3 Low-Alcohol Cocktails You Can Make With One Bottle of Amontillado Sherry

If there's one true secret-weapon ingredient in our cocktail arsenal, it would be sherry. Well, sherries. To say "sherry" is misleading, because these fortified wines are very diverse — fino sherries are lighter and drier than even the driest white wine; Pedro Ximenez tends to be rich, boozy, and even sweeter.

So let's go ahead and call Amontillado the Goldilocks of the sherry world. Medium-bodied, these bottles gain intriguing nutty notes from oxidation and often show remarkable complexity. At under 20 percent ABV, they add layers and layers of flavor to cocktails without all the alcohol that stronger spirits like gin, rum, and tequila pack. Here are three drinks we love to make with one bottle of Amontillado sherry.

Easy: Bamboo Revisited

The Bamboo is a terrifically classy cocktail that dates back to the 1890s, a simple drink of fino sherry and dry vermouth. For a low-alcohol sipper, you can't get more sophisticated than this drink. Our version is a bit richer, which we achieve by using amontillado sherry instead of bone-dry fino, and a light, floral Bianco vermouth instead of the dry stuff. The best part is that enjoying two before dinner won't leave you woozy.

Intermediate: Sherry-Rum Rickey

There's a distinct savory, complex character to amontillado that makes for an incredible pairing with funky Jamaican rum. Add some lime and soda and you've got a drink that's half Caribbean, half south of Spain; what's not to like

Advanced: Mint Cobbler

Nothing more than sherry with crushed-up fruit and sugar — and lots of ice — the cobbler is among the most refreshing drinks we know. (And, again, quite low-alcohol, so a big delicious cocktail won't get you fuzzy-headed.) Muddling orange lets the citrus oils integrate into the cocktail, while mint adds a fresh herbal element. Both are surprisingly perfect sidekicks for Amontillado sherry.