Want To Serve Red Wine Cocktails This Monsoon? Here Are 5 Drinks To Choose From
It happens often enough that an opened red wine bottle makes its presence known in the fridge days after a dinner party or a date night. And what to do with this red wine can present itself as somewhat of a predicament. But when a cocktail evening is around the corner, making inventive cocktails out of red wine that go beyond the classic sangria can be an excellent way to make use of the wine left behind in the fridge.
These blends complete with deep, earthy flavours and equally dark colours can become rather intriguing alternatives to serve in the chilly monsoon weather. Whether you are planning to host a cocktail gathering indoors or a dinner out on the patio, red wine-infused cocktails can be excellent alternatives, complete with seasonal ingredients like citruses, spices and fruits that infuse into them those robust flavours well-suited to a rainy day.
Read on below to know more about some of the red wine cocktails that can be prepared this monsoon using the vino leftover in the fridge following a dinner party:
Mulled Wine Highball
An interesting take on the warm mulled wine cocktail generally served during cold climes, this highball actually uses the spiced wine to prepare a chilled drink. Red wine can be infused with spices like cinnamon, star anise, cloves and honey to prepare the mulled wine blend. Once it has cooled down, 30 ml of this mulled wine can then be used to build a highball cocktail topped off with about 15 ml of orange juice and 45 ml of ginger ale. The spiciness of the ginger ale coupled with the sweet and spicy notes of the wine will make for a complimentary flavour combination.
Red Wine Sangria – With A Jamun Twist
While red wine sangria remains a favourite among mixologists, it can be given a more desi touch to turn the classic into an inventive mix for a cocktail gathering. This can come in the form of a hint of jamun juice or jamun syrup used aplenty in the monsoons. The red wine sangria can be put together with the addition of apple, orange and pomegranate slices. Their sweet, sour and slightly crispy flavours can be offset with the tang that comes from the jamun juice. As well, jamun will also introduce a brilliant purplish, pinkish hue into the drink, lacing it with an even deeper hue.
Also Read: Drinking Red Wine 101: A Beginner’s Guide To Party Hosting
Red Wine Espresso Cooler
Unexpectedly enough, red wine and espresso come together well in the making of some very creative blends. Take about 30 ml of the red wine leftover in the fridge and blend it with about 25 ml of espresso to craft a fresh mix of tart and deep flavours. Build this drink on top of lots of ice as it is best served cold. Garnish with orange zest to introduce more bitter flavour accents and a lightly tangy aroma into the blend.
Cinnamon Clove Wine Sour
A stunning crossover between a whisky sour and a spiced wine blend, this drink carries a tart taste and a simultaneously velvety texture which make it suitable enough for serving on a monsoon evening. The cinnamon and clove syrup added to the cocktail brings a spicy effect into the blend that is balanced out by the creaminess of the egg white foam which is essential to the sour cocktail recipe.
Negroni With A Twist
A dark negroni prepared with the addition of about 15 ml red wine can be an excellent serve at an intimate cocktail gathering hosted during the monsoon. The red wine twist will introduce a deep earthiness into the cocktail that goes well with the tart orange flavour that seeps into the drink from the bitters integral to the recipe. Use just about 10 ml of sweet vermouth to finish off the cocktail so that its herbal sweetness will tie the whole drink together. This drink can also be finished off with a splash of club soda to lend it a spritzer-like feel.
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