Summer may be long gone, but that’s no reason to give up on drinking pink! Here’s a festive cocktail to ring in the holiday season that features a new-to-the-market rosé vermouth from Lustau, Spain’s iconic sherry producer. This is a drink that will keep your guests in good spirits … pun intended!

In Spain, vermouth, vermut in Spanish, is drunk in the evening before dinner, an apéritif intended to stimulate the appetite. Here in the United States, it is most commonly used in cocktails to add a touch of spice and herbaceousness.

In the above YouTube video, wine writer Karen MacNeil explains, in under two minutes, how vermouth is made. Hint: wine and botanicals.

I was recently introduced to a delightful new type of vermouth, Lustau Vermut Rosé. This blend of three wines, fino sherry, moscatel and Tintilla de Rota includes flavorings of chamomile (aromatic and slightly bitter), nutmeg (spicy), vanilla (aromatic), cardamom (sweet and slightly spicy), and wormwood (bitter). The vermouth’s dry, floral and fruity flavors go very well in a number of cocktails or as a perfect apéritif, on the rocks with a wedge of grapefruit, and served with olives, nuts, or any snacks.

Sherry Conquistador Cocktail

This ‘international’ cocktail uses a mix of ingredients from Spain, Mexico, the US and England, and shows vermouth’s versatility. I named the drink after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, a Spanish conquistador from Jerez who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. ¡Salud! Cheers!