THE VENENCIA

HISTORY One of the oldest and most traditional tools used in Jerez Originally, and still today, used to take samples from the cask The venencia is designed to disrupt the flor as little as possible during the extraction of the sample The cup is small in diametre and to cut through the flor to the middle of the cask and bring out the clean wine. HISTORY

5 STEPS TO USE THE VENENCIA The Venencia should be held by the stem, with your hand as close to the hook as possible. You should hold it as if it was a pencil, between your thumb, index finger and middle finger. Don’t hold it too tight, it should be able to swing freely. Once the cup is full you should swing the venencia until it is horizontal with the floor. The glass should be placed below so that when the wine starts to fall it will fall into the glass. As the wine falls you should separate the glass and the cup of the venencia, lifting the venencia and slightly lowering your hand with the glass. This allows the wine to aerate. The final part of the process is very important as the cup begins to drip as is becomes less full and also the finish is very personal to each venenciador. You should do a short sharp movement with the venencia to cut the stream of wine and avoid any dripping. HOW TO

HISTORY The origins of the venencia date back to ancient times The Museum of Art History in Vienna has Greek pottery which shows an instrument bearing extraordinary resemblance to the venencia. According to historians the pottery dates from 490 BC and shows wine being served to Achilles The name venencia comes from the traditional Spanish word ‘avanencia’ which was when two parties came to an agreement of the price for the sale of wine. HISTORY

Over the years the venencia has converted into an art form performed by the venenciador ‘The venenciador is the human face of Sherry in and outside the winery’ HISTORY

THE ART OF THROWING

THE ART OF THROWING A method of mixing a cocktail Achieved by pouring the ingredients from one vessel to another ideally from above to another vessel held as low as possible Enhances aeration and releases aromas Creates tiny bubbles which give texture ‘Throwing is incredibly easy – if you can catch a ball you’ll be able to throw. It’s physically gentle, balletic and elegant, and while shaking causes injuries and is tough on the body, throwing can be kept up as a lifelong skill’. Stuart Hudson. Author The Art of Throwing THE ART OF THROWING

China The first known reference to throwing is made during the Song Dynasty of 13th century China. The origins of Chinese long tea throwing lie in the throwing of Chinese rice wine. The twirls and spins of tea throwing have the appearance of a martial art Spain In the 17th century a reference has been found to the throwing of cider in the Basque country in the North of Spain The throwing of cider creates fine bubbles which give a full mouth-feel and enrich the aromas and texture of the cider HISTORY

HISTORY The cocktail era: The first references of throwing in cocktails was in 1849 in San Francisco In Cuba in 1898 Emilio Gonzalez taught his staff to mix drinks in the Catalan way, by throwing. In 1933 Boadas was opened in Barcelona, the only place in the world for nearly 50 years where drinks were thrown. HISTORY

SHERRY COCKTAILS

From sangarees to punches to flips and cobblers, during the 18th century and cocktails Golden age of late 19th century, Sherry was an integral part of the barman’s repertoire. The 1880s and 1890s saw the boom of cocktails and the creation of the most enduring Sherry drinks – the Adonis and the Bamboo During prohibition Sherry did not make it across the pond. It wasn’t until the mid 2000s that Sherry began to wake up from nearly a century of slumber In the past 10 years Sherry has found its place once again on the best cocktail menus across America and Europe HISTORY

Sherry is one of the most diverse categories of alcohol that a bartender can use. The thing that many forget is that it isn’t only Fino or P.X., there are so many styles to choose from and they each have their own personality to give. Derek Brown – Mockingbird Hill, Washington dc.