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Cocktail History
The Porter Cup is a vintage cocktail that was created by Jerry Thomas and was first published in his 1862 book The Bartender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks. The recipe combines a unique mixture of French brandy, ginger, cucumber, and lemon with rich porter beer and tops it all with a sprinkling of grated nutmeg.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Porter: This is a type of beer made in England with malted barley, hops, yeast, and water. We used Stevens Point Brewery Point Milkshake Malt Porter because it has a creamy mouthfeel and rich porter-style flavor with chocolate notes. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Surreal Brewing Company Non-Alcoholic 17 Mile Porter in place of the beer.
Cognac: This is a type of brandy made in Cognac, France with distilled white wine. We used Courvoisier VSOP Cognac because it has a rich mouthfeel and a delightful brandy spice with notes of peach, almond, and cinnamon. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Escape Mocktails Non-Alcoholic Cognac Alternative in place of the brandy.
Ginger Syrup: This is a sweetener made with ginger, white sugar, gum Arabic powder, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Cucumber Slice: This is a cucumber slice that has been thinly cut into wheel shape.
Lemon Twist: This is the peel of a lemon that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.
Grated Nutmeg: This is a spice made from the seed of a nutmeg tree. We used whole nutmeg from the bulk section at our local grocery store.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Bottle Opener: This is used to open bottles. We used the OXO Steel Bottle Opener.
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Muddler: This is used to muddle ingredients. We used the HQY Stainless Steel Cocktail Muddler.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. We used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.
Grater: This is used to grate spices or citrus peel. We used the OXO Good Grips Grater.
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Tasting Notes
The Porter Cup has aromas of nutmeg, malt, and slight citrus and starts with a dark, chocolatey taste offset with fresh cucumber and a touch of ginger heat, and the finish leaves behind lingering flavors of malty chocolate.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Although the origin of its name remain a mystery, we both found the Porter Cup to be incredibly complex and interesting. It presents a wide variety of unique flavor combinations that somehow blend quite well.
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“I wish I knew the story behind the drinks in the book The Ultimate Guide to Beer Cocktails, this one especially. Descriptions aren’t listed for the recipes, but its name implied it was originally made by Jerry Thomas, which turned out to be true. That aside, I liked this beer cocktail quite a bit. The beer is a bit bitter, but the brandy, ginger, and cucumber sweeten it up and give it a refreshing spring vibe. If I could drink beer, I might ask for this again as an after-dinner treat.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Ultimate Guide to Beer Cocktails: 50 Creative Recipes for Combining Beer & Booze by Jon and Lindsay Yeager.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-10-12.
Porter Cup
The Porter Cup is a vintage cocktail that was created by Jerry Thomas and was first published in his 1862 book The Bartender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks. The recipe combines a unique mixture of French brandy, ginger, cucumber, and lemon with rich porter beer and tops it all with a sprinkling of grated nutmeg.
Ingredients
Method
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Add ginger syrup and cucumber to a shaker.
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Muddle gently for 5-7 seconds.
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Add brandy and cubed ice to shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
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Top with beer.
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Express lemon twist over top.
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Garnish with lemon twist and grated nutmeg.
