Happy Port Day 2012 everyone! Today we’re celebrating that legendary Portuguese fortified wine…Port!
Unlike a lot of the “drink holidays” we cover here at A History of Drinking, I was actually able to discover an origin to this celebration, over at all-about-portugal.com. Here’s the gist of what they say:
The Center for Wine Origins, an organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. and founded in 2005 by the wine growing regions of Champagne, France, and Porto, Portugal, mainly to promote and protect unique wines, announced that January 27th will be the International Port wine Day. This event intends to encourage” the celebration of this truly unique wine that only comes from Portugal” as one may read on the Center site. In fact, besides promoting this Portuguese wine, the International Port wine aims to protect the name and the origins of the true Port wine against the forgeries that are invading the markets.
Produced from grapes from one of the oldest controlled, demarcated areas — in this case the Douro Valley in Portugal’s northern provinces) — Port (it’s name derived from the 17th century Portugese seaport Porto) then has a neutral, grape-based spirit added to it. This addition prematurely stops the normal fermentation process and allows the drink to retain the sweetness of the residual sugar. Before bottling, the wine is stored and aged. As with most fortified wines, Port is typically, denser, sweeter and higher in alcoholic content than wines produced in the “normal” manner. The “fortification” of wine was used to help prevent spoilage during sea voyages.
Port’s association with Britain began around 1703 when the fight with France during War of the Spanish Succession had put a damper on the country’s French supply of wine. Portugal and Britain entered into a commercial and military treaty on December 27 of that year which lifted taxation on all imports of Portugese wine. Though technically named “The Methuen Treaty”, it is more commonly referred to as “The Port Wine Treaty”.
So for those of you who would like to “drink along at home”, here are a few appropriate cocktails provided by Sandemann Port! A special “Thank You” to Stephanie Jersey of Cocktail Culture and Drinks For The House for sending these through!
Sandeman Sparkler
- 1 oz. Founders Reserve Porto
- 3 oz. Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Brut
Combine Founders Reserve with chilled Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Brut in a flute.
Sandeman Lemonade
- 1 oz. Founders Reserve Porto
- 1.5 oz. Absolut Citron
- 2 oz. lemonade
Lemon wedge for garnish
Pour ingredients over ice and stir. Garnish with lemon wedge.
Sandeman Royal 
- 2 oz. Sandeman 20 Years Tawny Port
- Splash of Chivas Regal 12-Year-Old
Orange twist for garnish
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 45 seconds. Strain and serve in a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
The Dahlgren
- 1 oz. Sandeman 20 Years Old Tawny Port
- 2 oz. Tequila Tezón
- 1 oz. ginger beer
- .75 oz. simple syrup
- .5 oz. fresh lime juice
- Dash of bitters
Slice of lime for garnish
Combine all ingredients over ice in a highball glass and stir. Garnish with lime.
Le Marin Port Flip 
- 3 oz. Sandeman 20 Years Old Tawny Port
- 1 oz. espresso
- .75 oz. raw cane sugar syrup
- .75 oz. dark chocolate syrup
- .75 oz. heavy cream
- 1 egg yolk
Grated nutmeg for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 45 seconds. Strain and serve up in a brandy snifter. Garnish with grated nutmeg.
Baltasar and Blimunda
- .5 oz. Sandeman 20 Years Old Tawny Port
- 2 oz. Beefeater Gin
- .5 oz. bitters
- .5 oz. sweet vermouth
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain and serve up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with flamed orange twist.
