{"id":1783,"date":"2025-04-19T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=1783"},"modified":"2025-04-22T12:03:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T12:03:59","slug":"dont-pair-baileys-with-your-easter-chocolate-try-this-unexpected-drink-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/19\/dont-pair-baileys-with-your-easter-chocolate-try-this-unexpected-drink-instead\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t pair Bailey\u2019s with your Easter chocolate \u2014 try this unexpected drink instead"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"A\t<\/div>
There’s a better drink to enjoy with your chocolate this Easter (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SHOPPING \u2013 Contains affiliated content. Products featured in this Metro article are selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, Metro.co.uk will earn an affiliate commission. Click here<\/a> for more information.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re one of those people who reaches for Bailey\u2019s or Mozart Chocolate Liqueur on Easter Sunday<\/a>, you\u2019re missing a trick.<\/p>\n

Because, you know that drink that never sees the light of day? The one you probably didn\u2019t even know was at the back of your drinks<\/a> cupboard, hiding in plain sight. Well, it\u2019s the wine<\/a> industry\u2019s well-kept Easter secret as the best drink to pair with chocolate<\/a>, bar none.<\/p>\n

And, I\u2019m about to get all Antiques Road Show <\/a>on you as I disclose its value\u2026<\/p>\n

No, I\u2019m not talking about Advocaat or Galliano<\/a>, those retro bottles gifted to you by your Ned Flanders of a neighbour, which you can\u2019t for the life of you think what to do with. They’re the drinks equivalent of a lava lamp and have no business being near an Easter egg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m referring to sherry, the Swiss army knife of a drink that comes in styles ranging from dry, cream, nutty to a version so sweet that when you drizzle it over your dessert, it becomes the dessert. Guaranteed, no other drinks journalist will be writing about sherry for Easter as they want it all for themselves. The greedy guzzle gannets.<\/p>\n

You can forget port, it\u2019s not Christmas<\/a>, we\u2019re looking at sherry and chocolate all the way when the bunny is in town. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
No other drinks journalist will be sharing this industry secret this Easter…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why? Because to a greater or lesser degree, all sherry styles have lightly nutty, dried fruit notes that allow them to do the cha-cha with chocolate. That\u2019s why fruit and nut chocolate is a thing in the first place.<\/p>\n

Do a taste test if you don\u2019t believe me. No need to commit to an entire egg, do it with a square of chocolate first. Take a sip of sherry, keep it in your mouth for a bit then swallow it. Take a chunk of chocolate and let it melt on your tongue, and when it\u2019s roughly two thirds melted, take another sip of sherry and let them bask on your tongue together.<\/p>\n

Thank me later, but first, here are the sherries to sip before, during and after the kids have hunted for the eggs…<\/p>\n

Nutty Chocolate x Cream <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Try: Baron Amarillo Pale Cream Sherry, \u00a37.69 from Aldi<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
Baron Amarillo Pale Cream Sherry, \u00a37.69, Aldi<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cream sherry is usually mentioned in the same sentence as \u2018your granny\u2019, but I\u2019m not going to be so predictable. But, what is it? It\u2019s an Oloroso sherry that\u2019s had sugar added to it to make it significantly sweeter. If your chocolate has praline, or in this case, pistachio paste inside, these guys will mesh well. I\u2019m clearly referring to the Dubai chocolate bar<\/a>, which seems to be everywhere at the moment. They\u2019ve now reshaped the bar into an Easter egg, which was the logical next step, let\u2019s face it. Crunch the two together and tell me what you think.<\/p>\n

Caramel Chocolate x Oloroso <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Try: Sainsbury\u2019s Taste the Difference Oloroso Sherry, \u00a39.75<\/strong>, www.sainsburys.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
Sainsbury\u2019s Taste the Difference Oloroso Sherry, \u00a39.75<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oloroso sherry is the full nut-fest due to its oxidative ageing, as it doesn\u2019t have the protective layer of yeast the other styles do (flor). These wines are dry, dark in colour and super rich in style, think walnuts, dried figs and soy sauce, in a great way. Chocolate with caramel, nougat or marzipan in the mix makes a worthy pairing partner for this style of sherry. There\u2019s a smidge of caramel flavour in the sherry too, which they both share, and together they take each other to the next level.  <\/p>\n

