Wine can be used in many more ways than just poured into a stemmed glass sniffed and swirled.
I am constantly coming up with new ideas for unique ways to drink wine during every season. The spritzer for instance is one of those crazy concoctions I love to play with.
Summer is right around the corner following an unseasonably warm spring. There is nothing more I want to do than to kick back with a big glass of spritzer and soak up some rays. I love a fizzy drink, so when it starts to heat up I add bubbles to everything. One unique way to liven up a drink is to add some soda water or tonic. I also wanted to introduce how easy it is to make a cordial to add to your wine. I like to keep a bottle of chilled cordial in my fridge all spring and summer long. The spritzer is so easy: add white or rose wine, cordial, splash of club soda, and ice. I hope you enjoy this recipe and more over the coming warm months.
Standard Cordial Recipe:
12-15 limes
2 cups of sugar
1 750ml of vodka, gin, or tequila
1-1 quart pot
1 hand juicer
1 fine mesh strainer
1 large mixing bowl
Spritzer:
2 oz. of club soda
4 oz. of Brennan Vineyards Mourvèdre Dry Rosé
Seasonal Fruit Garnish
2 oz cordial (experiment to find the amount you prefer)
Instructions:
I start out making my simple syrup first because it will need a few minutes to cool and will give you time to prep your limes and get juicing.
Get your saucepan out and put 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water in your pot.
Turn heat to medium and let simmer stirring occasionally until your sugar and water are clear. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Now that you have your simple syrup made and cooling. Cut your limes in half, it is easier to juice if you use room temperature limes. The room temperature limes will release more juice for your cordial. After the limes are cut in half and ready to be juiced. Place your fine mesh strainer over the mixing bowl and juice over the strainer into the bowl.
When you have finished juicing your limes its time to add your hard spirit. In this particular instance I used vodka, feel free to get creative and use different types of alcohol. I added 2 cups of hard alcohol, you can use more or less depending on how your taste buds are. Adding the spirit allows the cordial to remain fresh in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Next you can add your simple syrup. Add half of the simple syrup stir and taste. Its a good thing to remember you can always add more but you can’t take away.
Sweeten the mixture to your taste and stir. I used a clean empty bottle of wine to store my mixture, this makes it easy to pour into your glass.
Refrigerate and served chilled.
Grab a glass and fill it with ice. Fill halfway with your Brennan Vineyards wine of choice.
Add your desired amount of Lime cordial (I recommend two ounces)
Garnish with Seasonal Fruit and Berries.
Optional: Add a leaf of mint for your drink, it really adds some nice aromas. To activate aromas clap the mint between your hands (trust me).
Enjoy your favorite Brennan Wine with a bit of a twist!
Cheers!
