Sherry, spice, and everything nice: The stories behind 3 historic wine cocktails

Do you like wine cocktails? How about wine cocktails with a dash of history?

Today, we’re presenting a trio of time-tested drinks from the annals of booze-dom: Hot spiced Mosel wine (Roman period), old-school Spanish Sangria (1964), and the simple, delicious Sherry Cobbler (Victorian era). Each recipe has a little morsel of food-history trivia to make savoring these concoctions that much sweeter.

#1. Hot Mosel wine (a favorite of frozen Romans)

When the Ancient Romans went traipsing across continental Europe, they cultivated vines everywhere to supply their vital need for wine. Remnants of Roman vineyards–and grapes that descend from them–can be found all over Italy, France, and Spain.

But you may be surprised to learn that Roman wine-making made it as far north as the Mosel, one of the world’s coldest wine-producing regions.

Ruins of a Roman bath near Trier, Germany.

The weather in modern-day Germany was not to the liking of the Romans–and neither was the wine. The most prized Roman wines tended to be aged sweet wines from the volcanic hills near the Eternal City.

In contrast, early Rhine wines were described as tart, light-bodied, and austere. It has taken centuries of experience to produce ripe and flavorful grapes from these cool, steep sites, and ancient viticulture was likely not up to the challenge.

One solution to a chilly winters in a northern garrison with a supply of inferior wine? The popular Roman drink known as calda (or calida). Thinned wine was heated like a tea and sweetened with honey and spices. The ancestor of medieval mulled wine or the Victorian hot toddy, calda was how the ancients warmed their bones before the adoption of coffee, tea, and cocoa.

Heating Mosel wine is unusual these days–but it’s a unique way to include white wine in your winter festivities. This Riesling Hot Toddy recipe (from Serious Eats) is seasoned with lemon, bay leaf, and cardamom. It includes a splash of brandy for an extra kick.

Elbling grapes on the vine in Germany.

For historical accuracy, skip the brandy and substitute the cardamom for Mediterranean herbs, such as fennel, rosemary, basil, or thyme. Extra credit: Make it with Elbling! This ancient grape dominated the Mosel region before Riesling and was likely the source of the white wines cultivated there by the Romans over 2000 years ago.

#2. The minimalist Sangria of the 1964 World’s Fair

While variations of red wine mixed with fruit have been enjoyed for ages in Europe, it’s the 1964 World’s Fair that is credited with unleashing the Sangria craze upon the Americas.

A Spanish restaurateur launched the drink from a temporary cultural embassy in New York City: The Spanish Pavilion. His version is nothing like the syrupy pitchers poured at brunch joints and chain restaurants–it’s far better.

The Spanish Pavilion is widely remembered as the “jewel” of the 1964 World’s Fair. Spain’s exhibit was second only to the Vatican’s in its attendance numbers and impact.

While the Fair itself was judged to be an economic flop, its international participants had an outsize effect on Cold War-era gastronomy. Spain’s massive installation boasted an 80,000 square-foot building, an elaborate Moorish-style pine ceiling, courtyards full of geraniums, and masterworks by Goya and Picasso.

A postage stamp from Spain commemorates the 1964-1965 World’s Fair in New York City.

But the biggest sensation was the Spanish food and drink served at the Pavilion’s three restaurants. Fair-goers and critics especially praised the seafood paella and tomato-and-cucumber gazpacho at the two fine-dining venues. Meanwhile, the third restaurant–a casual outdoor seafood bar called Taberna Marisqueria–was serving their own smash hit, a refreshing red-wine cocktail called Sangria.

None of the Pavilion’s restaurants accepted reservations and wait times could be outrageous. The Fair’s two summer seasons (1964 and 1965) were especially hot ones, with people irritably queuing for hours for a chance to try the exotic new cuisine.

Demand was so great that after the World’s Fair ended, the Spanish Pavilion’s food manager, Alberto Heras, stayed on in New York City. He opened a swanky restaurant on Park Avenue called–what else?–The Spanish Pavilion.

A New York Times food writer who visited in 1966 gives us the following report: “A favorite drink at the restaurant appears to be the sangria. It is made there with red Spanish wine, ice, fruits, Spanish brandy, a touch of Cointreau and a small bottle of club soda.” The same NYT reviewer–an obvious Francophile–describes the Spanish still wines he tasted there as “drinkable but with no special distinction.”

We don’t know exactly what wine Heras procured for Sangria’s American debut. However, it was likely a dry Spanish red: Rioja, Tempranillo, or Garnacha. You can re-create the Sangria served at the World Fair’s Spanish Pavilion with this account of the original recipe unearthed by the Wall Street Journal:

To one bottle of red Spanish wine was added a couple of ounces each of Spanish brandy (which is fuller and nuttier than cognac) and Cointreau, one lemon and half an orange cut into slices, a couple of dozen ice cubes, 12 ounces of club soda and only two tablespoons of sugar.

It’s notable for what’s not in it: No peach schnapps, no fruit salad, no flavored ice cubes, no 7-Up. (Although the latter product was also present at the World’s Fair as the sponsor of the Seven Up International Sandwich Garden, where every meal included unlimited refills of 7-Up.)

The Sangria served at the 1964 World’s Fair was designed to showcase Spanish wine on an international stage. Compared to most of today’s versions, this recipe makes a very dry and spirit-forward Sangria. (The seltzer, it seems, could be served on the side.) The drink would have landed perfectly amid the preferred cocktails of 1960s New York–the Manhattan and the Whiskey Sour.

#3 The Sherry Cobbler and the invention of the disposable straw

One of the most popular drinks from the 1840s to the 1880s was the Sherry Cobbler. It’s easy to see why. With its intense-yet-balanced composition of sweet, sour, and boozy ingredients, it resembles many classic cocktails that have since come back into fashion: The Hemingway Daquiri, the Brandy Sour, and the Singapore Sling.

Wine people keep insisting that sherry is going to be the Next Big Thing any day now–but alas, it never seems to happen. Sherry–and sherry-based cocktails–are mostly confined to the sidelines of drinking culture.

The name “cobbler” evokes a sweet, dessert-y drink. However, most food historians believe the cocktail takes its name from being served over “cobbles,” or pieces of ice–a practice that was novel and luxurious in the 18th century. Like a lot of classic drinks based on European spirits and fortified wines, the cobbler’s popularity faded during Prohibition when these imported ingredients became harder to obtain.

The popularity of the cobbler coincided with the popularity of the drinking straw. Ancient royalty had straws made of precious metals, but it was the 19th century that finally saw the mass-production of “julep straws.” They were manufactured from dried rye grass stalks and later, paper.

This timely invention helped the drinker to maneuver delicately around the ice. Contemporary sources note that both men and women enjoyed cobbler cocktails–perhaps a coy reference to the fact that drinking straws allowed these drinks to be more easily shared.

A classic Sherry Cobbler has just three ingredients (not including ice or garnishes): Dry sherry, sugar, and citrus. The International Bartenders Association official version recommends equal parts Amontillado and Palo Cortado sherries, which sounds divine. It’s served in a julep glass with ample crushed ice.

History buffs may want to try this Victorian recipe from The Bar-tender’s Guide (1862). The drink, it is said, “does not require much skill in compounding,” but when properly presented will “suit an epicure.” Sherry is mixed with a tablespoon of sugar and several orange slices and poured over ice. The Bar-tender’s Guide recommends garnishing with seasonal berries–and of course, two long straws.

I hope you have enjoyed taking a little trip back in time with these historic wine cocktails! Please check out more recent posts in the archive, or subscribe below for Wine Fairy updates in your inbox.