Derek Brown, Columbia Room, Bartender, Owner, Sherry, Washington, DC, NW, District Of Columbia, Where to drink, where to eat, where to shop, Bartender Recommendations, Insider Recommendations, Where bartenders drink, Best Bars in Washington DC, Sherry Recommendations, Madrid, Spain, Cadiz, Where to drink, Sherry Bar

Mockingbird Hill Sherry Bar

Mockingbird Hill is modeled after the small sherry bars we loved in the south of Spain, but with our own touches. We might love sherry, but we didn't want to create a Disney-version of Southern Spain replete with bull statues and flamenco fans. For us, we thought of all the international visitors in the South, like Hemingway or even Joe Strummer of the Clash. We bring elements of that in. Actually, we plan to play punk music. It's about creating a fun atmosphere and demystifying sherry.

Small Bites & Hams

We also love the small bites in Spain, especially aged hams. But there are equally great aged hams in the United States too. So we offer people a choice. You can try some Serrano from Spain or Surryano from Edward and Sons in Surry, Virginia.

Inspiration

I came across lots of great, tiny bars, but absolutely loved two. They were fun places, nothing fancy, where you can grab something small to eat, drink some sherry and relax with friends.

Cadiz | Taberna Casa Manteca

The staff was really fun at Manteca. People from Cadiz seem to have a great sense of humor.

Madrid | La Venencia

La Venencia is filled with history, it oozes it. I mean, it's where Hemingway drank. Apparently if you ordered wrong here during the Spanish Civil War you could be shot. Fortunately, I must have ordered the right way.

Sherry

Why Sherry

There are three things apart from the fact that sherry just tastes good. 

1) I love the people and culture around sherry. Every time I go, I feel so engrossed in their lifestyle. Sherry is an everyday thing and is drank prodigiously with family and friends. 

2) I admire the history of this great wine. Sherry was among the first wines to come to the New World and has been around since the Phoenicians. It has changed, or rather evolved, but many elements point back to an ancient way of life.

3) Sherry goes so well with food. It’s really, really versatile when pairing. Lighter fino and manzanilla sherries work perfectly with ham or olives and then you can pick bolder and sometimes sweeter sherries to accompany a main course or desserts. These aren't just quaint pairings, they often genuinely enhance the food and make it taste better.

Favorite Sherries

I love most sherries but there are a few that I'm opening right now.

Really crisp, saline. It's a great, light sherry. 

Straight from the barrel with the flor (or yeast) unfiltered. They feel alive in your mouth. Lustau and Tio Pepe both make ones.

Made with 50 year old sherries blended in it. It's a little richer in style, but still ethereal and dry. Absolutely pairable with everything from oxtail soup to scrambled eggs.

For something sweet, nothing beats the exceptional Moscatels of Cesar Florido. They are made in a traditional process, drying the grapes on the beach. They're really special.

Drinking in Washington, DC

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Recommended By

- Bartender Todd Thrasher of PX, TNT, Good Food Group in Alexandria, VA

- Bartender Daniel Shoemaker of Teardrop Lounge in Portland, OR

- Bartender Chris McMillian of Kingfish and Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans, LA