pan over medium - high heat and bring to boil.Simmer 10 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth into a sterilized empty fifth.
To Build:
Combine all ingredients in shaker with 1 scoop of bar ice. Shake vigorously for 10-20 seconds. Double strain into whiskey glass over big block ice.
Garnish:
3 Pear "fan" slices
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The Fall Season in Michigan is MY inspiration, so I used this for my Fall craft cocktail menu selection as a former member of Craft Co Flint bartenders. I love a great rye Manhattan on the back porch during the Fall season. The term "Hätten" was chosen as its meaning is "to possess". I wanted my cocktail to capture the many flavors of northern Michigan. Hence, I offer to the guests these Mad Flavours of Fall... Those tart cherries, fresh picked pears and all the spices to cure what ails your end of summer blues.

Monstruo Verde

Monstruo Verde
Recipe by Katie Hubbard
Ingredients:
- 1.5 Ounces of Fino Tío Pepe
- 1.5 Ounces of La Copa Blanco Vermouth
- 0.5 Ounces of Green Chartreuse
- 1 dash of Cucumber Bitter Truth Bitters
- 1 dash of Celery Bitter Truth Bitters
Preparation:
Pour Tio Pepe, La Copa Blanco, and Green Chartreuse into a mixing glass, then add 1 dash of Cucumber Bitters and 1 dash of Celery Bitters. Stir over ice for 30 seconds, or until completely chilled and combined. Pour into a chilled 4-5oz decorative coupe glass. With a small circus peeler, curl a long string of lime into a twist and lay atop the beverage.
Garnish:
Lime twist
Glassware:
4 Ounce Coupe Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Monstruo Verde is the epistolary love language between Boston and Jerez. Named for the "Green Monster" of Fenway Park, Monstruo Verde transports you back to Jerez without the airfare. Fino Tío Pepe is carefully blended with La Copa Blanco, a nod to one of the first ever sherry cocktails, the Bamboo, which along with the Sherry Cobbler took Jerez to the forefront of the craft cocktail scene in America. The light spiciness of the vermouth grounds the cocktail, while the salt and fruit of the Fino play along the tongue. Green chartreuse is added to accentuate the vermouth botanicals, and cucumber and celery bitters highlight the oceanic poniente present in the wine as well as round out the smooth nose of the albariza aroma. Garnished simply and elegantly with a lime twist. Monstruo Verde is herbaceous, clean and bright like Tio Pepe Fino, a balance of two fortified wines, two cities.

Amplified Sherry Gimlet

Amplified Sherry Gimlet
Recipe by Allison Sadauskas
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Tio Pepe Sherry
- 1 oz. English Gin (I used Burnett's but any English style gin will do)
- 1 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
- .5 oz. House Made Rosemary Simple Syrup
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into chilled martini glass
Garnish:
Lime Wheel & Rosemary Sprig
Glassware:
Martini Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Tio Pepe Sherry is a great foundation on which to build a twist on many classic cocktails. Rosemary grows abundantly in the area in which I live (San Francisco East Bay) and I like to find creative ways to use it in my cocktails. The rosemary simple syrup I make from scratch with organic rosemary from my garden pairs nicely with various spirits, so this twist on the classic gimlet is a fun and tasty way to pair it with Tio Pepe!

Gone With the Poniente

Gone With the Poniente
Recipe by Rob McShea
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Gonzalez Byass Amontillado Sherry
- 1.0oz Fig Infused rye whiskey
- 3 dash of Honeyed Apricot + smoked bitters
- Add ingredients to mixing glass with fresh ice; stir
- pour into coupe
Preparation:
the only prep required is infusing the rye whiskey with fig. I used the sous vide method:
Add one bottle of rye whiskey, preferably something around 80 proof, to a seal-able plastic bag. Also add 8 figs cut into quarters into the bag, remove all air from the bag.
Place in a hot water bath with an immersion circulator; cook for 2hours @ 135 degrees.
When it has done cooking, remove the bag from the water, and fine strain the mixture until only spirit is left.
Garnish:
two orange peel "leaves"
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I really enjoy drinking Amontillado sherry, specifically in Manhattan variations. What i have essentially created here, is a reverse Manhattan with the Amontillado as the predominate spirit and star of the show.
I have also layered flavors that compliment the Amontillado sherry, including apricot and fig, and have added a layer of smokiness for an extra dimension

Denver

Denver
Recipe by Jorge Ortega
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Sherry Wine
- .5oz Bourbon
- .5oz Sweet Vermouth
- .5oz Coffee Liquor
- 3 Dashes Orange Bitters
Preparation:
Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass and stir until chilled. Pour into glass
Garnish:
Gold leaf
Glassware:
Globe with ice sphere
Cocktail Inspiration:
inspired by a classic Manhattan. I wanted to create a cocktail that was smooth and pleasant to drink any time of the day and that could be equally enjoyed by both sexes.

