Sitting with a view out to sea and a Porto tónico in hand, I can feel the warmth of the sun on my face as it sets low in the sky. This is the first time I’ve come across this refreshing white port cocktail and it’s wonderful. At €6, I’m not complaining that it’s the cheapest cocktail on the menu either! 

A week later and the memory lingers on, as does the taste of Porto tónico.

 

White port cocktail recipe | Pin it for later!

 

Is P&T the new G&T?

I’ve just returned from a stay at the Quinta do Lago Country Club playing golf, discovering the beautiful old town of Faro and admiring clifftop views. There were many highlights, but one I’ve been able to recreate now that I’m back home is this easy-to-make cocktail with just two essential ingredients, white port wine and tonic water. It’s low in calories too, which is always a bonus for me. You’ll find a printable recipe card at the end of this post.

White port is a fortified wine made from white grape varieties, including Malvasia Fina, Rabigato and Viosinho, grown in the Duoro Valley in Portugal and named after the city of Porto. While the Portuguese have been drinking P&Ts for years, it’s not so well known in the UK, but it should be. If you like G&Ts I’d strongly recommend you give it a try. It has a similar sweetness, fewer calories, a lower alcohol content and white port costs less than gin. It’s wonderfully cooling on a warm sunny day but I’m not waiting until the summer gets here to try it again!

Be sure to use a high quality tonic water, be it Franklin & Sons, Fever-Tree or Tesco Finest Tonic. You can garnish it, as here at O Castello, with a sprig of rosemary and a slice of lemon but a slice of orange (sometimes with a sprig of mint) is more common.

You’ll find more cocktail recipes from around the world here, with more coming soon!

Which is the best white port to make Porto tónico?

One of my favourite ports for making a P&T is from Graham’s. These wines are a blend of traditional Portuguese white grape varieties, including Gouveio, Rabigato, Viosinho, Moscatel and Malvasia Fina. Malvasia Fina gives crispness and citrus fruit characteristics to the Extra Dry White Port, which has been fermented for a longer time to reduce the natural fruit sugars. It’s delicious with a subtle grapefruit flavour. The Fine White Port is fermented for a shorter amount of time making it slightly sweeter with notes of honey and giving it a slightly richer amber colour. Both wines should be served chilled, between 6 and 10º C.

Graham’s is an independent family-owned business where the knowledge and traditions of port production have been passed down through the generations, using the highest quality grapes from their vineyards in the Douro Valley.

You can purchase Grahams Fine White Port Wine on Amazon. Buying 3 bottles at once, however, is considerably better value, Grahams Fine White Port Wine 75 cl- Pack of 3.

Other white ports and tonics you might like to try

Cockburn’s Fine White Port from Waitrose or Tesco.

Taylor’s Chip Dry White Port from Waitrose

Fever-Tree Premium Tonic Water from Waitrose or Tesco.

Tesco Finest Tonic Water

Do you have a favourite port and tonic combination?

 

My stay at Quinta do Lago Country Club was complimentary for review purposes. As always, I retain the right to publish whatever I like and will always share with you my honest opinion.