Port cocktails

[JacobH]

Curious what you guys consider a real negroni?

I think the main characteristic is the balancing of the campari and vermouth: mixing something which is very bitter with something that is very aromatic and sweet to produce a result where the individual components are indistinct. In that regard, it is more similar to, say, a Sidecar or a Corpse Reviver № 2 than an Old Fashioned or Martini which emphasise and amplify one component. I thought the dominant flavour in yours was the campari which was very elegantly softened and elongated by the Port. (But the complaint about the name is firmly tongue-in-cheek: I am more than happy for it to be “G-man’s White Port Negroni” and am glad you suggested something I wouldn’t have otherwise tried!)

Though, I've never had the Churchill's whiteport before, the quevedo is definitely darker.

It’s my go-to white port for all mixing purposes. Whilst marketed as dry, I wouldn’t describe it as bone-dry and, as you can see from the colour, there’s definitely a bit of age on it. Worth trying if you can find a bottle.

[g-man]

fair point. I've had the negroni at a few spots across Florence and there are certainly a wide variation across the city from very sweet, to very strong campari notes. I'd be curious on your take if you were instead of 1.5 parts of white port, instead do 1 part white port and 1/4 part possibly 1/2 part of ruby port, if that may make the difference for you, since I know the Florentine version calls for a rosso vermouth.

The style I make comes from an old school italian restaurant around my neighborhood where the negroni is a lovely clear ruby color and the flavors are exactly like you described it. They take the orange rind and rub the oils around the rim to give it even more orangey note.

[PopulusTremula]

Leafing through the ”J Sheekey Fish” cookery book, I came across the below cocktail recipe. Moderators: if the picture breaches copyright rules then please delete.

I would love for some of our budding mixologists (God I hate that word) to make it and report back, including a picture.

Edit 1: can’t figure out how to rotate the image. Apologies. Lie on your side to resolve.

Edit 2: image size changed.

Alhambra.png (137.75 KiB) Viewed 17265 times

Edit by jdaw1: rotated.

[jdaw1]

Though this is not a Port cocktail, it is a cocktail, and in the modern world this comment of Kingsley Amis (Everyday Drinking, 1983) deserves a fresh airing:

[idj123]

I tried the Alhambra yesterday (Saturday) using Graham's Six Grapes (River Quintas edition to be precise) rather than a LBV. We also increased the 10 ml as that appeared a bit stingy (the only other element that differed was an absence of orange bitters). Both my wife and I agreed that it was really rather tasty. We also had a Port tonic using the Six Grapes and this was surprisingly refreshing (we normally only make white Port tonics). Think we will experiment further...

[JacobH]

I'd never thought about making a Port and tonic with ruby- it's almost as if it isn't a proper cocktail ingredient but there isn't really a good reason for that. Another one to try!

Also, would you mind giving some more information about the "River Quintas Edition" Six Grapes. Does it taste notable different? (I thought the point of Six Grapes was that it was made from VP potential vineyards which would mostly be on a river so I am interested in the difference!).

Finally, orange bitters is very much worth having for the purposes of making an Old Fashioned- one bottle will last for years!

[idj123]

Yes, my wife described this ruby Port tonic as a "Port sangria', which isn't a bad description. As for the River Quintas, I'm quite a fan of the regular Six Grapes but it's not so easy to find in the UK as it tends to be reserved (so to speak) more for the US market I believe (leaving the UK for the Ck Special Reserve).

The RQ version is not so 'fleshy" as the regular version being a little softer and more nuanced. According to the bottle it's a blend of two Graham's River Quintas, although how that differs from the regular, I do not know. Nonetheless. it does make a rather refreshing Port sangria'!

[JacobH]

Very interesting- thanks! One day I want to do a tasting of all the major ruby and tawny reserves: 6 Grapes, Warre's Warrior, Bin 27, Special Reserve etc. I really don't have a good sense of if they are good, bad or indifferent and sometimes I wonder if I miss a trick by going for a filtered LBV over them.

[g-man]

Be prepared for very purple tongues!

[jdaw1]

I’ve just received by WhatsApp a link to oldfashioned.tech, which might be of interest to some here.

[JacobH]

That’s a rather nice site. I hope they manage to tread the tightrope between adding enough to make it comprehensive without filling it out with a load of nonsense invented recipes.

[g-man]

Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster:

-Take the juice from one bottle of Ol’ Janx Spirit.
-Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V — Oh, that Santraginean seawater! Oh, those Santraginean fish!
-Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture (it must be properly iced or the benzene is lost).
-Allow four litres of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it, in memory of all those happy hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia.
-Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract, redolent of all the heady odours of the dark Qualactin Zones, subtle, sweet and mystic.
-Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian Suns deep into the heart of the drink.
-Sprinkle Zamphuor.
-Add an olive.

