Wine-Based Cocktail Ideas For Summer

One of the best things about summertime is enjoying a refreshing beverage in your backyard or on the patio. You can’t beat the feeling of sitting back in your comfortable lawn chair, enjoying the warm sun on your skin, and sipping on something cold and tasty. The only decision you have to make is – what are you drinking?

Don’t worry about deciding between a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail – with wine-based cocktails, you get the best of both worlds. Here are some of the best wine cocktails for every occasion to enjoy this summer. 

For When You’re Feeling Fancy: The French 75

Popping bubbly on a special occasion is a classic choice. Upgrade your celebration with a French 75, a sparkling wine-based cocktail. Made with bubbly, gin, and citrus, this is the perfect cocktail for marking a birthday or anniversary, or for simply making the every day feel a little fancier. We recommend trying it with Hillside Winery’s Sonata Bubbly.

See the recipe from Tasting Table here

The Crowd Pleaser: Sangria

This summer, many of us are reuniting with our beloved friends and family. When you’re hosting a party, you want to serve a drink that makes everyone happy. Enter the ultimate party drink: sangria!

With delicious wine, delectable spirits, and fresh fruits, this cocktail will be the highlight of all your summer gatherings. One of the best things about sangria is how customizable it is – you can make it with red or white wine, add your favorite liqueurs, and mix it up with different fruits. You can even make sangria with one of the Rocky Top Wine Trail’s fruit wines, like the Rhubarb and Watermelon varieties from Mountain Valley winery.

Learn how to make red sangria for Minimalist Baker here and see Delish’s recipe for white sangria here.

A Vacation in a Glass: The Wine Margarita

Make every single day feel like a holiday with everyone’s favorite Mexican cocktail, the margarita, with a refreshing twist – white wine! This is the perfect wine cocktail to make while you’re on vacation, enjoying a staycation, or just want to get those tropical vibes going. 

You can skip the tequila with this margarita, making it far from traditional. You’ll need lime juice, salt, orange juice, and a dry white wine – try it with Hillside Winery’s Pinot Grigio. Don’t forget the blender; this margarita is best enjoyed slushy.

Get the recipe from POPSUGAR here.

Rosé All Day: Cherry Sorbet Wine Spritzers

There’s a reason that rosé is sometimes referred to as “summer water”; with its lovely pink hue and bright flavor, it makes a delightful treat on a hot day. Making a cocktail with rose is absolutely essential this summer.

Fruity and refreshing, a cherry sorbet rosé spritzer combines a quintessential summer dessert with refreshing rosé. This recipe, from Yes to Yolks, involves making fresh cherry sorbet and combining it with rose, seltzer, mint and cherries. It’s the ultimate summer experience. Try this cocktail out with Mill Bridge Winery’s Country Rapids or Sugarland Cellars’ Martha Jane Rosé.

For the Cider Lovers: Apple Cider Moscow Mules

Wine isn’t the only drink that can make a delicious cocktail; a cider cocktail can be equally as delicious. With its crisp sweetness and rich apple flavor, cider combines perfectly with spirits to make for some of the best summer drinks.

The next time you have friends over on the patio, why not try making an Apple Cider Moscow Mule? In this recipe from A Couple Cooks, you’ll combine vodka, lime and ginger beer with apple cider for a delicious twist on the classic cocktail. Shake this one up with the Cider House Blues from Apple Barn Cider House.

With these inventive wine cocktails, you’re sure to imbibe in some new favorite beverages this summer. Come visit us on the Rocky Top Wine Trail this summer and tell us all about the wine cocktails that you loved.

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