Could anyone please advise me on what a sweet sherry for a trifle is?I f you are able to name brands or what I should be looking for will be a good help.A trifle recipe that I would like to try says sweet sherry.I don't know sherry at all.Thanks.

Marylew, my mother always used cherry brandy.

cheers Gran



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2020 08:24AM by gran.

Assuming you need to buy sherry for the trifle, you can get it from either a liquor store or supermarket. Sweet sherry will be clearly labelled as sweet sherry (vs dry sherry). If you're not sure about it, just ask one of the staff who I'm sure will be happy to steer you in the right direction.
Lynne2

marylew, any sweet sherry you buy from a supermarket or a liquor store would be fine. It doesn't need to be the most expensive brand. For a long time I never had any sherry in the house. The bottle gradually got used (mostly for trifles) and I substituted port or a sweet wine.

Years ago we used to have a delightful older lady come into our office, she looked gorgeous, was beautifuly dressed and made-up but it made me smile when I could detect the faintest odour of sherry on her breath!

Thanks everyone,but does sweet sherry say that on the label?The bottle stores now have young people and I asked in one store and the young ones have never made a trifle so fair enough they couldn't help me.I will go and have a good look thanks all.

The top quality Spanish sweet sherry sold in NZ is Pedro Ximinez, but it is very expensive for a trifle, so instead look for labels such as "Bristol Cream", Cream Sherry, Dessert Sherry.

I make trifle quite often but don't use sherry; instead I will use a little cooking brandy or rum plus juice from whatever fruit I am using. Orange juice and brandy is nice, so is pineapple juice and rum.

Hi Marylew,
I have a dry sherry in the pantry just for trifles. It's Christian Brothers Dry Sherry750ml, about $30. It tastes just like sherry should in a trifle. The label says "Dry Sherry" and it seems to be available at most liquor stores. So I can recommend that but I know your recipe asks for "sweet sherry".

I looked at liquor stores online, for sweet sherry. Liquorland doesn't have any that say "sweet sherry". They say "dry sherry" or "cream sherry" or "medium sherry" or "golden sherry". Super Liquor only has one "medium sherry". Liquor King only has a "rich cream sherry". Big Barrel has a good sherry selection but, again, nothing is labelled "sweet sherry". So I can see your dilemma.

Apparently cream sherry isn't creamy but it is sweet. I don't drink so I know nothing about sherry apart from what it's like in a trifle. Whenever I ask Google about sweet sherry on your behalf, it starts talking about cream sherry and how it's a sweet sherry so I'm guessing cream sherry might be what you need to buy. Given that I'm perfectly happy with my Christian Brothers dry sherry, I think I'd buy Christian Brothers Cream Sherry 750ml $23-$26 as it's readily available at most liquor stores and a good price. (Supermarkets don't sell sherry because it's a spirit and they're not allowed to sell spirits.)

If you look at Big Barrel's sherry selection here [bigbarrel.co.nz] and read the descriptions about sweetness, flavour, etc, it will help you decide which sweet sherry (i.e., cream sherry) might suit your recipe best. For instance "Elegante Cream Sherry" has the description: Classic cream sherry from one of the worlds biggest brands. Deliciously sweet but not cloying it finishes clean with great length. A delightful cream Sherry that needs to be tried by every enthusiast.

PS: From reading some of the descriptions, I've learnt "medium sherry" is defined as "half sweet".


PPS: Oh TANDPAV, I see we were typing our posts at the same time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2020 07:53AM by J1.

I always use Ormond Rich Cream Sherry from Pak n Sav. Its about $11 per bottle. I mix the sherry with the juice from the peaches which I always add to my trifles. Always tastes great

Wow thank you everyone that has certainly made it easier for me now.J1 you went to a lot of trouble finding out for me for which I am very grateful.It didn't occur to me to try this way so thank you very much.Tpandav I know the name Bristol cream I am sure I have used it before so thanks I know what it looks like.Lizrick the Ormond Rich Cream Sherry from paknsave mixed with the juice from canned peaches sound like a tasty combination.Thanks again everyone I am sorted now.

Oh, sorry, I didn't realise you could buy sherry from supermarkets (e.g. Pak'nSave). I did a supermarket online search and nothing comes up.

J1 that's probably because the word 'sherry' does not feature in the title of the product. For example I just did a search on the Countdown site using the word 'Ormond' and it comes up with Ormond Fortified Wine Rich Ruby. If I search on 'sherry' I get blueberries, strawberries and frozen fruit for some peculiar reason.

The alcohol content of the Ormond range is about the same as a bottle of wine, hence being available in supermarkets. You'd have to go to a liquor store for sherry with a higher alcohol content.

Regards,

Barbara Anne



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2020 06:45AM by Barbara Anne.

How fortunate to have supportive folk here, such comprehensive and helpful responses.
I would like to share a trifle story . . .
Caring for an elderly lady I noticed a sponge which was getting past its best and suggested I might make it into a trifle which met with a positive response. I put everything out on the bench then said I didn't know how to make a trifle I would need help.
Bless her, she took the bait and came to help . . . putting jam on the sponge, and cutting it while I made the custard. As I poured some sherry on to the sponge, the bottle was promptly taken out of my hand, "Not like that, you need a proper glug of the good stuff." And she poured a most generous amount of sherry over the sponge.
It was such a joy to see this lovely 90 plus lady out of her chair, enjoying herself and participating. The trifle making must have reminded her about the bottle of sherry because it was soon emptied.