Sol y Sombra

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (4 ratings)

Serve in a Snifter/Brandy balloon glass

Ingredients:
1 12 oz Spanish brandy
1 12 oz Aniseed (anise) liqueur
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Snifter/Brandy balloon glass.
  2. STIR both ingredients with ice.
  3. STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 7/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 5/10

Review:

With such a generous splash of Anis del Mono Dulce liqueur, you might expect this cocktail to be overly sweet and dominated by anise, but the brandy holds its own. OK, it's a touch on the sweet side, but enjoyable after a meal, especially during a warm Madrid night.

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Variant:

Serve at room temperature by combing ingredients directly in the glass without ice.

History:

A traditional after-dinner cocktail from Madrid that's popular throughout Span. The name translates to Sun and Shade/Shadow, referencing the colours of the two ingredients: anisette (crystal clear) represents 'sun' and brandy (brown amber) 'sombra'. Sol y Sombra is also the name of the different types of seats available for bullfights; the cheap seats are Sol due to being in the full sun, while the expensive seats are Sombra due to being shaded. A Sol y Sombra ticket is for seats that have some sun and shade, depending on the time of day.

Alcohol content:

  • 2 standard drinks
  • 30.71% alc./vol. (30.71° proof)
  • 27.6 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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