23-05-2025
8 Wine Cocktails to Try Beyond Sangria
Wine cocktails are a lighter alternative to spirits-based cocktails.
That's because wine has a lower alcohol by volume (ABV) in comparison to distilled spirits; respectively an average of 12% ABV opposed to 40-50%. With that said, many wine cocktails also incorporate at least a splash, if not more, of a liquor with a higher ABV to add complexity to the recipe.
For example, wine's most synonymous cocktail of sangria traditionally calls for brandy to make it more aromatic; over the years, recipes have evolved to feature rum or cognac. As popular as sangria is as a wine cocktail, though, there are a number of other wine cocktails that are both classic and delicious that offer whimsical ways to switch up your traditional wine night or day drink of choice.
Read on to discover eight of the most iconic wine cocktails that will have you rethinking the fermented grape juice as a key bar ingredient.
Wine spritzers walked so that Aperol Spritz could run (at least in the U.S.). Wine spritzers are the original wine cocktails as it's as simple as combining soda water and different herbs or fruits to add a lightness and freshness to summer wine. While you can make different variations with red, white, or rosé wine, I love a white wine spruced up with fresh, seasonal herbs.
Ingredients: 4 oz unoaked white wine (like Pinot Grigio); 2 oz club soda; 4 sprigs of mint, 2 slices of lemon.
Method: Fill a wine glass with ice, add the wine, mint and slices of lemon then stir vigorously to combine. Top with soda water and garnish with an extra sprig of mint, expressing it before adding it to the wine.
Blended and frosty, frozen rosé, otherwise known as frosé, has become a phenomenon in the last decade with many restaurants keeping a constant rotating blender of this rosy concoction atop their bars. I love a classic recipe with strawberries but with summer on the horizon, it's a perfect time to experiment with different red fruits like raspberries, pomegranate or watermelon.
Ingredients (4 to 6 servings): 1 bottle of Pinot Noir-based rosé (skip the delicate Provencal rose and save that for unadulterated sipping); 1/4 cup sugar, 12 oz frozen strawberries, 2 tbsp lemon juice.
Method: Add all the ingredients into a blender and combine until smooth. Either pour immediately into wine glasses and garnish with a fresh strawberry or freeze until ready to serve.
The Bellini is a classic cocktail that was reportedly invented by Giuseppe Cipriani, the founder of Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy. The slightly sweet, effervescent beverage has become aligned as a brunch staple in the U.S. but in its native Italy, you'll still find it served as an aperitif (before dinner drink) when white peaches are in season (late spring through summer) as that is the original recipe despite variations of peach puree that are now on menus elsewhere around the world.
Ingredients: 2 oz white peach puree, 6 oz Prosecco.
Method: Rinse then mash white peaches by hand, with skins still on. Try using a funnel and potato masher or fork to achieve the optimal balance of juice and pulp (just never use a blender as it will allow too much air into the juice). Add the peach puree to a fluted glass then top with chilled Prosecco; gently stir and serve immediately.
Champagne purists may condemn this wine cocktail but it's become an icon for a reason; the delightful combination of sweet-tart from the black currant liqueur and the dry fizz of Champagne presents a well-balanced sip that perfectly sets the tone for a meal ahead.
Ingredients: 2 tsp Crème de cassis; 5 oz Champagne.
Method: Measure the Crème de cassis into a fluted glass then top with chilled Champagne; garnish with a black currant or blackberry and serve immediately.
If you're looking for a slightly boozier wine cocktail, this gin-infused recipe dates back to the end of World War I when it was reputedly invented by a bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris and named for the 75 millimeter field guns that were used during the war.
Ingredients: 3 oz Champagne, 1 oz gin, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup; lemon twist for garnish.
Method: Combine the gin, simple syrup and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker with ice; shake until chilled then strain into a Champagne flute. Float in the Champagne to the top of the glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
Brunch's favorite cocktail is this simple blend of orange juice and sparkling wine. There are varying origin stories, however, Difford's Guide recalls the most widely accepted version; Frank Meier of the Ritz Hotel in Paris created this drink in 1925 and named it after the Mimosa tropical flowering shrub. Despite today's 'only a drop' of orange juice popularized by social media, Meier's version called for equal parts orange juice and sparkling wine. There's no true regulation as to which sparkling wine is the best so feel free to use any dry bubbles you have on hand whether it's Cava, Prosecco or a U.S. sparkler.
Ingredients: 3 oz freshly squeezed orange juice; 3 oz chilled sparkling wine.
Method: Pour 1.5 oz of the sparkling wine into a flute glass followed by the orange juice; stir briefly then top with the remaining 1.5 oz of sparkling wine. Express an orange zest twist over the cocktail then garnish with a sliced orange wheel.
The Kalimotxo, also called Cocavino, certainly isn't for everyone. Still, it is worth a try as it hails from one of Spain's most famed epicurean regions — the Basque region — and dates back to the 1920s.
Ingredients: 4 oz Rioja red wine; 4 oz Coca-Cola.
Method: Fill a highball glass with ice cubes. Add the red wine followed by the cola; stir and garnish with a lemon wheel.
Wine may not be the main ingredient of this riff on a margarita but as the wine is added as a floater, it is the first thing you taste. A medium- to full-bodied red stands up to the citrus of the traditional margarita so try a Malbec or Cabernet Franc. The contrast in liquid densities presents a stunning display of ruby versus pale lime that is aesthetically pleasing, too.
Ingredients: 1.5 oz blanco tequila, 1 oz lime juice, 0.75 oz red wine, 0.5 oz agave syrup.
Method: Add all ingredients except for the red wine to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass then slowly float in the red wine by pouring it over the back of a bar spoon; the layers should separate. Garnish with a lime wheel and no salt.
