This Week’s Recipes: Red Wine Cocktails

Got some red wine in the house? Why not try making some red wine cocktails with it? Sure, pouring a glass of red is a delicious idea but sometimes it’s fun to spice it up. Red wine cocktails are also a great way to use all of your wine. Say you open a bottle and it’s not exactly your cup of tea. Wine cocktails blend the flavors into something entirely new. Something you might love.

The Best Red Wine Cocktails

Tinto de Verano (Red Wine of Summer)

Ingredients:
Spanish red wine, like Tempranillo
citrus or lemon-lime soda

This drink is simple and delicious. While some recipes call for using 7-up or Sprite, go with something lighter and fresher if you can find it. Fresca is my favorite option. Keep the wine and soda in the fridge so they are nice and cold. Pour the soda about halfway into a glass and then pour in an equal amount of Tempranillo. Garnish with a lemon wedge. That’s it!

This is a delicious poolside drink that works just as well fireside in the fall. Enjoy it with your favorite tapas, tacos or solo. You really can’t go wrong with tinto de verano.Tinto de verano, or red wine of summer, is an easy red wine cocktail everyone will love.

 

Kalimotxo

Ingredients:
6 oz. cola
6 oz. Tempranillo or other Spanish red wine

The Basques like to just pour out half a can of coke and replace the missing half with wine. Here at the Oethical Oenologist we don’t like to waste, so split a can between two people and top off with equal parts red wine.

Kalimotxo may just be coke and wine but it's incredible.

Blackberry & Cabernet Caipirinha

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh blackberries
2 medium limes; quartered
6 oz. cachaca (you can find this at a well-stocked liquor store)
2 oz. each Cabernet Sauvignon, freshly squeezed oj, cranberry juice
1 1/2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice (requires about 3 medium limes)
4 oz. simple syrup
thinly sliced lime and orange rounds (garnish)

  • Combine blackberries and quartered limes in a large pitcher and muddle well
  • Add cachaca, wine, juices, simple syrup
  • Stir
  • Garnish with lime and orange wheels and serve.

It’s like Sangria, but easier.

Blackberry & Cabernet Caipirinha is similar to sangria but easier to make. Photo from Chowhound.

Bishop Cocktail

Ingredients:
3 oz. rum
1 oz. red wine
1 tspn simple syrup
Juice of 1/2 lime

Combine ingredients by stirring or shaking. For an extra zing add a splash of triple sec. Another fun twist for this one is to top it off with seltzer.

Cardinal Cocktail

Ingredients:
1 oz. crème de cassis
4 oz. red wine

Mix the wine and liqueur in a martini or other glass and you’ve got a delicious version of the Kir, a similar cocktail made with white wine.The cardinal is a red wine cocktail similar to a Kir white wine cocktail.

UK Sour Scotch

Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Scotch
1/2 oz. each lemon juice & cinnamon syrup
1/4 oz. apricot liqueur
Red wine

This one is all about the visual, so make sure you serve it in a rocks glass. Combine all ingredients except wine in a cocktail shaker. Strain into rocks glass. Gently float the red wine and serve to your soon to be impressed guests.The UK Sour is a gorgeous red wine cocktail with layers.

1870 Sour Cocktail

Ingredients:
2 oz. Whisky
1 oz. Meyer lemon juice
3/4 oz. Maple Syrup
egg white
1 tspn Blueberry jam
1 oz. Zinfandel

Add all the ingredients except the wine to a shaker and shake vigorously for ten seconds. Fine strain into the glass of your choice. Float the wine on top.

This cocktail is a delight from Dominic Venegas.Don't let the jam fool you, straining will keep the texture of this red wine cocktail perfect.

 

 

Whether you want to experiment with cocktails or mask a less than ideal wine, these red wine cocktails are about to make it into your rotation.

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