Jump to recipeThe Porto Flip is a 19th-century cocktail traditionally made with tawny port, brandy, a whole egg, sugar, and a light dusting of fresh nutmeg. The rich, old-school drink first appeared as the Port Wine Flip in Jerry Thomas’s 1887 edition of The Bar-Tender’s Guide. Why the Porto Flip worksTawny port, a fortified wine from Portugal’s Douro Valley, forms the backbone of this cocktail, contributing layered notes of dried fruit and toasted nuts. And a whole egg gives the drink its signature richness, creating a velvety texture, creamy mouthfeel, and a frothy cap finished with an aromatic grate of nutmeg. As with many egg-based cocktails, this recipe calls for a dry shake — shaking without ice — to fully break down and emulsify the egg before a second shake with ice chills and aerates the drink.