Beyond the Veil

Beyond the Veil
Recipe by Kayleigh Speck
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Sherry
- 1 oz Clarified Milk Cordial*
- .25 oz Orgeat
- 2 dashes Oyster Shell Tincture
- Chive and Cilantro Garnish
Preparation:
Combine all ingridients and throw 6 times between mixing tins in order to aerate, aromatize, and dilute the cocktail. Pour over fresh ice in wine glass, and garnish with chive and cilantro.
*Clarified Milk Cordial
25 oz Spanish Gin
9 oz Ginger Liquor
12 oz Simple Syrup (2:1)
9 oz Pineapple Juice
9 oz Lemon Juice
.25 oz Vanilla Extract
40 oz Whole Milk
-Combine all ingredients in large container (except milk)
-Scald milk (do not boil), Add to base mixture, allowing to curdle
-Remove curds (and discard) with a fine mesh strainer, and strain remining liquid through cheese cloth. Allow cordial to settle 24 hours for optimal clarification
Garnish:
Chive and Cilantro
Glassware:
Wine Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Inspired by terroir, 'Beyond the Veil' is designed to speak of the relationship between my home in coastal Rhode Island, and the Jerez D.O. of Spain. Tio Pepe is strongly influenced by both the cooling effects of the Atlantic Ocean (in which Rhode Island also shares) and the warmth that originates in the eastern plains. The coastal winds’ moderate temperatures help to preserve acidity and also provide natural air-conditioning in the wine cellars. The flor responsible for the biological aging of Tio Pepe is specific to the region and its terroir and Albariza soil. In comparison, there is nothing truer to the terroir of Rhode Island than its seafood, specifically, oysters. Strangely enough, oysters and Albariza soil contain the same predominant chemical compound, calcium carbonate. Hence, a beautiful representation of both terroirs; Rhode Island, and the sherry region of Spain.
The ingredients used in ‘Beyond the Veil’ are meant to accentuate the nuances of Tio Pepe Palomino Fino. A tincture made of RI oyster brine and shells enhances the salinity of the sherry, whereas, the clarified milk cordial and orgeat bring fourth the more subtle notes of wild herbs, yeast, and almond.

Tres Tradiciones

Tres Tradiciones
Recipe by Kai Wilson
Ingredients:
- Tio Pepe En Rama
- DO Ferreiro Orujo de Galicia
- Atxa Pacharan
- Lemon Juice
- Egg White
Preparation:
Add 1.5 oz of Tio Pepe En Rama, 0.5 oz of Orujo de Galicia, 0.5 oz of Pacharan, 0.25 oz of lemon juice and the whites of one medium egg to a shaker. Dry shake to incorporate the ingredients, add ice to the shaker and shake to chill and develop the egg foam. Strain in a chilled coupe.
Garnish:
None
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to celebrate the rich cultural diversity in spirits throughout Spain by combining sherry with Galician orange brandy and Catalonian sloe gin. I wanted to pull from these different "corners" of Spain to transcend the regional origins with a new harmony. Each component is identifiable while contributing to the larger unity of the drink, all delivered with a rich mouthfeel from the En Rama and egg white. The drink’s foam cover over the slight pink hue is reminiscent of the flor’s protective covering of aging sherry.

Sherry Infinity

Sherry Infinity
Recipe by Leinet Nelson Gonzalez Villavicencio
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 Oz Tio Pepe Fino
- 3/4 Oz London No1 infused with beets
- 3/4 Oz Lillet blanc
- 1/2 Oz Mango Spiced Liqueur (Las Vegas)
- 1 Dash Orange Flower Water
Preparation:
We infused the London No1 Gin with red beets for 15 minutes.
Stir and Strain into a chilled Nick And Nora glass.
Garnish with an Edible Flower.
Garnish:
Edible Flower
Glassware:
Nick and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
I got inspired by a follow bartender who went to the process last year and went to Spain. He told all about the deep rich history that Gonzalez Byass has in the town of Jerez. He made me love sherry by teaching me all about it. I wanted to server fino a cocktail to provided an experience for my guest at the bar. Bring the sherry revolution to Las Vegas.