Drink… but… very carefully…


My interpretation would be a minty, cinnaminty port tonic.
Janx Spirit: I'd do a absinthe rinse on the glass
Water from the seas of Santraginus V- White port with a dash of olive juice
Mega gin: dry british gin
4 liters of marsh gas: tonic water
hypermint: mint extract, I muddle a fresh peppermint here
angolian sun tiger: drop of goldschlagger or any sort of cinnamon clear liqour
zamphuor: dust with cinnamon powder

Add an olive.

ratios:
absinthe rinse,
1 parts white port
1 parts gin
1 part tonic water
1/2 part mint syrup
1/10 part drops of cinnamon liqour
1/10 drops of olive juice
1 olive

1. absinthe rinse tumbler
2. mix port/gin/cinnamon liquor and olive juice in shaker.
3. Add ice and put 1 part tonic in tumbler.
4. pour shaker out to glass and stir contents
5. float mint syrup over
6. dust with cinnamon.
7. Garnish with olive.

Drink. But very carefully!

[JacobH]

Hmmm...I’m not quite convinced that that will be strong enough to produce an effect of “having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick” as per the books. Could we bulk it out with some overproof vodka to get the ABV up from c. 30% to a good 70-75%?

[g-man]

haha the cinnamon and mint does the trick. If one were more daring, mustard powder!

[jdaw1]

Hmmm...I’m not quite convinced that that will be strong enough to produce an effect of “having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick” as per the books. Could we bulk it out with some overproof vodka to get the ABV up from c. 30% to a good 70-75%?

If the vodka were 80% ᴀʙᴠ, which is expensive to achieve, then to produce a mixture at 70% ᴀʙᴠ requires adding to 1 part 30% ᴀʙᴠ all of 4 parts vodka. This ‘cocktail’ wouldn’t be so far from neat over-proof aguardiente.

[g-man]

Hmmm...I’m not quite convinced that that will be strong enough to produce an effect of “having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick” as per the books. Could we bulk it out with some overproof vodka to get the ABV up from c. 30% to a good 70-75%?

If the vodka were 80% ᴀʙᴠ, which is expensive to achieve, then to produce a mixture at 70% ᴀʙᴠ requires adding to 1 part 30% ᴀʙᴠ all of 4 parts vodka. This ‘cocktail’ wouldn’t be so far from neat over-proof aguardiente.

Perhaps aguardiente is a more appropriate replacement instead of cinnamon based liqours!

-Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian Suns deep into the heart of the drink.

[JacobH]

If the vodka were 80% ᴀʙᴠ, which is expensive to achieve, then to produce a mixture at 70% ᴀʙᴠ requires adding to 1 part 30% ᴀʙᴠ all of 4 parts vodka. This ‘cocktail’ wouldn’t be so far from neat over-proof aguardiente.

We could use some Spirytus Monopolowy Extra Fine to reduce the amount of dilution (50cl at 95% ABV for only £32.99: do not drink near sources of ignition). Although 4:1 is not an uncommon ratio for a cocktail. I think it would be classified as a fairly wet martini these days where 6:1 or higher is about standard.

(And yes, this is why I do not see the point in ordering a dry martini in most bars these days: you might as well just ask for a double of the spirit for about half the price...).

[jdaw1]

I half-recall an upper limit to what can be achieved by distillation: how is that vodka made 95%?

[JacobH]

I half-recall an upper limit to what can be achieved by distillation: how is that vodka made 95%?

I didn’t know that but you are right and Wikipedia suggests that 95% is the upper limit:

The purity of rectified spirit has a practical limit of 95% ABV (95.6% by mass) when produced using conventional distillation processes, as a mixture of ethanol and water becomes a minimum-boiling azeotrope at this concentration. Rectified spirit is typically distilled in continuous multi-column stills at 96–96.5% ABV and diluted as necessary.

I was wondering why 100% ABV isn’t available and I presume that is the answer.

[Alex Bridgeman]

You can make (almost) 100% ABV, but there are some additional processes which need to be followed after distillation to achieve this. I used to use (and occasionally make) reagent grade ethanol in my youthful days as a research chemist.

If you're drinking it, it's not worth going any more concentrated than about 40%. If you start with something stronger, people just dilute it with other stuff like water anyway. What's the point in removing water simply to put it back?

[JacobH]

I think the main market for very high ABV spirits are people who want to make things at home (e.g. herbal drinks, liqueurs, perfumes etc) so they have good control the final ABV. I’m not sure many people are drinking them directly!

