As with most things in life, you are often forced to make due with what you have on hand to fulfil the task at hand. Especially whenever that task is to create a delicious cocktail using Stone Hill Wine, you sometimes end up with an entirely different and arguably more interesting flavor profile at the end!
The standard Port of Call has cranberry preserves, cinnamon syrup and blackberries involved with its creation and it just so happens that in Hermann during the depths of winter those are in rather short supply. Being forced to iterate however, is not usually a bad thing and I have often found that great work is made through the limitations that a creator is chained by rather than what they have in excess.
That is not to say that I consider myself some sort of mixologist, but I will say that I enjoy our port quite a bit and I think that the Stone Hill Vintage Port has a rather unique flavor profile that does pull a lot of blueberry and chocolate notes to the fore. Whenever I was testing this drink, I decided that the blueberry was what I was going to pin this drink on, every aspect of it is about highlighting that note. I wanted to create delicious synergy within its orbit with the cinnamon adding a sweet bouquet but a sharper cut into the sweetness of the port while the Gin creates a subtle herbal note that swims nicely next to the tart cranberry juice and the acid from the lemon juice helps bring it all together.
The drink is a beautiful midnight purple and while subtly sweet, it is balanced with subtle herbal and tart notes that compliments the port wonderfully.
Enjoy with pretzels or other light fare.
- 1 oz London Dry Gin
- 1 oz Stone Hill Port
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 4 oz Cranberry Juice
- 1 tbs Frozen Blueberries
- 1 Cinnamon Stick for garnish
- Blueberries for Garnish
Instructions
- Add gin, cranberry juice, lemon juice, Stone Hill Port and Blueberries into a shaker with ice. Grate the cinnamon stick into the shaker with a fine grater, only three or four grates. You will use this same stick for the garnish.
- Shake until well chilled.
- Pour over ice of your choice, you can choose to strain it, but I enjoy the muddled blueberries from the shaker in the drink.
- Garnish with a sprig of mint or a toothpick spear through several blackberries.