Let’s go to Portugal. Yes, we’re making port cocktails, and no this isn’t your grandma’s port. SPOILER: This time there are TWO cocktails we’re making!
But first some history. As many may know, port is a fortified wine, which in short means that it has distilled spirit added to it, which in port’s case is brandy. While it may seem sacrilegious to add booze to wine, there’s a story behind it. And like many stories about alcohol, it involves a fight, or in this case, war.
Port historically hails from the Douro Valley in North Portugal. Way back in the day, when the English and French were at war, the English weren’t able to get French tipples like they used to. Their search for better wine brought them to the Douro Valley of Portugal. However, the wine would often spoil by the time they got back to England. So someone had the bright idea of adding brandy to keep the port from spoiling. And the rest is history.
The view from the Pestana Vintage Porto, overlooking the Douro River
Most ports are pretty sweet and rich, typically enjoyed post-dinner. For many people, that’s not how they like their wine, and who can blame them, since a lot of wine is delicious in and of itself. Port has also become synonymous as something that grandmas drink. Is that why they live so long? Be that as it may, let me recommend an alternative: Port cocktails!
I use most ports in cocktails similar as I would sweet vermouth, albeit port is less bitter. But did you know there’s dry white port, in addition to sweet? Below, I include a recipe for one of my favorite two-ingredient cocktails, the Port and Tonic, plus a concoction of my own, a Pecan Pie Manhattan.
Port and Tonic
🍹2 oz. extra dry white port
🍹4 oz. tonic
🍹Cucumber, lime, and/or mint to garnish
Method: This is made like a traditional Gin and Tonic, so the ratios can vary, such as 3:1, 1:1 or 2:1 like I have here. You’ll add the port and tonic to a highball or wine glass, fill it with ice, and then squeeze a wedge of lime and garnish with lime, mint or basil. Set up a small circular table beneath your patio umbrella with an uncomfortable metal chair, and it’ll be like you’ve been transported to a Porto cafe.
Pecan Pie Manhattan
🍹2 oz. pecan-infused bourbon
🍹1 oz. tawny port
🍹Dash bitters
Method: This is made using pecan-infused bourbon (hat tip to Death and Co.), which involves adding a cup of lightly toasted pecans to a half-bottle of bourbon and letting it sit in a sealed mason jar for a week. To make the Pecan Pie Manhattan, make it just like a Manhattan cocktail, stirring the ingredients in a glass with ice and then straining into a coupe or martini glass. If you want a frothy top like this, then shake it rather than strain. Saúde🥂!
