It is just the beginning of summer but the temperatures are already spiking. Cool, inviting pools are a regular feature of our daydreams. Wide brimmed hats, sunscreen and sunglasses are part of our daily garb. But most importantly, we long for ice filled drinks with all kinds of fruity little bits, laced with alcohol. Hydration is the key to surviving summers, and we know just how to ace this trick.
There are perhaps a zillion cocktail recipes ranging from make-it-with-your-eyes-closed level to you-need-pro-training-to-whisk-it level. But what we have for you today lies on the easier side of things. In fact, we’ll just give you a few pointers and you can use your imagination for the rest. These 3 wine cocktails are all you’ll need to survive summer. The ingredients for it are readily available – an Indian wine, like Big Banyan wines, some summer fruits, lots and lots of ice, club soda or Sprite, and perhaps, another kind of alcohol (if you want to try something a tad bit more complicated).
3 wine cocktails for Indian summers
Wine spritzers
This is for baby bartenders. Total novices! It involves zero rocket science. And the barest minimum effort. The wine spritzer is just what you need when you come home from a day spent outdoors. All you need to do is pull open the fridge and get the white wine that’s been chilling in there. Pour it into a glass (about ¾th), top it up with Sprite (about ¼th). Substitute Sprite with club soda if you don’t want it that sweet. And voilà! You have yourself a wine cocktail. Curl up on your couch, turn on the AC full blast and catch up on your daily dose of Netflix.
Wine lemonade
This is just a level higher than the spritzer. But still quite easy to master. Lemonades remind us of those long summer holidays spent under the cool glade of a mango tree. The simple drink makes us all fuzzy with nostalgia, but when spiked with wine, it makes us downright happy. To make a wine lemonade, you need…lemonade (squeeze some fresh limes, add sugar, stir well, and add some cold water). To this, add lots of ice and about 2 oz of Big Banyan Rosa Rossa. Garnish with a slice of lime and you’re done! Turn off the ringer on your phone, head into your garden (or tiny balcony) and sip on your drink in peace.
Sangria
Brace yourself! We just upped the ante on the cocktail game. But don’t worry, Sangrias are easy to make too. You can make them by the jug, and stash them away in the fridge to sip on all day long. Sangrias can be made with red wine or white wine, and with oranges, pineapples, berries, watermelons or any other fruit you may have handy. Of course, we highly recommend you stick to the recipes we’ve tried and tested on our Wine Cocktails page. But feel free to experiment.
This is just a prelude to our next piece. We’ll delve a little deeper into the art of making wine cocktails, with Richa Gupta of My Food Story. She will be sharing her tips and tricks on how to fix a quick drink, and knowing the basics to do so. Watch this space.