Remember cream sherry? As a few boomers and their elders may recall, there used to be prime-time television commercials around holiday time for Harveys Bristol Cream, the originator and still king of the style. It's I think what most people associate with the word sherry – sweet and medium-brown in colour, the sort of drink you can imagine consumed in British drawing rooms or studies by men in tweed and women in fancy hats.
It's a shame it's not more popular. Harveys, a company that started in Bristol, England, came up with the idea to blend dry sherry styles such as fino, amontillado and oloroso with rich, raisiny pedro ximenez. The result was sweet and creamy but also well-balanced with the tang of the drier styles.
There are good brands out there besides Harveys. Like this one, which is bottled at 18-per-cent alcohol and tastes especially good slightly chilled (despite the "serve at room temperature" recommendation on the back label). It's mid-amber in colour, with delectably sweet raisin, candied-orange and brown-sugar notes complemented by toasted nuts and honeyed tang.
It's a bargain and would be perfect with a platter of cheese or medium-sweet desserts such as vanilla ice cream or biscotti. It would also be fine, particularly in winter, as an aperitif or served by the TV with a plate of nuts. Keep the bottle chilled and channel your inner Frasier.