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Cab Calloway
A sherry-forward, rye whiskey-laced aperitivo with delicate apricot
Simon Sedgley
11th June at 12:28
Cab Calloway was also a contemporary of Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman. So we insisted on serving this straight up in a Nick and Nora glass, where it sat very snugly. A really beautifully balanced sipper that just gets better and better as the warmth seeps into it.
11th June at 13:03
btw...and cream sherry is spot on.
6th June at 21:14
Finally remade this with cream sherry and now we’re talking. This is wonderfully sherry-forward, fruity and well-balanced. The rye provides a solid foundation for the rest of the ingredients to sing.
If your taste runs dry, you might consider cutting the apricot liqueur slightly to a barspoon/5 ml.
Nelson bros rye, Giffard apricot, Gonzales Byass cream sherry, La Copa extra seco vermouth.
If your taste runs dry, you might consider cutting the apricot liqueur slightly to a barspoon/5 ml.
Nelson bros rye, Giffard apricot, Gonzales Byass cream sherry, La Copa extra seco vermouth.
8th November 2025 at 21:56
I researched this a bit and discovered the original recipe calls for *sweet* oloroso or PX sherry. My understanding is that in the EU, “sweet oloroso”
is known as “oloroso dulce”.
This would considerably change the flavor profile of the drink.
is known as “oloroso dulce”.
This would considerably change the flavor profile of the drink.
18th May at 18:27
Many thanks, Mike. Sherry houses mostly produce Oloroso sherry now, which is dry, so I tried using a PX sherry, but it produced a tasty but overly sweet cocktail. Hence, rather than the Dry Oloroso I originally used, I have opted for a cream sherry, as it produces a balanced cocktail where the apricot notes can shine. I've also added a note to say that Tiffanie originally used a sweet oloroso.
23rd February 2023 at 04:14
I wonder if the portions for this are correct? I found the drink as written to be dominated by the sherry. The apricot flavor appears briefly after about the third sip, but disappears quickly.
I remade it several times based on the proportions in Difford's Perfect Bamboo. I found the most integrated version to be
1.5 Oloroso sherry
0.5 over proof rye
0.5 apricot liqueur
0.25 bianco vermouth
0.25 dry vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
I remade it several times based on the proportions in Difford's Perfect Bamboo. I found the most integrated version to be
1.5 Oloroso sherry
0.5 over proof rye
0.5 apricot liqueur
0.25 bianco vermouth
0.25 dry vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
14th October 2024 at 23:19
Thanking the both of you, this is a banger.
23rd February 2023 at 19:55
Many thanks, Matthew. Just tried your recipe against the comparatively very dry original and preferred yours so I've adopted it above.
9th February 2023 at 03:25
Interesting. Sometime when I have all the ingredients I'll have to try it and determine how well it captures the essence of Calloway's music and persona. But perhaps in honor of Calloway's home town of Rochester, NY, we should substitute the Rochester-based Fee Brothers' bitters.