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 It’s always a bit of a pickle, when it comes to the subject of wine cocktails. Some look at you in horror, others with pity. Still others will ask that you be forgiven – “for she knows not…” Those who know me will confirm that I don’t give a damn. I love wine... and I love wine cocktails too. I make them really well and, more importantly, there are a whole slew of enthusiasts who find it a great way to begin their journey. And there are those, like me, who simply find them enjoyable. Thank you Subhash Arora for understanding. This is for you…
Not always about leftovers
Let’s not begin by saying it’s always about leftovers. Sure it helps make good use of open bottles from the weekend party. But it’s also about fun, flavour, young wines, young palates, creativity and joy. It’s about finding the balance between the nuances of the wine and fresh fruit flavours. One enhancing the other- I must like the wine I’m using to make my cocktail. And it works across categories – sparkling, white, rosé, red and occasionally even vermouth, sherry and port.
Taking inspiration from the great sparkling classics like the Champagne Cocktail – Angostura soaked sugar cube, cognac & champagne, Bellini – white peach juice & Prosecco, Mimosa – orange liqueur, orange juice & champagne, Buck’s Fizz – orange juice & champagne, Kir Royale – crème de cassis & champagne… my firm favourite is Comfortable Wacky – a Southern Comfort soaked apricot, splash of Southern Comfort & sparkling wine. I’m happy every time I drink it. It is firm, great flavour, elegant yet fun. Play with sparkling wines and your favourite flavours – strawberry, kiwi, and melon and lychee-you could even make sparkling sangria!
The IWA Challenge
Several members posted their recipes as a response to a question about wine in cocktails posted by Subhash Arora, President of Indian Wine Academy and the Administrator of the Facebook closed group, who gave me the privilege of selecting three of the most interesting recipes. The members had been asked to choose an Indian wine so they could be awarded with 4/2 wine bottles of the same label. So here goes:
First Prize: Andre Fonseca brings you the top award winning recipe:
Sparkling Cranberry Refresher
 Glass: Wine glass
Checklist :
1 bottle of cold sweet sparkling Sula Demi Sec
2 limes
cranberry ice cubes
30ml of Cointreau
Garnish: lime twists for garnish with cherries if possible.
Method:
· Make cranberry ice cubes by pouring cranberry juice into ice trays a couple of days in advance
· Save them in zip lock bags
· Add the juice of the 2 lemons into a pitcher
· Add bottle of Sula sparkling along with Cointreau
· Give this a quick stir
· Half fill your goblets with the cranberry ice cubes
· Pour the mixed sparkling wine over the cranberry ice in every glass
· Drop in a cherry and a twist of lime
· Cheers!
Second Prize -Our participant Riti Goswami gives you the award winning recipe for a Mango Bellini through her mother Sadhana Goswami who is a member of the IWA closed group on Facebook.
The Mango Bellini...
Glass: Champagne Tulip/Flute
The Checklist:
1 Alphonso mango, sliced
1 glass champagne or a sparkling wine(Sula brut), chilled
Method:
- Puree the mango in a blender until it’s a smooth paste
- Strain separate the pulp from the juice
- Pour into a chilled champagne flute
- Slowly add chilled champagne or sparkling.
- The glass should be 1/3rd filled with mango juice and 2/3rd with Sula Brut.
- Stir gently.
- And enjoy.
My Recipes
One of the first wine cocktails I ever made was simply cold white wine and cold apple juice. It was my entry into wine classic. It began 50-50, then progressed to 2/3-1/3, then cold white wine with a splash of the apple juice. It was called Stairway to Heaven. I was into Led Zeppelin then !. Our white wine sangrias were legendary and still have a huge fan following. A bottle of nice, fresh white; beautiful fruit like kiwi, lychee, mango, strawberry, pineapple; a spike of your favourite fruit liqueur or fruit flavoured vodka; a gentle splash of fruit juice like mango, mixed fruit; topped with equal amount of lemonade or fizzy lime.
Try the Melonitzer which I created for Moshe’s restaurant with white wine. I think it’s quite cool!
Melonitzer
 Glass: Tall / Pilsner
Check List:
120ml white wine
8/10 chunks fresh watermelon
10ml Monin peach
3/4 mint leaves
Sprite to top
Garnish: Mint sprig/melon balls
Method:
- Blend watermelon chunks with mint and strain
- Pour it on ice in tall glass
- Add Peach syrup & stir
- Top with wine & sprite
- Garnish
I love rosé wines in all their colourful glory. From the brilliant pinks to the pale, salmon and orangey pink. They are gloriously joyful and give us hope. And taste of juiciness and sunshine. Spritzed with fresh mint, grapes, pomegranate, cranberry juice and lemonade, it makes for a very refreshing glass of happiness.
Red Cocktails
I now brave the territory of the reds. By now many backs may be seriously prickly. Hey, ho and all that. Ola Spain… thank you for introducing the bold Sangre de Toro – Sangria. Yes it was surely to mask bad wine to begin with. Or just to pickle the plentiful fruit. Either way it did manage to establish this concoction as a front runner. There are endless debates on the perfect recipe. Suffice to say, if it tastes good, it’s right. Here are two recipes for you.
An uncomplicated award winning Sangria from Manjula Natarajan who tied with Riti Goswamy for the Second Spot … and one from me.
Sangria
Glass: Wine glass
 Check List:
1 bottle of your favourite Red Wine from – Fratelli or Sula
2 oranges (cut into rounds)
1 apple (cored & chopped)
100 gms sugar
Soda/sprite to top
Method:
· Pour the wine into a big glass mixing bowl
· Add the oranges and apples
· Add 1 big ladle full sugar
· Cover and let the wine soak the fruit overnight in the refrigerator
· Half fill the wine glass with the sangria mix
· Add 4/5 cubes of ice
· Top with soda (to cut sweetness), Sprite (if you like it sweet) or half & half
· That's my version of sangria learnt from the restaurants on the streets of Barcelona years back...
· Use any seasonal fruits available in place or along with oranges and apples
Road Runner
 Glass: Tall
Ingredients:
120ml Red wine
4 slices orange
30ml cranberry juice
Sprite to top
Garnish: mint sprig & orange slice
Method:
- Muddle orange slices in tall glass
- Fill glass with ice
- Pour Red wine & cranberry juice & stir
- Top with sprite
- Garnish
Abhi toh picture baaki hai
 And if you thought we were done… naah!. Let me share a few of my monsoon/winter favourites. Mulled wine, port, sherry in all its variety. Or/and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger... Flavoured with orange and lime peel. Elevated with plump wine or brandy soaked raisins and skinned almonds. Add sugar to the reds and pick your favourites from the above. Zap in microwave till steaming. The sherry & port are already sweet and waiting. Every sip an absolute delight. From Wish You Were Here to Witchy Woman – life’s very, very good.
Santé! And congratulations to the winners- Andre Fonseca (First Prize), Riti Goswamy and Manjula Natarajan (Joint Second Prize).
 Shatbhi Basu
Shatbhi Basu has over 34 year experience in hospitality and beverage industry. She is Host & Advisor to NDTV shows `In High Spirits’ on NDTV Good Times . She is a pioneer in imparting bartending skills with STIR - India's first bar academy. She specializes in conducting workshops in bartending, wine appreciation and mixing cocktails. |