Tio Tomillo

Tio Tomillo
Recipe by Rory Caviness
Ingredients:
- 1.75 oz Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- 0.75 oz Wahaka Espadin Mezcal
- 0.375 oz (half of 0.75) St Germain Elderflower liqueur
- 0.25 oz Claque Pépin Vielle Réserve Organic Calvados
- 2 barspoons Suze liqueur
Preparation:
Add above ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice to chill. Place garnish of Thyme and Star Anise on a stone slate surface and use a cooking torch to flame ingredients for a few seconds then place a large coupe glass over top and let glass fill with smoke. Then strain the cocktail into the smoke filled coupe glass and serve right away. Santé!
Garnish:
A few sprigs of Thyme and one Star Anise
Glassware:
Large Coupe Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I really enjoy the Tio Pepe Fino Sherry on it's own. In this drink, I wanted something that still allowed the Fino Sherry to be present with adding some complexity and flavor at the same time. Overall, I wanted a light, crisp, Fino Sherry forward, sipping cocktail that would be perfect for a late afternoon if I were on a beach somewhere in the South of Spain.

DREAMBOAT

DREAMBOAT
Recipe by Edward Gibbons-Brown
Ingredients:
- 2.5 oz Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- .75 oz Giffard Pamplemousse
- .25 oz Clear Creek Pear Liqueur
- 1 tsp Agave Syrup*
- 3 dashes Bar Keep Apple Bitters
Preparation:
METHOD: Stir all ingredients with ice until chilled. Strain over a single large rock.
*AGAVE SYRUP
650 g organic light blue agave nectar
200 g hot water
Combine and stir to dissolve agave. Cool to room temperature and store refrigerated for up to 1 month.
Garnish:
Orange twist, expressed
Glassware:
Double rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is all about the sherry. Drawing inspiration from the classic sherry cocktail, the "Adonis," I started with a Fino sherry base and built outwards from there. I love the combination of Fino and pear, and from there some spiced apple notes were a natural fit. Grapefruit rounds out the playful flavor profile for a delicious, slammable session cocktail.

Los Caballeros

Los Caballeros
Recipe by Geoff Wirth
Ingredients:
- 50 mL Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin
- 50mL Vermut Lustau
- 50mL Tio Pepe Palomino Fino
- 5mL 10% saline solution
Preparation:
Add ingredients to mixing glass and stir until chilled. Strain glass and garnish with olives.
Garnish:
3 Queen Sevillano Olives
Glassware:
Nick and Nora glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I am inspired by the legendary horses of the Spanish southwest and the cohesion of natural beauty and artisanal craft in both spirits and culture.
I was inspired to highlight sherry and also to find balance. I evaluated different ratios of the three spirits and found equal measures to contribute both complexity and deliciousness.

Below The Flor

Below The Flor
Recipe by Travis Gale
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Fino En Rama
- 1/2 oz Real Mccoy 5 Year
- 1/3 oz Velvet Falernum
- 1/6 oz Lime Juice
- 1 Grapefruit Swath
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and shake with two pieces of ice, proceed to shake. The objective is too aerate ingredients while controlling dilution. Fill your glass half way with pebble ice and single strain into glass. Fill the rest your glass with pebble ice and garnish, expressing a grapefruit peel.
Garnish:
Grapefruit swath and baby's breath flower bunch
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
Fino En Rama is the inspiration for this cocktail. The sherry tells a story through its profile to keep one interested when enjoying this drink. As seasons change I wanted to pair this Fino with ingredients that reflect the time of year. The garnish and pebble ice that lies on top resemble the lair of yeast that protects the sherry when aging in barrels, hence " Below the Flor ".

Sunset Exótico

Sunset Exótico
Recipe by Marco Montaguano
Ingredients:
- 1-Tio Pepe fino 50 ml infused w/ (orange peel & lemongrass and bergamot green tea bags)
- 2-Leonor Palo Cortado 15 ml
- 3-Fresh Lemon juice 15 ml
- 4-Gooseberry syrup with pineapple powder and turmeric 30 ml
- 5-Float w/ jagermeister brew cold coffee 15 ml
Preparation:
Tio Pepe fino 500 ml infused w/ orange peel 30 gr burnt active with a torch and lemongrass bergamot green tea 3 bags combine all ingredients in a bag and sealed them let it rest for 45 minute, strain and keep refrigerated.
Gooseberry syrup w/ pineapple powder and turmeric
Combine 500 ml gooseberry fresh double strained juice w/ 500 ml sugar, 3 Barspoons of pineapple powder (ground pineapple dehydrated wheels ) and 1/2 barspoon of turmeric powder in a plastic bag and use sous vide method for 30 minutes 145 Fahrenheit, then cold down into a container with 50/50 ice water. Keep refrigerated
For the cocktail.
Combine ingredients 1-4 into Boston shaker and shake for 5 seconds and then use throwing technique for 4 times, strain into a Collins glass with crushed ice, float jagermeister brew cold coffee 30 ml and add the garnish.
Garnish:
Pineapple leaves, dehydrate pineapple wheel, lime wheels and gooseberry slices
Glassware:
Collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
My cocktail inspiration comes from the journey of my sister who is living in Sevilla for many years. She loves to eat gooseberry, pineapple and drink coffee. We use to play on the beach and watch the sunset. So I’m combining the unique flavor of fino sherry and palo cortado with exotic flavors like gooseberry, pineapple, turmeric, coffee to create a refreshing drink that anyone will enjoy close to the beach looking the sunset everywhere.

