Bamboo Cocktail Recipe

The Bamboo, a combination of sherry, vermouth, and bitters, is a low-ABV cocktail that’s based on the build of the classic Manhattan cocktail. Instead of a spirit base, the Bamboo swaps in fino sherry, and is usually made with a dry vermouth, which also makes it similar in build to a Martini.

The Bamboo was part of a wave of sherry-based cocktails based on the Manhattan, the most notable of these being the Adonis. According to cocktail historian David Wondrich in The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, the Bamboo is believed to have been invented in San Francisco by bartender Louis Eppinger, who ran a famous bar in the city through the 1870s. 

Unsurprisingly, this specific style of sherry-based cocktails fell out of favor during Prohibition. Like many forgotten classics, the Bamboo and other similar cocktails were rediscovered by bartenders during the cocktail renaissance, and are once again in rotation at many bars.

Why the Bamboo works

The Bamboo is the perfect option for anyone who might be in the mood for a Martini, but would prefer a drink with lower alcohol. The use of sherry instead of a 40% ABV spirit reduces the boozy heft of a Martini while still being a complex and nuanced drink.

Fino sherry, known for its yeasty, briny qualities, pairs well with equal parts of the botanical-forward dry vermouth. The finished drink is similar to a Martini but with a more savory, nuttier flavor profile.

The already complex mixture of sherry and vermouth is further enhanced by the addition of both orange and aromatic bitters. This adds a pop of spice, some bitterness, and a bit more color to the drink. As the classic Martini and Manhattan both call for orange and aromatic bitters, respectively, the use of bitters makes the Bamboo an even more fitting low ABV option.