It’s no secret that port is the ideal ending to a decadent dinner. It’s also perfect as a party sip. With holiday season in full swing. Ports are the ‘IT’ adult beverage for your Christmas, New Year’s, anniversary, and everything-in-between festivities.
Serve the CROFT Pink chilled over a block of ice or with a touch of champagne. Choose the black current and cherry-rich Fonseca Bin 27 to pair with your holiday party cheese platter. And, the Taylor Fladgate Fine Tawny Porto is the idyllic ending to an indulgent night on the town. All of the ports also work fantastically in a variety of cocktails. In fact, the highly regarded historian turned drink guru, David Wondrich, whipped up a few delicious port-based libations for your testing and tasting pleasure.
A liquid tribute to the Drones Club, P.G. Wodehouse’s mythic haven for well-dressed and, above all well-heeled young English gentleman, this light and elegant cocktail is built from the traditional drinks of the leisure class, good port, gin, Scotch whiskey (here in the form of Drambuie), with just a dash of French decadence
- 1 ½ oz. Croft Pink Port
- 1 ½ oz. London dry gin
- 1 barspoon (1/2 teaspoon) Drambuie
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1 dash (from a dasher bottle) or 6 drops of Lucid Absinthe
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist a swatch of thin-cut lemon peel over the top. Stir well with cracked ice.
During the Age of Sail, when Britannia well and truly ruled the waves, the men who sailed those great wooden ships liked nothing better than to sit around a big bowl of punch drinking toasts. Precisely the sort of thing they would have served back then, Trafalgar Punch is christened after the naval victory that cemented Britain’s power. But, just because it’s seaworthy, don’t think it’s not elegant. This punch is as easy and pleasant as a sunny day at the beach.
- 12 oz. Taylor Fladgate 10 year-old Tawny Port
- 8 oz. Laressingle VSOP Armagnac
- 4 oz. Wray & Nephew White Overproof rum
- The peel of 3 lemons, cut in wide spirals with a vegetable peeler
- ¾ cup sugar
- 6 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 24 oz. water
- 1 whole nutmeg
Procedure: In a 3-quart punch bowl, muddle the lemon peels with sugar and let it sit for at least an hour. Then stir in the lemon juice.
Franco-Iberian Fizz – by David Wondrich
This lovely refreshing fizz balances the dark, rich flavors of Fonseca Bin 27 port and Crème de Cassis with the lean spiciness of Rhum Depaz, from the French Caribbean island of Martinique and a splash of lime juice. Classic and delightful.
- 1 ½ oz. Fonseca Bin 27 Port
- 1 oz. Rhum Depaz
- ¾ oz. fresh-squeezed lime-juice
- ½ oz. Guyot Crème de Cassis
Strain into a large champagne flute, top off with 2 oz. chilled club soda or seltzer and garnish with a quarter orange wheel.
The Queen of Night – by David Wondrich
A creation of William “The Only William” Schmidt, the rather eccentric German-born New York bartender who from 1888 until 1905 was America’s most famous mixologist. Besides a penchant for flashy names, he liked complex, full-flavored drinks and loved to use wine in them.
Stir well with cracked ice:
- 1½ oz Fonseca Bin 27 Port
- ¾ oz Rainwater-style Madeira
- ½ oz Laressingle VSOP Armagnac
- 1 barspoon green Chartreuse
- 2 drops rosewater
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. This drink may be improved by adding a teaspoon of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and shaking it rather than stirring it.
Suburban – by David Wondrich
This dark, rich and, well, masculine pre-Prohibition classic comes from the bar of the old Waldorf-Astoria hotel, on the site where the Empire State building now stands. It was named not after the hordes of commuters who use nearby Penn Station but rather after a horse race, the Suburban Handicap, that was run every June at Sheepshead Bay (these days, they run it at Belmont).
Stir well with cracked ice:
- 1 oz Fonseca Bin 27 Port
- ½ oz Appleton Reserve rum
- 1 ½ oz straight rye whiskey
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist a swatch of thin-cut lemon peel over the top.
Bar Drake Manhattan
- 2 1/4 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon
- 1 oz Fonseca Bin 27 Port
- 1 2 oz bar spoon of maple syrup
- Dash of Angostura Bitters
Pour all ingredients over ice into a mixing glass. Stir the drink and strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish: Brandied Cherries
Photo credits, Fonseca Bin 27
[…] is an original. “Chris is a rare living link to this amazing old-world profession,” says Dave Wondrich, drinks correspondent for Esquire and author of Imbibe! (Perigee Books, 2007). “There are plenty […]