Watch as Tom re-creates a classic by using a lighter and fresher style of white port for a less alcoholic take on a gin and tonic, balances the sweetness and racing acidity of a 10 year-old Madeira made from the rarer Sercial grape and gives a Negroni a Spanish flavour with a small batch vermut (vermouth) made with 50 year old reserve wine.
“Three very good wine-based cocktails to try – a lot of fun!” – Tom Surgey
Graham’s Blend No5 White Port, Portugal
RRP: £22.00 – £27:00
Stockists: Waitrose, Amazon, Ocado, Master of Malt, Davis Bell McCraith Wines
For his cocktail Tom mixed Graham’s Blend No5 White Port with tonic, a little mint and a thin slice of lemon.
Blandy’s 10 Year Old Sercial Madeira, Portugal
RRP: £36.00
Stockists: Davys Wines, The Wine Library, Fareham Wine Cellars, The Wine Box
In a tall glass Tom topped a generous 50ml of Blandy’s 10 Year Old Sercial Madeira over ice with Fevertree Citrus Soda, a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon.
Bodegas Barbadillo Atamán Vermut, Spain
RRP: £18.50 (50cl) / £30 (1 litre)
Stockists: Waitrose Cellar, Wadebridge Wines, The Whisky Exchange, Vine & Bine
Tom made a Sanlucar Negroni using 25ml Atamán Vermut with 15ml each of gin and Campari, stirred over ice and garnished with orange zest.
Watch ‘Smart Summer Wine-based Cocktails’ where Tom Surgey mixes cocktails for Oz Clarke in the 6th episode in the 2026 WineAlive Summer Sipping Series. Other blogs and videos in the series include “Celebrate English Wine Week’, ‘Reach for Cava this Summer’, ‘New Wave Summer Softs’, ‘It’s Rosé Season!’, Love Albariño with Rìas Baixas’ and, coming up later this summer ‘Make it an English Sparkling Summer’. See them all as they are published here:
Catch WineAlive’s full Summer Sipping series on YouTube at @wine-alive
