Meet Sherry Week Ambassador Richard Gomez

What I love about Sherry is the complexity of creating all the different styles from mostly the same grape varietal, the art of the solera which creates each unique style and how they are connected, and how each bodega has their own philosophy and style compared to the next.  This gives such a uniqueness to the wines.

Like the cocktail, Richard Gomez was born in the southern city of New Orleans, Louisiana.  He has worked across top bars throughout the USA, served at a Diageo World Class Ambassador for two years and recently returned to his home town of New Orleans to become head bartender at the newly opened Compere Lapin along side Top Chef Nina Compton. 

Favorite Sherry Cocktail and Pairing: 

The Jerez Highball (recipe below) paired with conch croquettes and pickled pineapple tartar sauce.

The conch is poached until tender for about three hours and finely chopped. It is folded into a béchamel (butter, flour and milk mixture), sautéed onions, nutmeg, and cayenne, then breaded and fried. Tartar is made with mayonnaise, pickled red onion, capers, jalapeno, parsley, lemon juice and pickled pineapple, and topped with tobiko.

Jerez Highball

• 1.5 oz Inocente Fino Sherry
• 1/4 oz simple syrup
• 2 dashes of absinthe
• 4 oz carbonated coconut water

Add all ingredients to a collins glass, stir, and garnish with a grapefruit zest.