Did you know that you don’t need hard liquor to make delicious cocktails? With wine and a few other ingredients, you can have a fun and fancy cocktail party anytime.
In the past, wine cocktails weren’t associated with class, sophistication, and style. But they remained popular and became not just famous ladies’ drinks but also overall delicious cocktails.
Stereotypes aside, you may want to stock up on your favourite bottles of reds and whites (with the help of the best wine delivery service in the United Kingdom) for your upcoming house party. After that, all you need is to determine which of the following timeless wine cocktails you’ll serve your guests for your next gathering:
1. Sangria
Want to serve a strong drink for your party guests? Sangria may not look it, but it is a potent classic drink perfect for a hot summer day enjoyed with family and friends.
To get the best results, use dry Spanish reds for this cocktail, like tempranillo or grenache. You can also switch up the recipe based on what fruit is on hand or in season.
Sangria is a fantastic choice for almost any setting or meal as it can be modified accordingly.
How to Make It
You will need the following essential ingredients for sangria:
- Chilled red wine
- Brandy
- Sugar
- Oranges, lemons, limes, peaches, and strawberries
- Club soda
Start mixing the brandy, sugar, wine, and fruit. Then, pour the mixture over ice before topping with club soda.
Foods to Match
Since it is a Spanish drink, sangria is best paired with food from the same cuisine. That includes Spanish meatballs, empanadillas, albondigas, and other tapas (Spanish appetizers).
Variations
As mentioned earlier, sangria can be made with whatever fruits are in season. You can even swap the red wine with white for a lighter, more refreshing drink (sangria blanca).
Some recipes, like the Thai basil sangria, add herbs for a fragrant cocktail.
Below are some more variations of sangria you should know about:
- Brazilian Sangria: If sexy is what you’re going for in your cocktail party, the Brazilian sangria may just be the cocktail you need. Made with absinthe liquor, this wine mix offers exciting flavours and high alcohol content to create that steaming atmosphere every intimate gathering requires.
- Sparkling Fig Sangria: Have some leftover sparkling wine bought online in the UK? Blend it with your favourite red wine and orange flavouring. Highlight the taste with spices and finish it off with fig for an exquisite formal dinner beverage.
- Silver Sangria: Using white wine and gin, this mix must be prepared a day ahead of your cocktail party to ensure that the flavours blend well overnight. Add seedless grapes for a clean, refreshing, and fruitier taste.
2. Mimosa
Considered a staple for restaurants serving brunch, mimosa is another classic wine cocktail that has thrived through the years.
A classic mimosa uses Spain’s sparkling dry white cava wine and is very easy to make. Because of this and the added elegance it offers, many breakfast parties feature this cocktail drink.
How to Make It
For this wine cocktail, you’ll need:
- Sparkling white wine or champagne
- Pulp-free orange juice
- Orange slices to garnish
Best served in a champagne flute glass, the mimosa is made with three easy steps: pour the wine, top with orange juice, and garnish with orange slices.
Don’t stir. Mimosas are meant to be bubbly, and agitating the drink will only cause the bubbles to pop. The simple act of pouring the juice is enough to mix the cocktail.
Foods to Match
Since mimosas are perfect for brunch and breakfast, you’ll want to pair them with classic breakfast dishes as well. This can range from fluffy omelets to rich and buttery French toasts.
Variations
Variations for mimosa substitute orange juice with other fruit juices. Here are some examples:
- Soleil: Also called pineapple mimosa, this variation uses pineapple juice instead of orange juice.
- Megmosa: This particular mix contains grapefruit juice for a refreshingly sweet flavour.
- Vermosa: This is mimosa’s cousin that offers crisper flavours, thanks to the apple cider it contains.
- Poinsettia: Here, orange juice is replaced with cranberry juice.
Another mimosa variation called Buck’s fizz doesn’t entail switching up the fruit juice. Instead, it doubles the champagne content in the drink, making it equal parts with the other primary ingredient.
3. Wine Spritzer
One of the simplest and most timeless cocktails, a wine spritzer is a bubbly and refreshing drink that can be found in a wide range of settings, including outdoor summer cookouts. It is a light beverage that can please even the pickiest guests.
How to Make It
For this wine cocktail classic, you’ll need:
- Chilled rosé or white wine
- Club soda
- Ice
- Fruits for garnish
Combine the club soda with chilled wine by pouring both drinks over ice. After garnishing with fruit, serve the cocktail immediately.
Foods to Match
Serve wine spritzers with light dishes, like salads and appetizers. You can also switch up the food you’ll serve with it according to the variation of spritzer you made.
- For spritzers with sweet and fruity wine, you can serve crisp slices of melon wrapped with Italian prosciutto.
- For spritzers made using dry and citrusy wines like sauvignon blanc, offer salads with fresh vegetables and herbs (e.g., cilantro or dill).
Variations
There are many variations of spritzers out there, some of which use hard liquor instead of wine. However, if you were to stick to wines, you can change its flavour by switching up the kind of wine added.
So, if you:
- Want a sweeter cocktail mix: Pick your favourite fruity rosé wine and add some sweet fruits to garnish, like orange slices or strawberries.
- Crave a dryer drink: Use sauvignon blanc or any other white wine of your choice. Then, add a tangy fruit to garnish, like a lemon slice.
You can also try the following combinations:
- Sauvignon blanc with watermelon, basil, and club soda.
- Pinot grigio with a peach-flavoured frozen ice pop and club soda.
- Chardonnay with lime juice and ginger beer, topped with fresh or candied ginger.
Wine as an Ingredient for a Fool-Proof Cocktail Party
There are so many ways to make a wine cocktail.
Whether you enjoy drinking it alone or with loved ones, make sure you consider serving the classics and their variations for a fool-proof cocktail party.