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7 Outrageously Delicious Wine-Cocktails To Feed Your Free Spirit This Christmas
Shake things up a little this Christmas with our best selection of wine-cocktails
CURIOUS TO try something beyond a glass of wine or a cocktail this Christmas? Here’s the new fad to get into: wine-cocktails. Exactly as its name suggests, this is an eclectic blend of both wines and cocktails, teasing your taste buds with new flavours that you’ve never experienced before. For those of you who need a dose of new and unfamiliar every once in a while, here’s your chance! Winefamily has put together 7 of the best wine-cocktails that will satisfy those cravings, and yes, we promise they’re also extremely delicious!
1. Star Gazer
What you need
2 ounces 2012 La Playa Chardonnay
1 ounce Captain Morgan Rum
½ ounce vanilla bean syrup
½ ounce pineapple juice
What to do
1. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake and strain into a glass.
This red wine and whisky concoction may seem like a one-way ticket to drunken oblivion, but hear us out. This drink is fiery but manages to be fruity enough to make it a perfect drink to enjoy on a summery day. Surprised? Create this combination with the Jim Bean white label, a smooth, subtly spiced bourbon and mix in the 2013 Aldridge Estate Shiraz Merlot, an easy to drink, fruity wine fortified with rich plum and raspberry notes. Add that little extra bit of punch with lemon, and you’ve got a drink that is both potent and refreshing.
What you need
4 pitted bing cherries
¼ oz simple syrup
1 ½ oz Night Harvest Marlot
1 oz bourbon
Garnish: one wheel slice of lemon and fresh nutmeg to grind
What to do
In a mixing glass, muddle the cherries (if not pitted, just remove pits after muddling). Add simple syrup, merlot, bourbon and lemon slice. Top with ice to 2/3 full and shake lightly. Empty entire contents into a 10.5-ounce old fashioned glass. Top with grated nutmeg.
3. Marasca-Fizz
What you need
3 maraschino cherries
Superfine sugar
2 brown sugar cubes
3 dashes of Angostura bitters
½ oz. Cherry Heering
4 oz. chilled champagne
What to do
1. Moisten the outer rim of a flute with 1/2 ounce of the maraschino cherry syrup, then coat with superfine sugar.
2. Put the sugar cubes in the flute.
3. Add the Angostura, Cherry Heering, maraschino cherries and the remaining 1/4 ounce of maraschino cherry syrup.
4. Stir in the Champagne.
2. Put the sugar cubes in the flute.
3. Add the Angostura, Cherry Heering, maraschino cherries and the remaining 1/4 ounce of maraschino cherry syrup.
4. Stir in the Champagne.
This one is a mix not to be missed. Combine a slice of seedless watermelon and pineapple juice with 2013 San Simone Pinot Grigio Prestige, Friuli DOC and Ciroc Apple Vodka. The notes of acacia and orange flowers, wild rose and citrus and apricot are great pairings with the apple vodka, forming a beautiful concoction that lingers on your taste buds.
What you need
3 oz. Danzante Pinot Grigio
1 slice watermelon, seedless
1 tsp sugar
1 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. vodka
What to do
1. Remove the rind from the slice of watermelon and, in a tall glass, muddle the watermelon and sugar until liquefied.
1. Remove the rind from the slice of watermelon and, in a tall glass, muddle the watermelon and sugar until liquefied.
2. Add the pineapple juice, vodka and Pinot Grigio to a shaker filled with ice and shake.
3. Using a strainer, pour thecocktail into a glass and garnish with a skewer of 2-3 watermelon cubes and a sprig of mint.
4. Add Pinot Grigio in a tall glass to finish.
4. Add Pinot Grigio in a tall glass to finish.
Melding the sweet with a touch of spicy aftertaste from the ginger, this recipe hits the nail when it comes down to giving you a wide range of flavours in just one taste. The Vinha das Servas White is a perfect pairing to the Pisco Sour, a cocktail from South America that combines base liquor to sour citrus juice and sweet components. Trust us on this one; you’re going to want more than one glass.
What you need
1 cup Apothic White
1 ¼ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce Pisco
1 ounce ginger simple syrup*
What to do
Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for 20 seconds. Strain over a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge or candied ginger.
*How to make Ginger Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons chopped ginger
Preparation: Bring sugar and water to a boil for a few minutes, then add the ginger. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the ginger infuse in the syrup for 20 minutes. Strain the simple syrup through a sieve and into a bottle to save!
This drink is superb to enjoy with your Christmas dessert, what with the blend of fresh blackberries, orange slices and lime slices combined with the vibrant and fresh tastes in the blackberry vodka. Add the Canepa Classico Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 to the mix and you’ve got a brilliant mix of fruity goodness that is to die for.
What you need
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
1 bottle sweet red wine
½ cup Blackberry Vodka
Orange slices, lime slices, and/or fresh blackberries
What to do
1. Place 1 cup of blackberries, water, and sugar in small saucepan over high heat. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, simmer about 10-15 minutes or until blackberries are very soft.
2. Strain liquid several times and discard fruit. Pour into pitcher.
3. Add wine and vodka. Add orange slices, lime slices, and blackberries as desired.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least a few hours but overnight is desired.
5. Serve over ice and garnish with additional fruit as desired.
7. Francophile
This classic mix is engendered when you mix Berneroy Fine Calvados- a cider spirit with cinnamon syrup and lemon juice, and Belezos Bodegas Zugober Rioja Crianza. The palate of the wine displays rich plum, dark cherry fruit, and warm spices, exceptionally fresh to the senses. Perfect to drink to up the mood during a lazy day!
What you need
1 oz Calvados
1.5 oz Rioja wine
0.5 oz Cinnamon Syrup*
0.25 oz Lemon juice
3 oz Water
Garnish:
What to do
1. Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until hot.
3. Pour into a thick-walled mug and garnish with an apple slice and a cinnamon stick.
2. Cook over medium heat until hot.
3. Pour into a thick-walled mug and garnish with an apple slice and a cinnamon stick.
*How to make Cinnamon Syrup
2 to 3 Cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
5 oz Sugar
5 oz Water
Preparation: Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for at least 6 hours. Strain, and store in the refrigerator.
So there! If you’ve always been interested to deviate from the usual wine or cocktail menus, here are easy to make recipes to enjoy a totally new drinking experience this Christmas! And for those who never thought about mixing things up, hopefully, you’ve begun to think about experimenting now. Check out these recipes and let us know what you think! If you’re looking to purchase the wines we’ve featured, visit our website here. Merry Christmas!