Tuesday night there was definitely some mixin’ and shakin’ going on at Wine Gallery and it wasn’t just the wine cocktails; although, those were amazing too. Our very first Crash Course at the Wine Gallery with Jo-Ann Ross was a complete success with lots of empowered Boston Winos trying delicious wine cocktails and even making their own. Yup, that’s right, we all rolled our sleeves up, got down and dirty and competed in teams to make the best wine cocktails (check out the recipes at the bottom)!
So, if you missed out but want to experience the magic of wine and liquor together try these kick ass recipes at home to make every night Friday night.
Traditional Cava Royale
Splash of Crème de Cassis – a wonderfully sweet currant syrup (even try on your pancakes!)
Fill the rest with any Spanish Cava – the more affordable, but still bubbly alternative to Champagne
This is by far the easiest way to turn a little bubbly into a very festive treat, think of all the baby showers that will be easier to get through a glass of this in your hand!
Variations on Jonathon Alsop’s Lillet Recipe
Lillet is French cocktail created from a blend of wine, liqueurs, fruits and herbs; simply it’s the James Bond of the Sangria world – sexy, complex and mysterious make this cocktail one to remember. In fact, in the Casino Royale novel (1953) written by Ian Fleming, James Bond orders a “Vesper” made with “three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet”. So, even 007 loves a little Lillet…
Lillet Blanc (White)
White Bordeaux mixed with mint, mandarin oranges, lemons and strawberries.
Refreshing, light and extremely delicious this glass will leave a wonderful aftertaste of mint and even add a skip in your step.
Lillet Rouge
Red Bordeaux mixed with rosemary, grapes, and mandarin oranges.
Quite different from Lillet Blanc, Lillet Rouge’s flavors are much more intense and even a bit spicy, so we found that it’s best served with a splash or two of club soda to lighten the extreme flavors.
Both of these are even better if you let them sit for a few hours or even over night to let all the flavors time to mesh and then serve over a few ice cubes. Also, don’t be scared to experiment and try different fruits, herbs and liqueurs; whatever you have will just add to the flavors of the Lillet and make yours special just for you – try: blood oranges, melons, grapes, limes and any anything else that tickles your fancy.
Wine Cocktail Competition
After having Tyler’s bubbly Cava Royale and Jo-Ann’s Lillet concoctions, it was up to each group to create and name their very own wine cocktail. Everyone rose to the challenge and created refreshing and delicious cocktails that had a little bit of everything in them. Here’s what we came up with:
Limited Cerveno
Cerveno
Brandy
Red Bordeaux
Cassis
Splash of White Bordeaux
Strawberries and pineapples crushed
Hawaiian Crush
White Bordeaux
Triple Sec
Lime Juice
Pineapple Juice
Strawberries, pineapples and lime cut up
Sec-C – Our Winners of the Night!
Cava
Splash of Triple Sec
Muddled Mint
Pineapple cut up
Lemons and Limes
Strawberry Sweet hearts
Cava
Triple Sec
Cassis
Mint
Strawberries
REMEMBER: When attempting to replicate keep in mind that we are all expert Winos in the making and essentially each group threw together whatever sounded good and tasted good. There’s necessarily no rhyme or reason so be creative and experiment!! Go crazy with the liqueurs, fruits and wines you have at home and make your own Wine Cocktails. In fact, if you love what you came up with send us an email and maybe we’ll even post your own recipe!
So surprise yourself with your mad bartending talents and don’t forget that wine does not need to be enjoyed on its own – even 007 agrees with that!
Oh, and if you’re sad about missing out – don’t worry we have two more coming up in the next weeks, check ‘em out: Sherry- Not Just for Your Grandma (7:00 pm) and Crash Course: Summer Sippers!!
Never tried ‘wine’ cocktails, but that Hawaiian Crush sounds sooo… good, I’ll
have to give it a try.