Try the perfect gin and port cocktail recipe!

Chances are, around Christmas time, you’ll have a gorgeous bottle of port knocking around - whether you’re raising a toast to loved ones or you’ve saved it especially for a fabulous festive dinner.

Port is a firm Christmas favourite - and for good reason - the rich, sweet wine is simply delicious! It’s the perfect tipple to sip slowly and relax with after a meal. Now let us introduce this yummy Christmas cocktail…

Our master mixologist, Maria adores this flavoursome sip: “This is a twist on the London Calling cocktail, which is a gin sour with a dash of fino sherry. For this, use white port and Angostura cocoa bitters for a blend of citrus aromas and warming chocolate notes.” But first, let’s get to grips with what port is…

What is port?

Port is a fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley region in Portugal (it takes its name from the port town of Porto, where Douro Valley wines were packaged and shipped around the world) that is comprised of red wines fortified with brandy.

What are the different types of port, and what does port taste like?

Port is a dessert wine, which means it’s sweet and comes in five major styles:

Tawny port is barrel-aged for ten or more years, with flavours of caramel and dried fruit.

White port is made of white wine grapes and, while still sweet, boasts brighter flavours of stone fruit and citrus peel.

Ruby port is rich with the flavours of berry and spice.

Rose port is a fairly recent innovation with red fruit flavours.

You can also buy single-vintage ports, which are made using grapes that were all grown in the same year. These are aged in barrels for two to four years before being moved to the bottle. These are some of the best (and most expensive!) ports on the market.