TNT Sakamoto

TNT Sakamoto
Recipe by Kristine Nguyen
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- 1oz Alessio Bianco Vermouth
- .5oz Chopin Vodka
- 1 barspoon 2:1 simple
- 1 dash saline (13grams to 5 oz of water)
- 1 spray combier Kümmel
- Method: stir all ingredients, except for kümmel, well, single strain into chilled kümmel rinsed glass with a large format ice cube
Preparation:
Simple : 2:1 rich simple
Salt solution: 13 grams of salt to 5oz of water dissolved
Garnish:
Lime twist, large format ice cube
Glassware:
Rocks (8oz)
Cocktail Inspiration:
When I think of cocktails, I think of music. Thatness and There ness by Ryuichi Sakamoto was the album I listened to when creating this cocktail. The levels of this album was something I thought of how this beverage would drink. Japan’s, as well as Asia’s history on a variety of aromatized wine and sherry, was my main inspiration to creating this cocktail with these ingredients. I wanted to create a cocktail that’s familiar for people, while introducing ingredients the general public might not be exposed to on a regular basis. The idea is not to exclude too many people for me. I want to create a slight savory martini for people to get slightly out of there comfort, but still have fun.

Camellia

Camellia
Recipe by Andrew Burkhardt
Ingredients:
- Tio Pepe Palomino Fino
- Ramazzotti Rosato Apertivo
- Clarified grapefruit juice
- Clary Sage
- Salt
Preparation:
COCKTAIL:
1 3/4 oz Tio Pepe Palomino Fino
1 3/4 oz Ramazzotti Rosato Apertivo
1/4 oz clarified grapefruit juice
pinch salt (about 0.3g)
Build all ingredients in a mixing glass.
Add ice, stir well, and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
Finish with two sprays of aromatized clary sage.
AROMATIZED CLARY SAGE:
Mix 20 drops of food-grade pure clary sage oil with 1 1/2 oz vodka in a pump-spray atomizer. Shake well prior to each use.
CLARIFIED GRAPEFRUIT JUICE:
*yields roughly sixteen Camellias worth of juice*
If a centrifuge is available, use it to clarify a half cup of fresh squeezed/strained grapefruit juice according to manufacturer directions.
If one is not available, the juice can be satisfactorily clarified using coffee filters:
1. Run a cup of hot water through a coffee-filter lined mesh strainer.
(This bleeds out starches that could affect flavor and limits product loss through absorption.)
2. Pour a half cup of fresh squeezed/strained grapefruit juice through the coffee filter.
3. Repeat steps 1&2 twice more with the same juice and fresh coffee filters for a total of three rounds of filtration.
Garnish:
Aromatized Clary Sage
Glassware:
Rocks glass / Lowball
Cocktail Inspiration:
Camellia is the secret lovechild of a one-time affair long ago between an Aperol Spritz and a Little Giuseppe in Jerez.
The flower from which it gets its name is tied to the histories of both Spain and Italy, though is a native to neither. It was first brought to Galicia in the early 1700s by Marco Polo, who relied upon a tea made from its vitamin-C rich leaves to protect his armada from scurvy. Later that century, the Camellia made its way to the royal gardens of Caserta at behest of the Queen of Naples, who admired the flower for its elegance. In either region, the Camellia has assimilated -- it now grows hardily and is welcomed as an early harbinger of warmer weather to come, as it is one of the first to bloom in February.
In keeping with the Camellia's cocktail parents and flower namesake, I wanted to make something that could be appreciated for both its hardy practicality and refined elegance without making concessions to either front: something to be enjoyed by both connoisseurs and the masses, from the first hint of spring through the full maturation of summer. To this end, it was very important to me that the Camellia was designed to be easily transplantable -- while the submitted recipe indicates how I believe a Camellia should be served at a cocktail bar, this low-maintenance libation is hard to kill. The home cultivator can eschew all the fancy bits: pour any roughly equal measure of Tio Pepe and Rosato Apertivo over ice with a squeeze of grapefruit and a pinch of salt to be rewarded with a delightfully complex summertime Fino refreshment.