I do have a strong preference for spirits being bottled at about proof (c.57% ABV) rather than the modern 40% or lower. The reason for this is that whilst I will dilute them to drink, it allows me to control the dilution. This is particularly important with cocktails where you are shaking with ice: the ice both cools and dilutes the drink. If you start with a lower strength spirit you can end up with something that tastes overly diluted. It’s why I think most gin martinis are better made with the Duke’s Bar “direct pour” method (i.e. keep the bottle a very cold freezer and don’t use any ice) rather than something more conventional: they are bottled at too low an ABV.

I also think there is something in the fact that dilution just before drinking might affect the flavour by precipitating some of the aromas out of the spirit. This is particularly evident with things like absinthe, pastis, ouzo and raki which go cloudy when diluted.

Although my main objection is that most spirits are produced at about proof and then diluted by the distiller before bottling. Doesn’t it make more sense to bottle what comes out of the still rather than shipping loads of extra water around?

[g-man]

I use my 95% ABV ethanol for extracting saffron, to be diluted later when I need to cook it.

[JacobH]

I would like to use this post also to complain, publicly, about some of the recipes that the Taylor Fladgate Partnership advertises on social media. For example, I have just seen one for a “LBV Martini” which contains 1 part cranberry juice; 2 parts vodka and 4 parts Taylor’s LBV. Who wants to drink extra-fortified LBV with a touch of cranberry? There are similar offerings on some of the other websites of the group.

I have a feeling that most of their recipes come from the bar that the Yeatman or similar, since quite a few require elaborate preparations which you wouldn’t bother with for just one or two drinks. For example, the Apple Neon requires a week’s maceration of a bottle of Chip Dry (enough to make 35 cocktails); the preparation of a cardamon “mapple” [sic] syrup (enough for 8); and an elaborate garnish involving luminous neon food gel.

i have to say, if I went to all that trouble to make it, I don’t think I would be using Magners Cider as recommended...

[JacobH]

I hesitate to call this a cocktail but two Amafena Fabbri cherries with a spoonful of the syrup in a glass of white Port is one of my better recent experiments. Especially for restoring the ends of some Port that might have been open a touch too long.

[JacobH]

A Negus is a rarely encountered drink these days, reputedly invented by Colonel Francis Negus (1670–1732). Its defining characteristic is the dilution of wine with sugar and boiling water.

I tale my recipe for a Port Wine Negus from Richard Cook’s “Oxford Night Caps — Being a Collection of Receipts for Making Various Beverages used in the University” first published in 1827. For him, the Port Negus is a variant on the standard White Wine recipe as follows:

WHITE WINE NEGUS.

Extract the juice from the peeling of one lemon, by rubbing loaf sugar on it ; or cut the peeling of a lemon extremely thin, and pound it in a mortar. Cut two lemons into thin slices ; four glasses of calves-feet jelly in a liquid state ; small quantities of cinnamon, mace, cloves, and all-spice. Put the whole into a jug, pour one quart of boiling water upon it, cover the jug close, let it stand a quarter of an hour, and then add one bottle of boiling hot white wine. Grate half a nutmeg into it, stir it well together, sweeten it to your taste, and it is fit for use.

Seville oranges are not generally used at Oxford in making Negus ; when they are, one orange is allowed to each bottle of wine.

PORT WINE NEGUS.

In making port wine Negus, merely omit the jelly ; for when port wine comes in contact with calves-feet jelly, it immediately assumes a disagreeable muddy appearance.

(It is worth noting that by the time of Jerry Thomas’ legendary 1862 “Bar-Tender’s Guide” (often thought of the first book of cocktails), he suggests a pale imitation of Cook’s recipe where Port is poured over a third-of-a-glass of boiling water and then grated with nutmeg.)

I confess, in making the Port Wine Negus tonight I didn’t quite follow the recipe. Rather than boiling my Port, I merely heated it to 60°C so that it retained its alcohol. The result, however, is really rather good. The nutmeg, in particular, gives it a bracing medicinal quality almost towards a aromatised wine or vermouth. It lacks the cloyingly sweet or excessively alcoholic tastes of some mulled wines, glühwein and gløgg / glögg.

The history also interests me. I assume by the 1820s that the fortification debate had been resolved against Joseph Forrester and so “Port Wine” meant something fortified but I am not quite sure if “Port Wine”, without any further adjectives, meant something like a modern tawny or something with a bit of wood like a modern basic / reserve tawny. For the record, the M&S Ruby Reserve (in addition to being a very acceptable Ruby Reserve in its own right) works admirably.

Apologies if the photographs for this post come in a random order: I have long given up on getting phpBB to sort them out...