Cocktail historian David Wondrich is the world's foremost expert on the history of the American cocktail. Mr. Wondrich has been described as "A living iPod of drink lore and recipes" (New York Times) and a "crazy, bearded Civil War general" (Conan O'Brien). David is Esquire magazine's Drinks Correspondent, and has written for Saveur, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Wine & Spirits, Real Simple, Marie Claire and more. He has written three books on cocktails and mixology.
During the Britannia Age of Sail, the men who sailed those great wooden ships liked nothing better than to sit around a big bowl of punch drinking toasts. Trafalgar Punch is precisely the sort of thing they would have served back then.
12 oz. of Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port
8 oz. Larressingle VSOP Armagnac
4 oz. Wray & Nephew White Overproof rum
The peel of 3 lemons, cut in wide spirals
3/4 cup sugar
6 oz. fresh-squeezed, strained lemon juice
24 oz. water
1 whole nutmeg
In a 3-quart punch bowl, muddle the lemon peel and sugar. Let it sit for one hour. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port, Armagnac, rum and water and stir again. Carefully slide in a 1-quart block of ice. Chill for 20 minutes and grate 1/3 of a whole nutmeg over the top. Ladle out small servings into punch cups. Makes 20-30 servings.
A nod to the current trendiness of Irish whiskey and Italian bitters, the Maria McClaire uses Fonseca Siroco White Port to bridge the gap between them, creating a smooth and mellow drink that has an intriguing edge to it.
Stir well with cracked ice:
1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey
1 oz. Fonseca Siroco White Port
1/2 oz. Campari
2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist a thin-cut swatch of orange peel over the top.
First showcased in David Wondrich's column for Esquire, this cocktail is great for anytime of the year.
Shake well with ice:
1 1/2 oz. good, flavorful white rum
1/2 oz. Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port
1/2 oz. orange curacao or Grand Marnier
1/2 oz. oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
The Mint Julep - a far more popular and flexible formula than it is today - as made by Mr. Redding, who kept the Pearl Street House in Louisville twenty years before the Civil War.
Put 1 1/2 teaspoons superfine sugar and 1/2 oz water in the bottom of a pint glass and stir to dissolve. Add 6 or 7 mint leaves and press them lightly with a muddler. Fill the glass with finely-cracked ice. Add:
1 oz. Taylor-Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port
1 oz. Larressingle VSOP Armagnac
1 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
Pour this carefully into another pint glass, pour it back and repeat 3 or 4 times until everything is mixed.Add more ice to fill the glass, insert 4 or 5 good sprigs of mint, nestle a berry or two among the mint and add a couple of straws. Then smile.
This dark, rich and 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 Ruby Port
1/2 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
1 1/2 oz. rye whiskey
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist a swatch of thin-cut lemon peel over the top.
Cocktail historian David Wondrich is the world's foremost expert on the history of the American cocktail. Mr. Wondrich has been described as "A living iPod of drink lore and recipes" (New York Times) and a "crazy, bearded Civil War general" (Conan O'Brien). David is Esquire magazine's Drinks Correspondent, and has written for Saveur, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Wine & Spirits, Real Simple, Marie Claire and more. He has written three books on cocktails and mixology.
The signature drink of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel on Powell St. in San Francisco, the secret is the smidge of maple syrup that magically blends the Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port and bourbon together. Seemingly everyone who has visited this ornate hotel bar remembers its "old school" Prohibition ambience and the Bar Drake Manhattan.
2 1/4 oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
1 oz. Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port
1 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 with brandied cherries.
During the Martini's heyday in the 1960s, the Rat Pack, James Bond and Madison Avenue exec's downed multiple rounds at lunch. The current retro appeal of Mad Men has helped make the Martini cool again and Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port adds a new twist to a classic cocktail.
Combine all the ingredients into an ice filled shaker.
Shake and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives.
