Sherry Vinegar+Chicken Stock as Sherry Substitute?

I have just written a Top 5 from experience of cooking with sherry and feel that it would sit appropriately here http://www.topfive.tk/2015/01/my-top-5-dry-sherry-substitutes.html

Thank you both. I am humbled by my knew knowledge.
Now I have a new question, but I'll start a new thread.

"Doesn't the alcohol evaporate?"
This is a valid question and one that there is actually some debate over. But for me this isn't the point.

There are a range of reasons that people don't drink alcohol, from a recovering alcoholic who wouldn't want to even touch a dish prepared with wine or spirits to somebody who doesn't mind keeping a stash of liquors on hand for cooking.

I fall in the middle of this range -- as I suspect many other (teetotaler) cooks do. I don't mind eating something somebody else prepared with alcohol, but I don't care to purchase or store these ingredients in my house. I live in one of the dozen-or-so states that sell only beer in grocery stores, so I'd have to go out of my way to a liquor store to get sherry or wine. Since I don't drink, I wouldn't know how to pick a good sherry anyway, nor would I know when it had turned and would need to be tossed.

The great thing about cooking is that it's equal parts art and science. I concede that making substitutions is no way to get to *exactly* what the recipe-creator intended, but I find that if I'm careful about sourcing the rest of my ingredients I can get something that's close, if not better.

Doesn't the alcohol evaporate when it's cooked? Please disabuse me is this notion if I'm wrong

I don't see a teetotaler thinking that brandy or sweet vermouth would be a good substitute?! And I'm not going to touch that Dr. Pepper idea. But the sherry vinegar idea seems good to me. I often add a squeeze of lemon to brighten up soups. And I see some great soups with sherry vinegar on the web, for just one example, this one from Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/01/mushroom-and-farro-soup/

Alright...soup is forgiving. (Calling for 1/3 cup of Sherry into over 8 cups of broth, water, and mushroom juice). I saw one person suggesting flat Dr. Pepper and I had diet Dr. Pepper on hand...so that is what I used.

Unconventional?
Yeah.
Did it work?
Well the soup tastes great so I guess so!

If it were me, I'd stick with one of the other substitutes -- you're really going for a sweet, faintly alcoholic ingredient to give the soup depth, not acid. In addition to cider or vanilla, you could also try a brandy (apple brandy would be best) or a sweet vermouth. Best of luck!