Sherry Cobbler

The Sherry Cobbler is a Cocktail which consists of Sherry, Fruit, Sugar, and Shaved Ice.

Historical References

"The Gentleman's Magazine," By William Evans Burton, Edgar Allan Poe, 1837

"...the "cobler," a light vinous punch, exceedingly well iced, and grateful to the delicate æsophagus."

"Martin Chuzzlewit," Charles Dickens, 1844

"This wonderful invention, Sir...it is called a Cobbler. Sherry Cobbler, when you name it long; Cobbler when you name it short."

"Canada and the Canadians: In 1846," By Richard Henry Bonnycastle, 1846

"...but he does, I am ashamed to say, admire a sherry cobbler, particularly if he does not get a second-hand piece of vermicelli to suck it through. Reader, do you know what a sherry cobbler is? I will enlighten you. Let the sun shine at about 80 Fahrenheit. Then take a lump of ice; fix it at the edge of a board; rasp it with a tool made like a drawing knife or carpenter's plance, set face upwards. Collect the raspings, the fine raspings, mind, in a capacious tumbler; pour thereon two glasses of good sherry, and a good spoonful of powdered white sugar, with a few small bits, not slices, but bits of lemon, about as big as a gooseberry. Stir with a wooden macerator. Drink through a tube of macaroni or vermicelli."

"The upper ten thousand; sketches of American society. By a New Yorker," By Charles Astor Bristed, 1852

"take a knife and a lemon, and do as you see me do; don't mind soiling your fingers. First, you rub the lemon with the back of the knife--that brings out the essential oil better; then you pare off the rind very carefully, taking only the yellow, and not cutting into the white at all. Very well. Imbed your lemon-peel in as much sugar as you would use if making a similarly-sized glass of punch. Sometimes you will see slices of lemon put into a cobbler--nothing can be more destructive; avoid everything but the yellow peel. If you will have something more, put in a slice of orange or pineapple, or a few strawberries. I think this may be done to good effect in a bowl, but not in a single glass. Now fill your tumbler half-way with pounded ice. Good. And now pour in two wine-glasses of sherry. You see we use dark sherry for this, both for strength and the colour. It makes the mixture of a beautiful golden hue; with amontillado or Manzanilla it would look too weak. Don't be impatient; we have to mix yet." He took up one of the spare glasses, covered with it the mouth of the tumbler which contained the magic compound, and shook the cobbler back and forwards from one glass to the other a dozen times without spilling a drop.

Travels in South and North America, By Alexander Marjoribanks, 1853

"Sherry Cobbler is a favourite drink, and is made up as follows:-pound a small quantity of ice quite fine, by wrapping it in a coarse woollen cloth, and beating it with a rolling pin; half fill a large tumbler with this pounded ice; add a teaspoonful and half of pounded sugar, two or three pieces of lemon peel, pared very thin, and a wine glass and half of sherry; throw in half a dozen strawberries; fill up with pounded ice; mix, by pouring rapidly from one tumbler to another several times; drink through a straw or glass tube."

"Zanesville Courier," 26th August, 1853

"A sherry cobbler! Bacchus! what a luxury. I believe Satan suggested the thought to me."

Jerry Thomas, 1862

• Take 1 table-spoonful of fine white sugar.
• 1 slice of orange, cut up into quarters.
• 2 small pieces of pineapple.

Fill the glass nearly full of shaved ice, then fill it up with sherry wine. Shake up, ornament the top with berries in season, and serve with a straw.

Cups and their customs, by H. Porter and G.E. Roberts, 1863

Sherry Cobler. [sic]

"Fill a tumbler three parts full of pounded ice, to which add two wine-glasses of sherry, a tablespoonful of brandy, two teaspoonfuls of powdered sugar, and two or three small pieces of lemon. Pour the mixture rapidly from one tumbler to another several times, throw in half a dozen strawberries, and drink the mixture through a straw, or stick of maccaroni."

Similar Drinks

The Ideal Bartender, Tom Bullock, 1917

CALIFORNIA SHERRY COBBLER

• 1 pony of Pineapple Syrup in large Bar glass.
• 2 jiggers California Sherry.

Fill glass with Shaved Ice; stir well; decorate with Fruit; dash a little Port Wine on top and serve with Straws.