Port & Tonic, Portonics, or even P&Ts are a drink made with port wine, tonic water, and a slice of lemon or orange. This Portuguese twist to the classic G&T is utterly refreshing, easy to drink, and one of my favourite summer drinks! The classic port tonics are made with white port wine, but you will also find different versions using tawny, ruby, or pink port. Although they are all considered a vinho do porto, they have very distinctive flavour profiles and can be combined with different tonics and fruit. Continue to read to learn how to make the perfect pink porto tónico!
Portuguese Pink Port & Tonic – The Ingredients
The first ingredient you will need is the pink port wine. For those that are not familiar with port, port is a fortified wine from the Douro region in Portugal. It’s available in different varieties with different degrees of colours, sweetness, and age. For this recipe I’m using Porto Rosé from Porto Cruz. It has a vibrant pink colour, red berry flavours and floral notes, and it’s great for cocktails.
You will also need a tonic water of good quality, such as Fever Tree. I personally prefer a neutral tonic, but a tonic flavoured with red fruits will work well too!
To garnish I’m also keeping it simple, a slice or two of lemon to balance the sweetness of the port. You will also need a highball glass, ice, and a long-handled spoon!
These Pink Portonics are simply delicious and the perfect drink to have before a meal, with the bonus that they are very light in calories too!
What is Pink Port and how does it Differ from Other Varieties
Pink port wine which is traditionally known as rosé port is the latest addition to the port wine family, with port house Croft being the first ones to produce it in 2008. Catering to younger crowds, rosé ports were crafted to be light and fruity, and are meant to be served over ice or used in cocktails. When they first came out there were mixed opinions from those used to more robust ports such as tawny or ruby.
Although they are made with the same grape varieties of its counterparts, they have a much shorter maceration process. That means the skins of the grape are in contact with the juice for a shorter time. With this quick maceration, a small amount of colour and tannins are extracted without adding too much depth to the port.
Another key difference is in the aging of the wine, rosé ports usually go through very little aging and are considered a young port. While a tawny or a vintage port might mature for several decades before they are bottled. The result is a fresh and light port with fruity and floral notes that’s perfect to drink on ice or in cocktails such as a port tonic.
How to Choose a Pink or Rosé Port
Since its creation by Croft in 2008, several brands adopted it and there are plenty of options to choose from. So how do you choose a pink port? Overall, they all have a very similar flavour profile, they are often described as floral and containing notes of red berries such as cherries and raspberries. It all goes down to price range and availability, most of the big port houses have their own rosé variety. Some of them you can even buy at the airport’s duty free. Here’s just a short list of a few rosé port wines that you will find both in Portugal and abroad and their average price.
- Croft Pink Vinho do Porto Rosé (€11.57)
- Calém Porto Rosé (€ 8.59
- Offley Rosé Porto (€ 6.95)
- Martha’s Porto Rosé (€ 10.09)
- Porto Cruz Pink (€9.99)
Portuguese Pink Port & Tonic – The Recipe
Pink Port & Tonic – How to Make Portuguese Porto Tónico
1
servings5
minutes0
minutes116
kcalPort and Tonic is a Portuguese twist on the classic Gin and Tonic, it’s utterly refreshing, easy to drink, and a great summer drink.
Ingredients
75 ml 2 4/7 fl oz Pink or Rosé Port (Chilled)
150 ml 5 fl oz Tonic Water
1 Slice 1 Slice Lemon
Lots of Ice
Directions
- Fill your high ball glass with ice.
- Pour in your pink port wine, then the tonic water. Give it a gentle stir to mix.
- Garnish with the slice of lemon. Enjoy!
Notes
- Both the port wine and the tonic water should be chilled beforehand.
- You can substitute the pink port for white port or ruby port, the ratio is 1 part port to 2 parts tonic.