Aquellos Ojos Verdes

Aquellos Ojos Verdes
Recipe by Saul Hernandez
Ingredients:
- 50 ml Tio pepe palomino fino
- 45 ml Epazote Raicilla Milk punch
- Stir, throw, Express lime oils with a twist; discard Garnish with Epazote Oil
Preparation:
Epazote Oil
Spanish Oil oil thrown in the bender with Epazote
Milk Punch:
375g simple Syrup (2:1), 75g of Epazote, 375g of Lime juice (persian/key 50:50 blend), 375 g La Venenosa Raicilla Costa de jalisco, 1462.6 g of whole milk Heat up milk until its about to boil, add by thirds the mix of epazote syrup( strained), lime juice & Raicilla. mix and put into fridge over night Strain with a chinois & coffee filter put aside
Garnish:
3 drops of Epazote Oil
Glassware:
Nick & Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
I smelled Raicilla costa de jalisco and fell in love because of the unique smell it has because its distilled in a tree trunk and realized it would pair with the Nutty characteristics of Tio pepe. Epazote also has a very green characteristics that enhance the notes in the tio pepe. Making the Raicilla epazote milk punch helps calm down the astringent flavors of the epazote, therefore making the sherry flavors be more pronounced while still being present in the cocktail. For me its balanced marriage of my love for indigenous mexican ingredients and sherry.
The name comes from the bolero "Aquellos Ojos Verdes" by Adolfo Utrera and Nilo Menéndez, 1929.The name is because of a woman I met that is both spanish and mexican and has beautiful green eyes I was listening to boleros and it happened to work with everything because the cocktail is very green and vegetal.

Olive Branch

Olive Branch
Recipe by Claire Boyle
Ingredients:
- - 2 Oz Fino Tio Pepe en rama
- -1 Oz Hammer and Son's Old English gin
- -0.5 Oz Salers Aperitif
- -0.25 Oz Luxardo liqueur
- - Anchovy stuffed olive wrapped in a lemon twist to garnish
Preparation:
Measure all ingredients into a mixing glass and top with ice, stir and strain into a coupe glass equipped to hold 4oz. Wrap one anchovy-stuffed olive in a lemon peel and skewer with another olive; place into the drink. You'll see the brine from the olive and the oil from the lemon peel affect the drink more significantly than just a "garnish".
Garnish:
Anchovy-stuffed manzanilla olives skewered with a lemon peel
Glassware:
Anchovy-stuffed manzanilla olives skewered with a lemon peel
Cocktail Inspiration:
The inspiration for the "Olive Branch" is found in the details of it's ingredients. This cocktail is garnished with an anchovy-stuffed manzanilla olive and a lemon peel; the salt and brine of the olive and anchovy in addition to the acidity and brightness of the lemon impact the cocktail and highlight the base sherry (Fino Tio Pepe en Rama) so significantly. 'Rama' being the Spanish word for 'branch' and the olive in the garnish being so important- the "Olive Branch" was born.
These ingredients are made in countries throughout Europe- Fino from Jerez, London dry gin from England, and Salers Aperetif from the country sides of France. Europe in the past was no stranger to war times- especially these three countries in particular. The 'Olive Branch' is inspired by the notion and the need of world peace; more so now than ever.

GINZA GIMLET

GINZA GIMLET
Recipe by Trinh Quan Huy-Philip
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Amontillado Sherry (Gonzalez Byass Vina AB)
- 3/4 oz. Gekkeikan Plum Wine
- 3/4 oz. Rose'Lime juice
- dash of Bittermens Boston Bittahs
- Spray Lagavulin 16yrs (on top)
Preparation:
Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and then roll it for 5 times.
Strain into a pre-chilled coupe.
Misty with Lagavulin 16 yrs on top of the drink.
Garnish:
Garnish with a lemon zest
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Inspired by Ginza, it was Tokyo's first Western-style shopping district and it's still where the old money shops. The wide boulevards and narrow lanes of Ginza are lined with high-end boutiques, department stores and exclusive restaurants. Despite being a high-end shopping area, Ginza is packed with many Izakaya establishments. Considering as a casual restaurant in Japan where people go to enjoy Japanese food and drinks, often referred to as a type of “gastropub”.

Bankers Martini

Bankers Martini
Recipe by David Mor
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- .5oz Gonzalez Byass La Copa Extra Seco Dry Vermouth
- .75oz Leblon Cachaça
- .25oz Salted Makrut Lime Syrup
- 2 dashes St. George Absinthe Verte
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and add cubed ice. Stir until ingredients are well-integrated and chilled. Strain drink into a chilled Nick + Nora glass. Garnish with an expression of grapefruit oils and a manicured peel.
Garnish:
Manicured Grapefruit Peel
Glassware:
Nick + Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to create a cocktail that demonstrated the delicate elegance of the Tio Pepe Fino Sherry. Ultimately inspired by a classic Martini, and influenced by the flavors of a Caipirinha, Banker's Martini amplifies the floral and earthy aspects of the Fino Sherry, as well as the citric subtleties of the Extra Seco Dry Vermouth. Banker's Martini is meant to be enjoyed year-round, with a chilling and delicate essence for fall and winter, as well as a fresh and thirst-quenching quality for spring and summer.

