Spain is hot. From the world's tennis number one, Rafael Nadal, to the globe's top restaurant, El Bulli, it seems we can't get enough of all things Spanish, including sherry. Believe it or not, sherry is cool again. And to prove it, London has spawned a gaggle of sherry bars across the city, and people queue outside to buy a glass of fino or oloroso.
The Spanish food scene has already been riding a wave of popularity in the British capital but the first sherry bar is a relatively new addition (it opened in March last year). Bar Pepito is an offshoot of successful Spanish restaurant Camino and is a little piece of Andalusia amid the hubbub of London's Kings Cross.
Accommodating just four tall tables, the Andalusian-style bar is filled with 25-45-year-olds, with not a pensioner in sight. Owner Richard Bigg, says, "We loved sherry but it was the most uncool category in the world. I'm not trying to attract the vicar and your grandma." He quickly adds the elderly and the religious would, however, be welcome.
Choose from 17 sherries by the glass or try one of the bar's many wine flights: three 50ml glasses with suggested tapas. Yes, there is beer and wine on the list too but one-third of its revenue comes from sherry sales, and Bigg reports that drinkers who have never tried sherry before are discovering it's not just for those with a bus pass.
The latest opening comes from Spanish chef Jose Pizarro. The former head chef at Spanish restaurant group Brindisa, came to London 11 years ago barely able to speak a word of English. He has since written a Spanish recipe book and opened a self-named sherry and tapas bar. In this he has transported a piece of Seville's bar culture to the
