Holiday Cocktails

Festive port cocktails add a little magic to holiday parties

When it comes to port, gone are the days of gentlemen adjourning from a dinner table and settling into a smoking room to enjoy a cigar and a delicate, thimble-sized glass of the centuries-old dessert wine. Today, port is a style wine that's making a comeback. And while you're seeing a fair amount of attention for both the ruby and tawny versions on fine dining wine menus, the latest trend has been to see it displayed prominently in the form of a cocktail.

The first thing to understanding port is becoming familiar with the two styles. There's either the bold, fruity intensity of a young ruby port — the kind that pairs well with rich chocolate desserts or berries on ice cream — or there's tawny port, which displays a more complex style of barrel aging and nuanced flavors that bring new life to nut-based desserts and strong cheese, such as aged cheddar and Stilton.

A great way to break into the world of ports is to experience what their unique characteristics bring to a cocktail.

Both styles offer much to appreciate, especially if you ease into tasting different ages and vintages, but a great way to break into the world of port is to experience what their unique characteristics bring to a cocktail. And what better way to do that than for a holiday party?

Everyone expects the obligatory bottle bottle of bubbly, bourbon-laden eggnog or mystery-spirit punch that rarely leaves anyone with holiday cheer the next morning. (Whoever thought mixing spiced rum, Tennessee whiskey and vodka was a good idea really needs his or her head examined.) They'll be pleasantly surprised, though, by the more alluring and festive appeal of port, especially when presented in a less conventional way.

For a quick and easy guide, check out PortCocktails.com, a project organized by the Fladgate Partnership (which owns Taylor Fladgate, Croft's and Fonseca port brands) in partnership with New York's classic cocktail historian and writer, David Wondrich. Here you'll find everything from port-based spins on classic cocktails, such as the Bar Drake Manhattan and Louisville Julep. But we also have a few picks that are perfect for holiday entertaining, take little time to make and are sure to inspire a festive occasion:

Ruby Sparkler
A fruity way to break out the bubbles, this Ruby Sparkler adds a little depth to the average glass of champagne.

1 part young Ruby port such as Fonseca Bin 27
2 parts brut sparkling wine (well chilled)
Raspberries or blackberries for garnish

Pour port into well-chilled Champagne flute and top with brut sparkling wine. Garnish with a blackberry or raspberry and serve.

White Port and Tonic
A refreshing alternative to the old-school gin and tonic, dry white port eschews the often medicinal flavor of gin, bringing with it a fruitier appeal that pairs beautifully with tonic water.

1 part White Port such as Rocha Extra Dry White Port
1 part good tonic water such as Fever Tree
Slice of lemon for garnish
Mint for garnish
Ice cubes

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add white port and the tonic water. Stir well and garnish with lemon slice and a few mint leaves. (Muddle the mint into the drink for a little more flavor.)

Port Lemonade
A zesty addition to a holiday soiree, this cocktail tastes a little like raspberry lemonade, with a little added kick.

1/2 part young Ruby port such as Fonseca Bin 27
1 1/2 parts vodka citron
2 parts lemonade
Sliced lemon for garnish
Ice cubes

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add all of the ingredients and stir well. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a straw.

Trafalgar Punch
If you’re going to do a punch, you might as well make it a rich and soulful sipper like this spin on a classic British punch.

12 oz. of 10 Year Tawny Port such as Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Tawny
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.

Trafalgar Punch

Photo courtesy of Kobrand

Trafalgar Punch

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Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.