Cover of article about what to put in a porron, showing wine pouring into a porron

What to Put in Your Porrón: Pt. 1

By Drew McConnell

Cover of article about what to put in a porron, showing wine pouring into a porron

What do you drink out of a porrón? Is there a certain "drink" or recipe? Not exactly. Porróns have poured a thousand beverages, but there's a few that have been poured far more than the others. 

Part sculpture, part drinking vessel, part party starter. The porrón is a centuries old icon of Spain's drinking culture. Invented to serve as a method for farmers or factory workers to share a bottle of wine without sharing germs. Now, it's the ultimate celebration companion. 

So naturally, the first and easiest option: wine. Ideally, light and thirst quenching wines with bright acidity and on the lower alcohol side of the wine spectrum: Albariño, Txakolina, Vinho Verde, Provence Rosé, Barbera d'Asti, this list can go on and on because, truly, anything you'd enjoy drinking out of an arching stream that goes straight into your mouth is a "go". 

Ciders! If you want to really lean into what is historically and currently poured out of porróns every day, go with ciders from the Basque region-- they're dry and funky and some of the best hard ciders in the world. 

What about cocktails? YES. Go with lower-alcohol ones that are easy to drink and crowd-pleasers! Mimosas? Yes. Hard lemonades? Yes. Just steer clear from heavy pulp or fruit that'll clog up your spout. 

Here is one of our favorite recipes that we use at Barcelona Wine Bar

BARCELONA SPRITZ
recipe per porrón:
Using a funnel, measure into a porrón:
8 oz Cappelletti or Aperol, chilled
6 oz Cava, chilled
4 oz Club Soda, chilled
Swirl the porrón to mix. Pour into wine glasses with ice and orange peels, or drink directly from porrón.