This cocktail packs a double dose of fortified wines: vermouth and port. The port, added at the last directly to the cocktail glass, descends in a gorgeous red cloud before settling in the bottom of the glass.

A rough draft of this drink has been kicking around in my little black book of cocktail recipes since 2008. Two important things happened that year: I learned of the technique of topping off cocktails with wine in David Wondrich’s wonderful cocktail history book Imbibe, and enjoyed a cocktail topped off with wine at the Flatiron Lounge in NYC.

Now that DCCC is cooking from The New Portuguese Table, a remarkably good cookbook by David Leite, it seems a good time to transfer my hand written notes from my little black book to the limelight of this blog.

Do not be confused by the name of this cocktail: It is not intended as a prebattle elixir. It references the port I used: Warre’s Warrior Port, a commonly available full-bodied wine with a rich flavor, particularly given its reasonable, cocktail-mixing-appropriate price.

Makes one cocktail

2 ounces bourbon
1 scant ounce sweet vermouth
Couple drops of orange bitters
Orange twist, for garnish
¼ ounce port, preferably Warre’s Warrior Porto Wine, to finish

Combine the bourbon, vermouth, and bitters in an iced mixing glass. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish, twisting the peel above the glass to release aromatic oils, before dropping it into the glass. Pour the port into the cocktail, down the side of the glass.