The Spirit World

Cocktail hour in Spain lasts for twenty-four.

I had heard this before moving here six years ago, but assumed that it was just a misguided stereotype — much like the one about Americans laying-out .44 Magnums as flatware when setting the dinner table.

Well…the only thing misguided was my skepticism. Spaniards, I quickly learned, DO drink cocktails at any given hour…including the breakfast hour. And the breakfast of choice for many is the Sol y Sombra (i.e., “Sun and Shadow”).

Sol y Sombra is a combination of anís dulce — a sweetened, anise-flavored liquor similar to ouzo - and sherry brandy. Walk into any Spanish bar between the hours 7am to 11am and you’ll likely find a number of patrons fortifying themselves with a glass before commencing a day’s work behind the wheel of a back-hoe or gasoline tanker.

I had never tried a Sol y Sombra, but felt obligated to do a little “primary research” before sitting-down to write this post. After all, a man is nothing without credibility. So I walked to my favorite local bar at 8:30 this morning and ordered one.

The bartender, José, placed the booty before me. I sniffed. I sipped. I swished. I swallowed.

And as I savored the drink´s lingering after-taste, I was struck with a rather profound thought — if this is what it means to be Spanish, then somebody please give me a hot dog and a NY Yankees baseball cap.

No, my friends…the Sol y Sombra didn’t seize my passion. The anís’s licorice-like pungency co-mingling with the brandy’s smokey bite just didn’t rest comfortably on my Martini-trained palate.

Perhaps it was the tender hour. Or perhaps I just wasn’t drinking it correctly. After all, everyone else in the bar chased their Sol y Sombras with a long, hard drag on a Marlboro. In any event, it won’t be ousting Earl Grey as my preferred breakfast drink any time soon.

But don’t take my word for it. Mix a Sol y Sombra and decide for yourself. I include the recipe below. Just don’t forget the Marlboro.

SOL Y SOMBRA

1 part Anís Dulce
1 part Sherry Brandy

Pour into a snifter, and drink. No ice required. No garnish required. The only thing shaken or stirred will be your constitution—especially after drinking one of these at an hour when NPR is still broadcasting “Morning Edition”.