The Yellow Bird

The Yellow Bird
Recipe by James Hofler
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- 1 oz Le Panto Brandy
- 2 oz Sour mix (2 Part Lemon 2 Part Simple 1 Part Lime)
- 1 Egg White
- 6 Drops Gonzales Byas Nectar
- Candied Cranberry Garnish (Frozen Cranberries defrosted, rolled in cinnamon sugar and bruleed)
Preparation:
Reverse dry shake Fino Sherry, Panto Brandy, Sour mix and egg white. Strain into coup glass.
Add 6 Drops of Nectar and swirl with Straw.
Torch Cranberries and garnish.
Garnish:
Candied Cranberry Garnish (Frozen Cranberries defrosted, rolled in cinnamon sugar and bruleed)
Glassware:
Coupe Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is meant to be a combination of the individual sherry components that make different styles special, balanced in a way that is palatable for all consumers, whether they are sherry drinkers or not.
The brandy and sherry split base leads to a lower overall ABV, but by utilizing the Le Panto Brandy you end up with a purer, distilled sherry flavor. The Drops of Nectar on top and the candied cranberries lend themselves to the aroma, and using the nectar in small quantities puts it into a supporting role in the cocktail.

Break On Through To the Coffee Side

Break On Through To the Coffee Side
Recipe by Rodrigo Serrano
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Tio Pepe Sherry
- 1 oz Nectar Pedro Ximénez
- 1 oz Coffee Infused Vermouth (Gonzales Bayas)
- ¾ oz Demerara Cold Brew Coffee syrup
- 3 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Boker's Cocktail Bitters
Preparation:
Fill a mixing glas with 3/4 ice add all ingredients, stir 45 seconds, strain into a chilled coffee glass (tea cup) express with a grape fruit twist and discard it
Coffee Syrup: 1 part Cold brew coffee Concentrate 2 parts demerara sugar (Syrup 2.1).
Coffee Infusion Vermouth: 3 oz vermouth 2 oz coarsely ground coffee (Guatemalan Coffee), mix the ingredients together in a clean container cover it, store in a cool, dry , dark space for 15-20 minutes . Strain through a container with a fine mesh (Cheesecloth).
Garnish:
Coffee beans, grapefruit twist ( discard)
Glassware:
Coffee glass (tea cup)
Cocktail Inspiration:
The inspiration behind my drink comes from Spain and Guatemala. It is about the first coffee seeds that Christopher Columbus brought in his travel to discover the new world. The history says that the first coffee seeds were planted in Guatemala. I wanted mix Guatemalan coffee with Spanish Products to put some history together. Also my drink is a classic cocktail inspiration (Negroni) in a Low-ABV twist.
Coffee has always been a big part of my culture and I have always taken an interest in Barista culture. Apart from my passion for bartending, I have also taken some Barista courses to satisfy this interest. As a bartender, I love to find ways to mix these two worlds whenever possible. Also, personally I usually drink a lot of coffee during the day and even more when I am going to be behind the bar because it helps me to be more focus and active. Overall, I believe this cocktail is a great representation of my culture and roots which I love to bring into my bartending.

El Viajero

El Viajero
Recipe by Michael Riojas
Ingredients:
- 50 ml tio pepe fino
- 25 ml herradura blanco
- 25 ml banana infused velvet falernum
- 2 dash bittercube Jamaican bitters #1
Preparation:
30 grams banana in Velvet falernum for 36 hours
Combine all ingredients in mixing glass
Stir with ice
Julep strain in chilled nick and Nora glass
Express orange zest over drink and discard
Garnish:
Orange twist
Glassware:
Nick and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
Being mixed Spanish and Mexican and raised in Texas I felt using tequila was an obvious choice that would pair with the salinity of the fino.
Spanish influence in Mexico is prominent to this day as was well as in the Caribbean. Falernum is a Barbados spirit that was at one time colonized by the Spanish.
I also have an obsession using banana in untraditional cocktails. I wanted a hint a tropical notes with still being a savory sipping cocktail that takes you on a voyage across time.

