On the topic of seasonal drinks, I’ve been cranking out another favorite of mine, Hot Port Sangaree. Mine is loosely based on the splendid one @AudreySaunders served at Pegu Club. There’s a recipe (paywall warning) in the New York Times attributed to Audrey, but while it seems to have hallmarks of Audrey’s method (the bitters, the acid adjustment, the pomegranate), I’m a bit worried that Asimov guy may have fiddled with it.
15 ounces ruby port
2 ounces pomegranate molasses
3.5 ounces simple syrup
0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
5 dashes orange bitters
3 dashes Angostura bitters
lemon peel for garnish
What I do is buy whatever port is priced right—at the moment, I’m using an inexpensive Tawny. Then I sweeten and flavor it to taste with a Pom-derived intense syrup (thank you @slkinsey), add the lemon juice and bitters prescribed by the Times recipe, and rebottle. This time around, I shoved an entire orange peel in there… because I could.
I’ve found that a vermouth negus is enjoyable before dinner in the cold months. By this I mean sweet vermouth, sugar, and boiling water. Does this have any precedent? Hot vermouth would seem a contradiction in both historical drink trends and premodern notions of healthfulness. (Is metanutrition a word?) Anyway, this is a good use of a maximalist vermouth like Ransom’s, which would be de trop for cocktail purposes.
It’s a slight step to the side with spices, but a lot of the original Bishop recipes were made with port (and served hot) so that’s essentially what you’re looking for.
The Bishop in the 1827 Oxford Night Caps specifies port wine with the variations (Lawn Sleeves, Cardinal, Pope) switching the base to madeira, claret or champagne.
“Hot vermouth” is not something I recall encountering. I would worry the heat would emphasize less desirable bitter characteristics, but your experience suggests otherwise. I’ll have to give it a try.
Spanish brand Dos Deus launched a few years ago two limited editions to be drunk hot. It was not bad (their regular range is generally excellent). They were also fine cold.
