At noon, after doing our Saturday shopping at MERCADONA (a well-known supermarket chain), we headed to a beach bar for a drink.
The bar is situated in the shade of large fig trees, offering a welcome respite from the heat.
Midday drinks are a Spanish tradition we want to keep alive:
*La hora del vermut* (vermouth time) refers to going out for a drink—be it vermouth or beer...
"Drinking vermouth at noon in Spain is an iconic social ritual known as *la hora del vermut* (vermouth hour). It usually takes place on weekends (especially Sundays) between 12:00 PM and 2:30 PM, serving as the perfect prelude and aperitif before a late Spanish lunch."
We couldn't leave Spain without buying olive oil and Spanish sherry—specifically *Jerez* or *Manzanilla*.
"*Manzanilla* is a type of dry, fortified white wine that originates from the Jerez region but is produced exclusively in the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Although many consider it a distinct category, it is actually a wine in the same style as *Fino de Jerez*...
*Jerez* wine (known globally as sherry) is traditionally consumed as an aperitif before a meal."
In England, it is considered good manners to order sherry as an aperitif rather than, say, whisky!
And back home, we had lunch: *calamares en su tinta* (squid in its own ink) with rice.
"Black squid sauce is a dish or culinary accompaniment made from ink (sepia)—a dark defensive fluid obtained from the ink sacs of squid or cuttlefish."
We are in Andalusia!