South Pointe Park Punch

South Pointe Park Punch
Recipe by Jennifer White
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4oz Angelisco Blanco Tequila
- 1 3/4oz Tio Pepe Fino Muy Seco Sherry
- 1oz Lime
- 1 1/2oz Honey Syrup
- 3oz Fresh Watermelon Juice
Preparation:
To make the honey syrup add 1 part honey to 1 part hot water and stir to combine.
The watermelon juice is simply watermelon that has been run through a VitaMix and strained.
The watermelon juice is simply watermelon that has been run through a VitaMix and strained.
Garnish:
Cucumber slice.
Glassware:
Collins glass.
Cocktail Inspiration:
There's this waterfront outdoor park in Miami called South Pointe Park and on any given day friends and family go there to barbecue, play soccer, read a book and just enjoy the outdoors. Tio Pepe Fino Muy Seco Sherry has a wonderful saltiness to it and I wanted to make something that would compliment that quality. I started with adding fresh watermelon; I wanted to make something refreshing as well. From there it led me to the nostalgia of salted watermelon. Then I added the tequila for added structure, the lime for brightness and honey syrup to round it all out with a touch of sweetness. Garnished with a cucumber slice, it's the kind of drink that is perfect for a day at the park.

Sorbedor Fino (Fine Sipper)

Sorbedor Fino (Fine Sipper)
Recipe by William Burg
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 oz Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- 3/4 oz Italicus Bergomatto
- 1/2 Mandarine Napoleon Liqueur
- 2 sprays of saffron infused Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- Orange Twist Expression
Preparation:
2 pinches of saffron in 1 ounce of Fino Sherry to steep for 20 minutes
strain saffron and put in atomizer
chill glass
add Fino sherry, Italicus, and mandarine into mixing glass, stir for 45 seconds
spray glass with infused sherry
strain mixture into glass
express orange twist over cocktail, leave twist on rim of glass and serve
Garnish:
Long, thin orange twist coiled and expressed over drink, left on rim of glass
Glassware:
stemmed sherry glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
i wanted to create a simple drink while utilizing flavors indigenous to Spain. After researching herbs,spices,fruits and the like i began to play with a few flavor combinations. I knew I wanted to utilize saffron because of its rarity and ecclectic aroma. I also did not want to overkill the sherry but to compliment its unique flavor profile. Utilizing the atomizer allowed for a subtle saffron prescence. I felt the two liqueurs gave a balancing taste, clean mouth feel and overall smooth sip whilst allowing the Fino to shine through to the long finish.

Gate to el Sol

Gate to el Sol
Recipe by Jorge Vallejo
Ingredients:
- 2oz Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- .5oz Gonzalez Byass Nectar Sherry
- .5oz Amaro Nonino
- 1oz Kiwi-Citrus Shrub*
- 2oz Soda Water (Topo Chico)
Preparation:
Ice: Cubed
Method: Add all ingredients expect for soda water into a shaker tin, add fresh ice into an empty shaker tin then using the throwing technique mix your drink until desired temperature is reached, strain into a chilled highball glass, add soda water, add fresh ice, stir, garnish and serve. Salud!
Kiwi- Citrus Shrub*:
1 pound of peeled Kiwis (about 6)
Peels of 2 whole oranges
Peels of 2 whole lemons
1 cup of honey
3/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
Method : Cut kiwi into quarters, place fruit, peels and honey in a container. Gently massage fruit and peels with honey to combine.Cover container and place in a fridge for 24 hours to infuse.Fine strain syrup into an empty container to remove solids.Add vinegar and stir.Pour shrub into a bottle and use.
Garnish:
Dehydrated Orange wheel and mint sprig
Glassware:
Highball
Cocktail Inspiration:
My partner loves sherry wine and thrist-quenching cocktails, so I gave myself the task to create a drink that she will enjoy year-round.
The combination of Tio Pepe with fresh, sweet and tart flavors with a hint of effervescence allowed me to reach her request.
The name Gate to el Sol represents an escape to refreshing flavors that I was able to achieve through Tio Pepe. I also wanted to honor the significance of the Tio Pepe neon sign in Puerta del Sol, Madrid.

Rickey de la Frontera

Rickey de la Frontera
Recipe by Dylan Holland
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Tio Pepe
- .75 oz Aquavit
- 1 oz fresh citrus blend
- .5 spiced ginger syrup
- 2 oz club soda
Preparation:
Add all ingredients minus the soda into a shaker. Add ice. Quickly shake so as to chill without over diluting. Strain into a collins glass. Preferred Ice is a collins spear. Then top with soda and garnish with grapefruit swath.
Fresh citrus blend is equal parts grapefruit and lemon juices.
Spiced ginger syrup-Add 2.5 cups sugar and 1.75 cups water to a pot. Add .5 pounds of ginger, .25 pounds lemon grass, and star anise to taste. Bring to a boil until all sugar is dissolved then lower heat and let simmer for an hour.
Garnish:
Grapefruit Swath
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was inspired by my love of sherry, both on its own and as a cocktail ingredient. Not only do I love the flavors and taste of sherry, but I am a fan of its low abv. It is something I am able to enjoy throughout the day, without fear of becoming impaired. It is something that I can enjoy year round, any time of the day. I wanted to take that idea of a low abv sipper and create a cocktail a refreshing cocktail that could be enjoyed throughout the year. It had to be light enough to enjoy during the summer while having enough body to be enjoyed during the winter. This is what inspired the Rickey de la Frontera. At its heart is Tio Pepe fino sherry. To add body and play off the nutty and oak notes, I added aquavit which gave herbal depth. I have found sherry, especially fino sherry and grapefruit go really well together while the lemon adds some extra depth and acidity. The ginger added a nice spicy backbone, giving depth and body while the lemon grass helped to brighten up the flavors. Ultimately the soda adds a refreshing mix of bubbles, while also adding minerality and salinity.

