Last Updated on June 8, 2023 by Leah Hall
Check out this fabulous Port wine cocktail to close out the year, and celebrate the new one coming!
With the new year fast approaching, we find ourselves looking forward to celebrating what the future might bring, but we also want to remember the past that made us who we are today! Taking a chance to remember the highlights of the past year is definitely a reason to celebrate, which is why we created a cocktail we call The Recap, a cocktail that uses a spirit that has been around for ages, but one that definitely shouldn’t be forgotten, Port Wine!
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Mixing Glass / Jigger / Hawthorne Strainer
Port Wine
Port wine is one of those ingredients that is typically thought of as a post dinner drink. To be sipped on by wine lovers to go along with their dessert, but it also has a place in your cocktail glass! We know Port was a favorite ingredient of a lot of the great bartenders from the early 1900’s. It found its way into popular cocktails like the Port cobbler or the Coffee Cocktail and frequently had a whole section of cocktail recipe books from that era devoted to Port cocktails.
Port Making a Comeback
These days, Port is making a comeback in the cocktail scene as more of us cocktail fans start going back through those old cocktail books. We are rediscovering some of these classic cocktails and bartenders start to rediscover using Port in cocktails! We were excited when the folks at Fonseca Port asked us to develop a holiday cocktail that uses their fantastic Fonseca BIN 27 Port Wine to celebrate New Years!
Port wine is a fortified wine that us made by the addition of distilled grape spirits (typically brandy). This is to fortify the wine and halt fermentation before all the sugar is converted to alcohol. This fortification results in a wine that is usually higher proof and typically richer, sweeter, and heavier than a normal wine.
Originally prized by sailors and importers of wine due to the high proof which prevented the wine from spoiling during its long voyage. Port became especially popular in England in the 1700s as it was really the only wine that English folks could get thanks to a was with the French (who understandably did not want to export wine to their enemies!)
Port wine’s popularity spread along with the English empire. It is now popular with wine drinkers all over the globe!
Fonseca Port
Fonseca Port has been known among fans of Port wines as a premium port house. Also, Fonseca has a collection of vintage Port wines that are prized for their consistent quality and rich robust fruit flavors. Most famous among the Port wines in Fonseca’s portfolio is BIN 27, a reserve Port that was originally released back in 1972. This was to better meet the demands of Port wine lovers who wanted the full bodied fruit flavors of a fine vintage Port but with out the hassle of decanting the vintage Port.
What Ingredients are Needed for the Recap Cocktail?
- Mint Simple Syrup
- Port Wine
- Club Soda
- Amaro
- Lemon Juice
The winemakers at Fonseca used wines from across Portugal’s Durro Valley (where almost all the grapes used for Port wine are grown) to create BIN 27’s blend that is rich, smooth and distinctly full full of complex fruit notes and hints of spice and chocolate. The blending of various vintages allowed Fonseca to make BIN 27 similar in flavor and body to the high end vintage Ports.
But Fonseca is more accessible to the casual Port drinkers by making BIN 27 ready to drink when poured right from the bottle. This allowed the drinker to skip the decanting process and just get right down to enjoying the wine!
Port Wine Cocktail
BIN 27’s accessibility and rich full bodied flavors also makes BIN 27 ideal for the cocktail lover! Because busy bartenders, home mixologists and cocktail lovers don’t want to sit around waiting for a Port to decant before using it in a cocktail. They want to get right to mixing! Since we were looking to make a cocktail that would be perfect for celebrating the New Year, we wanted something that would feel fresh like the upcoming new year, while still having a rich aged feeling that hearkens back to traditions from days gone by.
This is where Fonseca BIN 27 comes in, combining the celebratory feeling of a Port wine with its rich fruity sweetness of a young Port, with the smooth warmth and depth that comes from its aging in wooden barrels for around four years.
How are You Supposed to Drink Port?
Usually at cool room temperature of 64-66 degrees Fahrenheit. If it’s aged and less tannic it can be slightly chilled.
What Goes Good with Port Wine?
It pairs well with foie gras and brioche as an appetizer. Also walnuts, blue cheese, or with dried fruits such as figs and apricots.
We started out to make today’s cocktail, The Recap, by adding a generous dram of BIN 27 to a mixing glass as the base spirit of the cocktail. After that we added a little Italian amaro, which played extremely well with the warm fruity notes of the BIN 27, the spices and herbal notes of the amaro bringing out the chocolate and cherry notes of the BIN 27. A little mint simple syrup adds a freshly brewed tea component while adding just a hint of fresh sweetness.
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds just a hint of acid and brings the whole drink into balance. A quick stir with some ice to chill the cocktail and a spritz of club soda to add an bubbly effervescence adds a celebratory flair to the cocktail! And just like that, you have the Recap, a wine cocktail that celebrates the future and the past!
Cheers!
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Like this recipe? Try these below, too!
Other Port Wine Cocktails
- Ciderhouse Punch – She’s Cookin
- Sparkling Pomegranate Port Wine Cocktail – Feast & West
- Lavender Lemonade Port Cocktail – Christian Koepke
The Recap - A Port Wine Cocktail
A Port Wine based cocktail with mint, lemon and amaro. Perfect for a holiday cocktail.
Ingredients
Port Wine Cocktail
- 2 ounces Fonseca BIN 27 Port Wine
- 1 ounce Amaro
- .50 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- .50 ounce mint simple syrup
- 1.50 ounces club soda
Instructions
In a mixing glass, combine Fonseca BIN 27 Port Wine, Amaro, mint simple syrup and lemon juice.
Add ice.
Stir until chilled.
Strain into a cocktail coupe or wine glass.
Top with chilled club soda.
Cheers!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 136Total Fat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 15mgCarbohydrates: 8.8gFiber: 0.1gSugar: 7.8gProtein: 0.2g
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Creed
Saturday 14th of December 2024
Late to this party, but came across this looking for unique ideas for the winter holidays. Will give this a try, but what about the amaro? There are so many directions the choice of amaro could take this drink. Was there a suggestion I missed in the text?
Leah Hall
Saturday 14th of December 2024
Hi there! Absolute oversight on our part, thanks for pointing that out. If you stick with a baseline Amaro like Averna, Montenegro or Lucano, this would be the ideal flavor profile we are going for. In this case, we really wanted the port to shine, so these are a great way to do so! Thanks for your question! Cheers, Leah
Emily
Thursday 18th of January 2018
Have never heard of a Port cocktail. Definitely would love to try. Beautiful presentation!
The 'Noms.
Thursday 18th of January 2018
Thanks so much! Wine cocktails are so much fun, so we thought we would try it with port! Cheers!
Amy Nash
Tuesday 9th of January 2018
Such a sophisticated looking cocktail and interesting history!
The 'Noms.
Wednesday 17th of January 2018
Thanks so much! We loved this one, it was such a beautiful way to end the year!
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
Monday 8th of January 2018
Somehow I've never tried port- I usually gravitate towards dry wines that aren't sweet, so I think I wasn't sure if I'd like it. BUT I am super curious! I'd love to try it like you have here with the amaro!
The 'Noms.
Wednesday 17th of January 2018
Port can be sweet, but it is also so full of flavor, so I encourage you to try it! We definitely layer the flavors in here!
globalmunchkins82
Saturday 6th of January 2018
I've never tried a port cocktail. It sounds amazing! I love your photos too. Just beautiful!
The 'Noms.
Wednesday 17th of January 2018
Thank you so much! I hope you try it out sometime, its so good!