Rob Horgan
THROW away the sangria, push aside the gin and lock up the wine cupboard… there’s a new drink in town.
British wine expert Victoria Moore has been talking up Spain’s new summer tipple, Tio Pepe and tonic – or T&T as it is being labelled.
Already a firm favourite in Majorca, T&T is expected to land in mainland Spain this summer.
Described as ‘more sippable than gluggable’, Moore advises that the tonic outweighs the sherry for a more full flavour.
Tio Pepe is a brand of sherry named after one of the founders’ uncles. It is made from the palomino grape, largely grown in Jerez.
Marketed as a dry white wine, the company has thrived to become one of the leading alcoholic drinks companies in Spain.
The perfect T&T:
- Fill a tall glass with ice
- Add a slice on thinly chopped orange, or lime
- Add a splash of lemon juice
- Pour the Tio Pepe over the ice until just over half way
- Fill the glass to the top with tonic water and stir
Hmm, most refreshing. Just tried it, albeit with “La Ina” fino rather than Tio Pepe. A better glug, IMHO.
Yuk. What a way to ruin a fino. Wonder how much she was bunged by Tio Pepe.
I’ve been reading about ways of making finos such as Tio Pepe more popular amongst a younger audience in the UK for at least the past 30 years, with “this year” being predicted as the year in which this delectable speciality will finally achieve breakthrough in the youth market. The consistent lack of success has meant that fino has remained relatively inexpensive for the quality offered to the sherry connoisseur. I expect this latest tipple will achieve a certain “cult status” for a while. I’ve added Vichy or Badoit, or more occasionally tonic, a few times in the past, but have always gone back to a lightly chilled straight fino, or if I feel in the mood for something slightly less classically astringent, have been known to mix a medium amontillado with my fino, roughly in the ratios 1 to 2, or of course a straight oloroso usually fits the bill too :). One of the items I was able to knock off my “bucket list” some years ago was a visit to the Gonzalez Byas bodegas in Jerez as well as other sherry bodegas in the region, something I had been looking forward to doing since my early 20s – yes, I was that rare creature, a once youthful sherry drinker, never a beer drinker ;)
Marion – spot on. BTW, sherry is one of the worst ways healthwise to imbibe alcohol.