The Mixicologist by C. F. Lawlor (1895, p.33) — C. F. Lawlor 1895
| 2 oz | brandy — brandy | base |
| 1 whole | Porter — porter | base |
| 1 whole | Cucumber — cucumber | garnish |
| 1 whole | ale — ale | other |
| 1 tsp | Carbonate of soda — carbonate of soda | other |
| 0.5 whole | nutmeg — nutmeg | other |
| 1 dsp | ginger syrup — syrup of ginger | sweetener |
| 4 whole | Sugar cube — sugar | sweetener |
- Mix the porter and ale in a covered jug.
- Add the brandy, syrup of ginger, and nutmeg.
- Cover it and expose it to the cold for half an hour.
- When serving, put in the carbonate of soda.
Garnish: Cucumber
- Nose
- Malt, ginger, and spice rise with a cooling cucumber note.
- Palate
- It is richer and more tavern-like than a wine cup, but still clearly designed as a cooling social beverage rather than a simple ale admixture.
- Finish
- The finish is malty, gingery, and lightly sparkling.
- Summary
- A beer-based cup showing how deeply the cooling-cup idea could penetrate different base materials.
Porter Cup matters because it expands the cup family beyond wine and champagne. It shows that the cooling, cucumber-scented social-beverage logic could be mapped onto beer as well.
The cold rest and late carbonate addition matter because the drink is built for texture and freshness, not just mixture.
Compared with Claret Cup, Porter Cup is darker, maltier, and more tavern-social in feel. The family grammar persists even as the base changes radically.