HOW-TO: Make Wine Cocktails

Our recent trip to Henry Public prompted me to ask myself: are there any cocktails made with wine? My naivety shines through: turns out there are dozens of cocktails made with wine.

Champagne (really, we have to call it “sparkling wine” if it’s not made in the Champagne region of France) is probably most frequently used and can be added to any fruit juice to create a refreshing treat, either with breakfast or before dinner as an aperitif, or at a party for grownup punch. For fun, you can review Martha Stewart’s bellini recipe for an idea. Mimosas are yesterday’s news. Why not skip the orange juice for unsweetened grapefruit juice and let the sparkling wine do the sweetening? 

Sometimes, you really want a red wine, even if the weather doesn’t really call for it. We know that Sangria can be a great way to serve a red wine over ice, and still pack some wonderful flavors into your glass. Leave it to the Spanish to find some other options as well.

To take the edge off a white wine, try a spritzer. Add club soda to a chilled white wine, decide if you want it over ice, and enjoy. Or to sweeten a dry white wine, the French would recommend adding some berry liqueur to make a Kir cocktail.  

Of course, it will feel wasteful to use your best bottles to make wine cocktails, but if you have a mediocre bottle you’d like to add some flavor to, jazz it up with a fun cocktail recipe. There are dozens that can be found by exploring the web.  Enjoy!

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