I’ve got a secret – sometimes I don’t like sweet vermouth. Don’t get me wrong, it features in a lot of
my favorite cocktails. But at times the spirit and the vermouth line up in such
a way that it reinforces some flavors that don’t match my palate. This version of the Manhattan sidesteps that
occasional issue by swapping out sweet vermouth for port, which was the first
drink I fell in love with. Port is a
fortified wine that’s made in the northern part of Portugal. It seems that they start making wine the
usual way, then at some point they dump in a neutral grape spirit called aguardente
(Portuguese for “burning water”). This
stops the fermentation process early, which prevents the natural sugars from
being consumed. It also increases the
alcohol content, because they just dumped in a bunch of alcohol. Port comes in a variety of styles, of which
ruby is the most common.
This cocktail doesn’t have a dozen layers of complexity or
spiced syrups or unexpected ingredients, but sometimes being amazing is enough.
Recipe
1 oz ruby port (Warre’s Warrior)
3 dashes orange bitters
orange twist
-stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice to chill. Strain into chilled Nick & Nora or coupe.
-express orange twist and use as a garnish.
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