Cockburn’s reimagines Tawny Port for summer serves – plus a Port Bramble cocktail
Port Bramble Cocktail: Port has always been synomous with Christmas dinners, roaring fires and cold winter evenings, but its image is about to change. With the summer revival of cold serves more commonplace than they used to be, the fortfied classic has now gained a new summer place of purpose-and Cockburns‘ latest launch is aimed at making the most of just this.
The Port & Tonicis already already having something of a second life on cocktail menus at festivals such as Primavera Sound in Porto, and Cockburns is now building on the popularity of that Port based mixer with the launch of Vat & Barrel Reserve Tawny, their latest expression, designed specifically with a cooler and more modern form of drinking occasions in mind.
The new tawny, matured on old stocks in Vila Nova de Gaia, is made with a blend of vat and barrel aged Ports, providing the bright freshness associated with vat maturation combined with barrel age for mellow depth and complexity.
The new expression, made with the more traditional grape varieties of Douro, has notes of red berry, caramel and fruit cake that make the wine rich enough for the traditional Port drinker but light enough for summer drinking.
And instead of being seen as an after dinner drink like the many Port traditions we grew up with, the new edition should be served slightly chilled, to around 12-14C. It should be poured over ice, paired with dessert, or mixed into a cocktail, making it an everyday bottle rather than one that needs reserving only for Christmas.
Rethink Tawny Port
To illustrate the fresher modern edge of this exciting new release, drinks expert Carmen O’Neal has created the Port Bramble, the tart and juicy summer serve. By layering Vat & Barrel Tawny on gin, lemon, framboise and honey syrup the cocktail is served over crushed ice and will be found on cocktail menus as part of the new launch.
Carmen’s Port Bramble
- 35mls Cockburn’s Vat & Barrel Reserve Tawny Port
- 15mls gin
- 15mls fresh lemon juice
- 10mls framboise
- 10mls honey syrup
Shake the gin, lemon juice, framboise and honey syrup vigorously with ice then strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Carefully float the tawny Port on top, add a garnish of fresh raspberries and a lemon wheel. This is colourful, delicious and well away from the image of glass of port on the cheeseboard of many of our childhood Christmases.
Port For Dessert
And for a super simple take on this new Port, enjoy Vat & Barrel Reserve Tawny over vanilla ice cream in an affogato-style serve. The pairing of the ice-cream with the soft fruit and caramel notes of the tawny makes for an elegant and practically zero preparation dessert, perfect for entertaining on the summer.
The Details
Cockburn’s Vat & Barrel Reserve Tawny is on sale in the UK throughout this summer from Ocado, and is on sale at an RRP of 18. Whichever way you chose to drink it, it only adds another piece of evidence to the argument that Port is now so much more than a Winter must.
