Don't tell anyone else about Fino Sherry

At Horns HQ here in Dallas, we're smack in the middle of another scorching summer. When it's 105 outside you gotta put all bullshit aside and reach for something simple and refreshing. I'm also not looking for syrupy sweetness at the height of a heat wave. Enter Fino Sherry. 

Most Americans think of sherry as a drink that is (A) very sweet and (B) something their weird great aunt used to drink at Christmas. All the better for us, because like wine, the world of sherry is diverse and while some sherries are sweet (Pedro Ximenez or PX sherries in particular), fino sherries are always dry, briney and delicious.

They are typically pale lemon in color and carry flavors of citrus, almonds, herbs, and toasty bread. I find many have a charming salinity to them that reminds me a good German Gose. Like a Gose, they very food friendly and are the perfect partner for olives - whether they're fresh, in a tapenade, or a muffuletta.

Or you can just crush it on its own and pretend you're in Spain, where hot means 80 degrees and not 108!