The 7 Best Organic Wine-Based Cocktails

By Guest Blogger Harold Camaya

The concept of wine-based cocktails is in the limelight once again and mixing a few simple ingredients to our organic wines can create a scintillating variety of cocktails. Wine cocktails are light and refreshing, and they have been popular for centuries. As they are simple and take no time to make, they are ideal for serving a small group as well as for a quick drink alone during virtual happy hour.

Whether you like white, red, or sparkling wine, wine-based cocktails can be made with every type, and there is an abundance of recipes available. The beautiful aspect of making wine-based cocktails is that there is no absolute right or wrong, and you can create and modify a recipe per your personal preferences.

The extensive list of ingredients and wine varieties that you can use for making wine cocktails can be intimidating for someone trying it out for the first time. If you are looking for the perfect yet simple wine cocktail recipes, then you are in the right place. Here is the list of the seven-best wine-based cocktails along with easy recipes.

1. Sangria

There are several versions of sangria that you can make by simply switching up the ingredients. Sangria is a classic drink that is ideal for spring and summer whose introduction to America was at the New York City World Fair in 1964. Traditional sangria uses red wine, lemon, cinnamon, and oranges for making this fruity wine cocktail. Optional ingredients that you may add are soda, sugar, and brandy, depending upon your preference.

You can modify this cocktail and add additional fruity flavors by introducing apricots, blueberries, apples, peaches, and lime. Add sweetness to the drink by including strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or rose water in the Sangria. This wine cocktail goes along perfectly with barbeques in summer months and you may top off the glasses with ice cubes before serving.

Enjoy this simple recipe using our Tarantas Tempranillo by Jerushia Le win from the Tarantas Taste of Spain Recipe Contest.

Ingredients:

One bottle Tarantas Tempranillo
1/2 C Reposado Tequila
1 Gala Apple
1 Orange
1 Asian Pear
1 tbsp sugar
2 C Club Soda

Directions:

Slice apple, orange, pear put in pitcher. Pour tequila and sugar over fruit. Add bottle of wine and refrigerate overnight.

Add Club Soda right before serving. Garnish with fruit slice of choice, serve immediately.

2. Mulled Wine

Mulled Wine is a great drink for sipping in the colder months and as part of winter holiday celebrations. This cocktail has a rich and spicy flavor that will warm you from the inside while you lounge near the fireplace. Bold red wines such as Cabernet or Tempranillo are ideal for making mulled wine. You will need to heat the red wine in a slow cooker or over the stove for the preparation.

Ingredients can include cinnamon, orange, cloves, orange zest, nutmeg, sugar, and brandy or port. The preparation involves heating orange juice, brandy, sugar, and wine. Put the cloves, cinnamon, and nutmegs into the solution after putting them inside a cheesecloth. You should take care to ensure that the wine does not boil and serve with a garnish of orange peels. Here is a specific Mulled Wine recipe using our Spartico No Sulfites Added Cabernet-Tempranillo.

Ingredients:
1 bottle Spartico
1 12oz bottle hard cider
1 cup fresh apple cider
Juice and peel of 2 small oranges or clementines
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
1 inch peeled fresh ginger
1 cup ruby port

Directions:
Using a vegetable peeler, carefully remove the peel of the orange, taking care to avoid the bitter white pith.
Reserve the peel for garnish. Juice the orange.

Combine the hard and fresh ciders, wine, cinnamon sticks, orange juice, cloves and ginger in a large sauce pan.
Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Add the port and pour into mugs, adding the reserved orange peel for garnish.

3. White Wine Spritzer

The white wine spritzer is one of the simplest cocktails that you can make and it is also extremely economical. The white wine spritzer is a combination of sparkling water along with white wine such as the refreshing Les Hauts de Lagarde Bordeaux Blanc. You can also put lemon juice, cherries, or Limoncello liqueur for adding flavor to the cocktail.

This cocktail is a refreshing, bubbly drink that has its inception in the 19th century. For the preparation, add 5 oz. of Les Hauts de Lagarde Bordeaux Blanc and top with sparkling water. Add a dash of lemon juice to add a bit more zing. You can serve the white wine spritzer in a champagne glass flute and garnish with herbs and cherry or cranberries along with some crushed ice for drinking in the summer season.

4. Americano Spritz

The bubbly, refreshing, and light wine-based cocktail is a delicacy from the 19th century that uses sparkling Moscato along with an exotic blend of spices and herbs. You can also include some fresh tropical fruits along with the ingredients of the cocktail to add different flavors. Take a shot glass and pour in a shot and a half of Italian Cocchi Americano aperitif (or slightly easier to find French Lillet) in a cocktail glass. Add a splash white grapefruit juice and top it off with Pizzolato Moscato.

Dress with a sprig of mint and orange slice. Add tropical fruit of your choice for different flavor profiles and serve it with ice. The perfect cocktail to enjoy summer days in your backyard.

5. The Rosé Lemonade

Rosé Lemonade is another ideal wine-based cocktail to cool down on warm summer days. For making this cocktail, you need a non-sparkling rosé such as Inkarri Rosé from Argentina. You will need 1 cup fresh lemon juice, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup cold water, and a cup of rosé wine for making this cocktail.

Take a saucepan and add sugar, water, and lemonade, and keep stirring while boiling it to dissolve the sugar. Keep the mixture in the fridge to chill until you want to serve. Pour the rose wine in a cocktail glass and mix it with the cold lemonade before serving.

6. Bellini

The origin of Bellini is in 1948 at Venice and it uses the seasonal fruits on offer to create the cocktail. This means that the ingredients and flavors of the Bellini are different according to the current season. The traditional Bellini consists of peach puree and prosecco, such as Pizzolato Fields Prosecco Frizzante.

Alternatively, you may use strawberries or raspberries in frozen form for disparate flavors and relief in the hotter weather of summer. In the winter season, you can use spices such as cinnamon, cloves, star anise, vanilla, and nutmeg along with red wine for making Bellini.

7. Mimosa

Mimosa is a wine-based cocktail that uses a dry, sparkling white wine such as Cava originating from Spain. This cocktail is excellent for drinking along with breakfast and brunch time. Mimosa is easy to make and takes very little time. The ingredients include pulp-free orange juice, orange slices, and cool sparkling Tarantas Cava. Fill a champagne flute with orange juice and Cava and garnish it with orange slices.

Endless Varieties of Wine-Based Cocktails

People usually think of whiskey, gin, brandy, and tequila when they hear the word cocktail. Wine cocktails go along with a variety of foods and accentuate their flavors while also increasing their attractiveness. You can ensure that every special occasion is memorable with a fine exotic wine cocktail. The endless varieties that are possible ensure that you will never run out of new ideas.

References

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/food-cocktails/g2121/cocktails-made-with-wine/?slide=13

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/wine-cocktails-spritzers-recipes

https://www.confettitravelcafe.com/10-creative-whiskey-cocktails-impress-your-guests/