Bamboo

The Bamboo is a stirred cocktail — the delicate flavors of the sherry and vermouth need the gentle dilution of stirring, not the aggressive chill of shaking. Use a mixing glass and stir for a full 30 seconds. The orange bitters are small in volume but essential — they add a citrus note that bridges the sherry and vermouth.

Use a quality fino or manzanilla sherry — Tio Pepe or La Gitana. These are the driest, most delicate sherries and they work beautifully with dry vermouth. Dolin Dry is the ideal vermouth; its light, floral character complements the sherry without competing. The drink should be bone dry and very cold.

The Bamboo was created by Louis Eppinger at the Grand Hotel in Yokohama, Japan, in the 1890s. It's one of the earliest low-ABV cocktails in the canon — a sophisticated, spirit-free alternative to the Martini. It was popular in Japan and among the expatriate community in Yokohama, and has been rediscovered by the modern low-ABV cocktail movement.

Adonis

Replace the dry vermouth with sweet vermouth and use a fino sherry. The Adonis is the sweeter sibling of the Bamboo — richer and more complex. Add a dash of Angostura bitters alongside the orange bitters.

Reverse Martini

Use 2 oz dry vermouth and ½ oz gin instead of sherry. The reverse Martini is more wine-forward and lower in alcohol than the classic — delicate, floral, and endlessly refreshing. Garnish with a lemon twist.