If you really wanted to try this hack and were missing the port—say you were in need of an impressive, very-last-minute dinner party dessert, or something else to throw on your cheese plate or to pep up your steak or soup or salad (or you know, your fancy, well-priced quarterly balsamic delivery from Food52 had run out)—you absolutely could. You could just leave the port out, or splash in a fruity red wine, or honey, or cherry juice and tweak the flavor and consistency as you like. Or you could just surrender as I did, and commit this formula to memory, knowing that it will be your new tool to have this elixir anytime, near instantly. Adapted slightly from Kitchen Hacks: How Clever Cooks Get Things Done (Cook's Illustrated, 2015).