Secret Garden

Secret Garden
Recipe by Surapong Sawadviphachai
Ingredients:
- 2oz. Tio Pepe
- 1/2 oz. Kahlua
- 1/2 oz. Dark Creme de Cacao
Preparation:
Put 3 ingredients with ice. Stir and Strain into the glass.
Garnish:
Cucumber Flower
Glassware:
Wine Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love to drink Coffee and Chocolate and I want to add something dry with it. TIO PEPE is The Secret that makes Simple Cocktails Achieve Uncommon Results. Enjoy!

Sailing on Sapphires

Sailing on Sapphires
Recipe by Maxwell Berlin
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Tio Pepe fino sherry
- .75 oz pink violet seafoam cordial
- 1 oz fresh soured ruby grapefruit juice
- .5 oz dried herbes de provence syrup
- 2 dashes sunshine orange bitters
- Pink Violet Seafoam Cordial
- Soak clean oyster shells in pink violet liqueur. Fortify with a touch of French Marc and small pinch of salt
- Herbes de Provence syrup
- 1.5:1 sugar syrup infused with dried lavender, rue, oregano, savory and marjoram
- Lavender Sugar+Salt
- Drop 4 drops organic lavender oil into 1:1 rock sugar and salt blend
Preparation:
Rim the chilled glass with lavender sugar+salt rim
Build ingredients in shaker, whip shake, and pour over fresh ice.
Garnish with fresh flowers and salted grapefruit slice
Garnish:
Garnished with fresh violet and lavender flowers and salted grapefruit, lavender sugar+salt rim
Glassware:
Chilled rox glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Inspired by the glimmering Mediterranean and to those who sail the sapphire blue, this refreshing ruby salty dog riff blends the bright and seafoamy Tio Pepe fino sherry wine with juicy flavors of violet and pink grapefruit and dried herbal tones of lavender, rue, and savory. With just a hint of oyster shell brine in the background, you're just one step away from dipping your toes in the foamy waves. Best consumed with some delicious oysters and a little guitar music, come sail with us. Salut!

PXO

PXO
Recipe by Adam Ford
Ingredients:
- Tio Pepe PX Sherry
- Fresh lemon juice
- Homemade grenadine
- Homemade orgeat
- Egg white
Preparation:
In a cocktail shaker, put 2 oz. PX Sherry, .5 oz lemon juice, .75 oz grenadine, .75 oz orgeat, one egg white
Dry shake for 30 seconds
Wet shake 100 times
Double strain into a couple
Garnish with four dots of grenadine
Garnish:
Four dots homemade grenadine
Glassware:
Etched coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
PXO because sherry and this cocktail are made from PX and love of the craft. I chose a simpler recipe that highlights the flavors in sherry: nutty, citrusy, berry flavors, and to pay homage to my mentors and employers, Sother Teague and Jackson Cannon, who have guided and influenced my career with exceptional four and five ingredient drinks, like Sother's Sharpie Mustache and Jackson's Downeast Express.

Not on my watch!

Not on my watch!
Recipe by Santiago Cobar
Ingredients:
- 1.50 oz Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- 0.25 oz Gonzales Byass Nectar
- 0.75 oz Averna
- 0.75 oz Baker's Bourbon
- 5 dashes Orange bitters
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass
Add ice
Stir until chilled and properly diluted
Strain into Rock glass with a big ice cube
Express and discard orange peel
Garnish:
Orange peel, discard
Glassware:
Old fashioned glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
My inspiration behind my cocktail comes for one of my regulars at my bar. He always sits at the bar and ask me for the same 2 drinks: Sazerac and Negroni.
So one day after he finished the 2 drinks he told me that he wants me to make him something different because he was getting bored about always getting the same 2 cocktails. So I told him that I was working in a couple of cocktails for a competition. He asked me about what competition and I told him that it was the Tio Pepe (of course that I explained everything to him but he was like: so who is tio pepe???) anyways, after we talked about the competition he told me that it could be cool to make an old fashioned, negroni or sazerac variation with sherry.
I stared working in the cocktail and after a couple of tries I came with this recipe that he really enjoyed, and I just decided to submit this one for the competition.