White Chocolate x Moscatel <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Try: Lustau Moscatel Emlin Sherry 37.5ml, \u00a314.95, Secret Bottle Shop<\/strong>, www.secretbottleshop.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Lustau\t<\/div>
Lustau Moscatel Emilin Solera Familiar Sherry, \u00a314.95, Secret Bottle Shop<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Forget opposites attracting, here\u2019s an example of twinning and winning. Not quite the sweetest style of sherry, that\u2019ll be Pedro Ximenez, Moscatel is made from the, well, Moscatel de Alejandria grape. The only grape you can get away with saying it tastes \u2018grapey\u2019. Like PX, the grapes are sun dried and fortified, giving it a floral, marmaladey and honeyed flavour profile that greets the white chocolate like its long-lost sibling.<\/p>\n

Dark Chocolate x Pedro Ximenez <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Morrisons The Best Pedro Ximenez Sherry, \u00a37.25<\/strong>, www.groceries.morrisons.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Morrisons\t<\/div>
Morrisons The Best Pedro Ximenez Sherry, \u00a37.25<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the money-shot of Easter pairings. Pedro Ximenez looks like treacle and tastes like molasses put in the whizzer with Christmas pudding. It acts like a dessert wine though its officially a sherry. There\u2019s a scurrilous amount of sugar in this style, we\u2019re talking 300 \u2013 500 g\/litre, which is why a little goes a long way. Though, I find a lot goes a longer way. The combo of that and a bitter 85 \u2013 100% chunk of dark chocolate will make your head explode, in a good way.<\/p>\n

Milk Chocolate x Palo Cortado<\/strong> <\/h2>\n

Gonz\u00e1lez Byass \u2018Leonor\u2019 Palo Cortado 12 Year Old Sherry, \u00a322, Majestic<\/strong>, www.majestic.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Gonz?lez\t<\/div>
Gonz\u00e1lez Byass \u2018Leonor\u2019 Palo Cortado 12 Year Old Sherry, \u00a322, Majestic<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is my favourite style of sherry and this particular bottle is my go-to. This actually started out life as a Fino, the lightest form of sherry, it\u2019s then exposed to the elements and takes on a flavour profile between a nutty Oloroso and the freshness of an Amontillado. It\u2019s dry in style, with beautiful saline notes, giving the chocolate a cheeky sea salt moment, which we know works diabolically well. Make it a decent quality milk chocolate pairing, please, I don\u2019t want to see any Dairy Milk wrappers lying around or we\u2019ll be having words.  <\/p>\n

Spicy Chocolate x Manzanilla <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla Sherry, \u00a315.50, Waitrose<\/strong>, www.waitrose.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Hidalgo\t<\/div>
Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla Sherry, \u00a315.50<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This bottle is to Manzanilla what Tio Pepe is to Fino, aka the benchmark. It\u2019s like sipping on sea mist, with a whisper of nuts and bruised apple flavours in the mix. This whip-fresh style yearns for the cheekiness of a chilli infused chocolate, or at least a high quality smoky dark chocolate. You see, the more \u2018out there\u2019, spicy chocolate styles are balanced out by the saline nature of the sherry. Either that, or guzzle it with an inhuman amount of salted almonds. You\u2019ll enjoy it either way.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tLooking for more expert drinks content?\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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If you count yourself a purveyor of the finer things in life, Metro\u2019s Drinks Column is where you need to be.<\/p>\n

Immerse yourself in the world of good drink, fronted by industry expert Rob Buckhaven \u2013 a place for readers to whet their whistle with the latest and greatest in the world of drinks. From unpacking the best supermarket wines<\/a> from Aldi<\/a>, Tesco<\/a> and Lidl<\/a>, to introducing audiences to the wallet-friendly Cremant out-bubbling the fanciest of French Champagnes<\/a> (or the best wines to drink after sex<\/a>), and finding out what it\u2019s like to go on a bar crawl with Jason Momoa,<\/a> this is a haven for those who love to celebrate.<\/p>\n

Stay ahead of the curve<\/a> as Rob plucks from the vines the wines of the season and the spirits you need to know about; speaking with experts and mixologists while unpacking the latest concoctions, finding the best non-alcoholic options<\/a> for those looking to moderate, discovering the best food pairings for your drops, and going up against the latest TikTok <\/a>chatter to demystify the liquid landscape.<\/p>\n

Can you really make cheap vodka taste expensive by putting it through a Brita filter?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

What happens when you put wine in a blender?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

And, truly, how <\/a><\/em>should<\/em><\/a><\/strong>\u200b we be storing our wine?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Read More.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’s a better drink to enjoy with your chocolate this Easter (Picture: Getty) SHOPPING \u2013 Contains affiliated content. Products featured in this Metro article are selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, Metro.co.uk will earn an affiliate commission. Click here for more information. If you\u2019re one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1783"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1794,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783\/revisions\/1794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}