ANNIE: 'Is yours an Oloroso or a Manzanilla?' asks the waiter. Help! What to drink in a Spanish restaurant? In fact, when eating tapas in a bar, Spaniards would ask for 'un fino', a pale, dry sherry, drunk incredibly chilled. We sought the advice of Richard Bigg, owner of the only sherry bar in London, the newly opened Bar Pepito in Kings Cross. He explained that sherry is only made in Andalusia in the small triangular area between Jerez (which gave its name to 'sherry'), Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. The locations are important: Sanlucar de Barrameda is home to Emily's and my now favoured Manzanilla, which is very dry with a slight salty taste due to its seaside origin. It is the perfect accompaniment to almonds, padrone peppers and olives. But you could equally have a Fino. These two types have been protected from oxidizing by a layer of flor – hence the fact that they are only about 15% proof, so you can quaff away. With richer food, including cheese, the heavier Oloroso is better but it is a bigger drink to get used to.
Bar Pepito is a great place to discover what you like. Try their sherry ‘flights’: three 50ml shots of styles for comparison, each served with a bite of something suitable from the menu.  Bar Pepito, 3 Varnishers Yard, The Regent Quarter, Kings Cross, N1 7841 7331 camino.uk.com/pepito