6 Wine Cocktail Recipes We Can’t Get Enough Of!

Fine wine is delicious on its own. But hey, as they say, variety is the spice of life. Wine cocktails have a really classy yet playful vibe and are perfect to jazz up any party.

The play of wine with other flavor takes your wine drinking experience to a whole new level of complexity, delight and fulfillment.

Wine Cocktail Recipes We're Serving Up This Year!

That being said, here are 6 wine cocktails that we just cannot get enough of. We hope that you’ll enjoy preparing, serving and drinking them as much as we do!

1) La Biciletta (The Bicycle)

According to popular lore, men drank this cocktail at cafes and swerved rather comically on their bicycles all the way home. That’s how the drink came to be named ‘La Bicicletta’.

This wine cocktail was extremely popular amongst cyclists in Europe. As you may know, cycling is a popular activity in France and Italy and cyclists liked to enjoy this cold, refreshing wine cocktail after a long summer ride.

The Bicicleta is a great cocktail to make for beginners – it’s simple yet tasty and puts on a whole different spin on white wine.

You’ll Need:

1. 2 oz Campari: A dark red, bitter, sweet and spicy aperitif of Italian origin. Made by infusing fruits and herbs in alcohol and water.
2. White Wine
3. Orange wheel or wedge
4. Ice Cubes
5. Soda water

Here's How to Make It:

1. Place 3-4 ice cubes in a wine or double rocks glass.
2. Add 2 ounces of Campari
3. Follow it up with 2 ounces of aromatic white wine
4. Add a touch of soda water and follow it up with an orange wedge. Squeeze the orange peel over the top and on the insides of the glass edges to lend the cocktail some fresh citrusy taste and aroma.
5. The slightly sweeter white wine goes very well with the deep red, bitter Campari. The soda gives it some fizz and makes it perfect for hot weather.

2) The New York Sour:

This wine cocktail is more suitable for the colder months. It is a multi-layered drink geared towards entertaining a smaller group of people or to impress your date. The pouring of liquids to form a double layer requires a bit of precision and patience; but the result an absolutely stunning and delicious wine cocktail that’ll have your guests talking behind your back.

The great thing about this cocktail is that despite seeming hard to make, it actually is quite easy to put together and requires very little prep. Despite being a classic, the New York Sour is versatile and has that elusive ‘X-factor’ which is indispensable in a good wine cocktail.

The New York Sour gets a big thumbs up from Jordan Salcito, a young sommelier who has made quite a name for herself and has also been featured in the Food & Wine magazine.

You’ll need:

1. 2 ounces of a good rye whisky, which is a favorite in New York and essentially gives the cocktail it’s name. Don’t sweat it too much if you don’t have rye whisky, a bourbon can be used as a substitute although it doesn’t possess the crispiness that’s associated with rye.
2. 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Please do not use bottled/preserved lemon juice. Freshly squeezed only!
3. 1 ounce of simple syrup. This is very easy to concoct! Just mix equal parts of sugar and water and cook it on a low to medium flame until the sugar dissolves completely to form a ...well...simple syrup.
4. A good red wine, preferably Tuscan.
5. Ice cubes.

How To Make?

Pour 2 ounces of rye whiskey into a cocktail shaker mixed with ice cubes. Add the lemon juice and the simple syrup.

Give all the liquids a good shake. This aerates and lightens everything up and also mixes all the flavors thoroughly.

Strain into a cocktail glass (use a Hawthorne cocktail strainer). Use a stemmed cocktail glass with an inverted cone; very similar to a Martini glass.

Now, add 2 ounces of red wine into a jigger (that cool little two-sided glass for measuring out fluids)

Place an inverted spoon over the liquid so that it is just touching the contents of the cocktail glass. Now, pour the wine slowly but smoothly onto the back of the spoon. Since wine is less dense that the sugary liquid below, it will float on top and create an eye-pleasing double layer.

The contrast of the deep red wine with the smoky liquid at the bottom makes for quite a visually appealing drink. There’s the perfect amount of sweetness, bitterness and spiciness to cut through the acidity of the wine and lemon juice.

With the New York sour, you’re in for an absolutely lip-smacking experience.

Fun Fact: A Martini glass, which is very similar to a cocktail glass (terms used interchangeably) was invented during the Prohibition in the US. The larger rim allowed for quick disposal of the alcoholic drink in case there was a raid on the establishment.

3) Summer Sangria

You know that this list wouldn’t be complete without a Sangria. Popular all over the world, this punch actually originated in Spain in the 18^th century.

A traditional Sangria is made using red wine and gets it name from the Spanish word ‘sangre’, which translates into ‘blood’.