Cocktail historian David Wondrich is the world's foremost expert on the history of the American cocktail. Mr. Wondrich has been described as "A living iPod of drink lore and recipes" (New York Times) and a "crazy, bearded Civil War general" (Conan O'Brien). David is Esquire magazine's Drinks Correspondent, and has written for Saveur, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Wine & Spirits, Real Simple, Marie Claire and more. He has written three books on cocktails and mixology.
Bin 27's lush aromas and deep flavors are a new tasting experience on ice.
Ice cubes
In a highball or rocks glass, fill the glass with ice and cover with Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port. Garnish with an orange wedge and a mint sprig.
The young, fresh aromas and flavors of Croft Fine Tawny Port are rendered in a new way when served over crushed ice.
Croft Fine Tawny Port (to taste)
Crushed ice
Fill a highball glass with crushed ice and cover with Croft Fine Tawny Port. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
White Port was first introduced by Taylor Fladgate in the 1930s. Fonseca Siroco's tart stone fruit aromas and flavors are given an edge and made lighter with tonic water.
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add Fonseca Siroco White Port and the tonic water. Stir well and garnish with a lemon wheel, mint leaf, or basil leaf.
Luscious red berries meet lemon to form a cherry and citrus-flavored cocktail.
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add all of the ingredients and stir well. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a straw.
Here, the general motif of a Kir Royale is given 'the Port treatment,' and spicy, red berry flavors of Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port are lifted by the brut sparkling wine.
1 part Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port
2 parts brut sparkling wine (well-chilled)
Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port into a well-chilled Champagne flute and top with brut sparkling wine. Garnish with a fresh blackberry or strawberry.
A splash of Scotch throws the profound caramel and nutty aromas and toasty flavors of Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port into relief in this contemplative cocktail.
Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port (well-chilled)
Splash of 10 Year Old Scotch whisky
Using a shaker, mix Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port and the 10 Year Old Scotch whisky. Serve in a well-chilled vermouth cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Cocktail historian David Wondrich is the world's foremost expert on the history of the American cocktail. Mr. Wondrich has been described as "A living iPod of drink lore and recipes" (New York Times) and a "crazy, bearded Civil War general" (Conan O'Brien). David is Esquire magazine's Drinks Correspondent, and has written for Saveur, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Wine & Spirits, Real Simple, Marie Claire and more. He has written three books on cocktails and mixology.
The "classic" CROFT PINK cocktail made with CROFT PINK Port, soda water and a squeeze of lemon to underscore the clean, tart berry flavors that refresh and cleanse your palate.
Pour both CROFT PINK and soda water into a highball glass filled with ice. Squeeze a lemon wedge over the top and stir. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Created by renowned wine journalist Leslie Sbrocco, PINK Blossom is aromatic and fresh made with CROFT PINK Port, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur and brut sparkling wine. This effervescently festive delight may well have you thinking of the beach all through the year...
3 oz. CROFT PINK Port
1 oz. St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
2 oz. brut sparkling wine
Fresh raspberries or blueberries
Put 4-5 ice cubes in a highball glass, pour in St. Germain and add CROFT PINK Port, then give a quick stir. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a skewer of fresh berries.
Together, CROFT PINK Port, Prosecco, and Cointreau form the backbone of this tangy, world-offlavor cocktail. This cocktail well help you brave the cold and cool off with equal measure.
3 oz. CROFT PINK Port (chilled)
4 oz. Prosecco
1/2 oz. Cointreau
2 dashes of bitters
1 lemon twist, as garnish
Pour all the ingredients into a chilled Champagne flute. Stir briefly and add the garnish.
This drink's wonderful blend of CROFT PINK Port, lemonade, pomegranate juice, Prosecco, and fresh strawberries is a new take on the classic holiday punch with provocatively tart, lively and vibrant flavors.
1 part CROFT PINK Port
1 part lemonade
1/2 part pomegranate juice
1/2 part Prosecco
Chopped strawberries (or other fresh fruits)
A handful of mint
Make sure all ingredients are well-chilled. In a large pitcher, pour in all ingredients and stir. Serve into cocktail or punch glasses.