We recommend that you get your hands on some Spanish rioja wine for Sangria, although any half-decent red should do the job.

You’ll Need:

1. 8 ounces of red wine
2. 2 ounces of brandy (dark rum also works quite well)
3. 3-4 different kinds of fresh fruits. Apples, pears, berries, peaches, nectarines, pineapples, melon are all good choices. You may also stick to just oranges, lemons and apples.
4. A dash of orange juice – freshly squeezed please!
5. 2 tablespoons of sugar
6. Crushed ice or cubes

How To Make?

1. Cut fruits into either long slices or into small cubes. The idea is the maximize the surface area that comes into contact with the red wine.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and a dash of orange juice to the cut fruits. Just cut up an orange into wedges, squeeze in the juice and throw in the rinds as well.
3. Now add the brandy
4. Top it up with 8 ounces of red wine. Mix everything well so that the flavors fall in love with each other and the sugar dissolves completely.
5. Refrigerate the Sangria for about 3-4 hours at least or overnight if there are no time constraints.
6. Serve in a wine glass over ice. You may top the drink up with some soda water or sparkling wine (For example: Cava wine)

Even though Sangria is fairly common, you can experiment with different fruits and wine to create a uniquely flavored punch every single time.

Or, for a simpler (ready to drink version):

A simpler, ready to drink version of ‘Sangria’ is Tinto De Verano, which means The Red Of Summer or Summer Red Wine.

1. Take 1 bottle (750 ml) of red wine and mix it with an equal amount of lemon-flavored soda.
2. Throw in some lemon and orange slices and 200 ml of Vermouth (optional).
3. Serve on ice.

Even though this seems like an innocuous drink (essentially it’s just diluted wine), it’s very tasty, especially on a hot summer afternoon and people end up drinking copious amounts of it.

4) Kalimotxo (pronounced cali-mocho. Ch is pronounced as in teacher.)

Hey, so what is this ‘cocktail’ has only two ingredients? It’s got an incredibly fancy name!

This cocktail originate in the Basque region of northern Spain. Some teenagers had set up a stall at a festival and noticed that their red wine was not exactly in perfect condition. So they just mixed it up with some soda – people loved it so much that the drink has spread to all parts of the world!

You’ll Need:

1. Equal parts cheap red wine and cola
2. Ice and a squeeze of lemon/lime (optional)

How To Make?

Mix wine and cola in a pitcher. Serve in a glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with some lemon.

This drink envisages the classic combination of sweet and sour. Even though it’s quite simple, it’s appeal is unquestionable. It’s almost sacrilegious to mix wine with cola – and that’s what makes this cocktail so damn good...it’s like bacon and onions...or butter and jam...or mac and cheese.

Kalimotxo is great for larger groups or if you want to use up some opened or leftover wine. It’s inexpensive yet a crowd pleaser. Pair it with bold flavors such a spicy barbecue or peppery curry to really enjoy the sptriz of the cola and the tannins of the red wine.

5) The Something Blue: 

Even if you’ve had it many times before, there is no denying the exotic appeal of a blue cocktail. This one is not just blue, it has a bit of sparkle as well!

You’ll Need:

1. 2 ounces of Hpnotiq Liqueur
2. 1 ounce of ginger ale
3. 2 ounces of white wine of your choice

How to Make?

Make sure all items are very well chilled as there’s no ice in this recipe

1. Mix Hpnotiq Liqueur with white wine and pour into flutes
2. Top with a touch of ginger ale.

This wine cocktail tastes amazing. It is a big hit at Summer parties.

6) The Strawberry Kiss: 

America is madly in love with strawberries – we love strawberry jam, strawberry ice-cream and literally strawberry everything.

 The Strawberry Kiss is perfect for any occasion, anytime of the year - be it summer or Christmas, a birthday party or a Valentine’s date.

You’ll Need:

1. 1 oz vodka (we love Absolut)
2. 1 oz orange juice (packaged juice will do)
3. 1 oz strawberry liqueur
4. Fresh strawberries (if available)
5. Ice
6. Sparkling wine

How To Make?

1. Add ice cubes, vodka, strawberry liqueur and orange juice into a cocktail mixer. Shake very well
2. Strain into a flute and top with sparkling wine.
3. Garnish with a strawberry

The Strawberry Kiss Cocktail is perfect for setting up an actual kiss. It’s an explosion of sweet, sour and bitter flavors topped up with some sexy effervescence.

Fine wine needs to be stored in the right conditions to ensure that it retains its authentic flavor, body and aroma.

A wine cellar is not always a practical option but a dedicated wine cooler works perfectly. Check out our wine cooler reviews to zero in on the perfect wine fridge for your requirements.