Move over pomegranate, pear and açai, there’s a new mixer on the block. Trend-setting mixologists on the East and West Coasts have set their sights on wine, adding the stuff – both straight from the bottle and boiled down to a syrup – to all manner of cocktails. But, like most trends, wine cocktails aren’t entirely new; after all, fortified wines like vermouth, that staple of the classic martini, have been used in drinks for over a century. And anyone who recalls the ’70s likely drank a white wine spritzer or two (loath though they might be to admit it), just as anyone who’s been in a bar in the last few years has likely enjoyed a Champagne cocktail of some sort.
In Europe, wine cocktails are more tradition than trend. In Spain, for example, sangria – considered by many American quaffers to be Spain’s most famous libation – isn’t ordered in bars. Instead, the Spanish reach for tinto de verano, or red wine of summer, a mix of red wine and lightly sweetened soda water. Variations abound, with additions ranging from lemonade or orange soda to Coca-Cola.
Wine cocktails aren’t on many St. Louis menus yet, but they are available. In addition to a host of Champagne-centered creations, bartenders at Wapango in Chesterfield serve up spritzers and a wine-based version of the Mimosa. And, in keeping with the authentic Spanish flavors on its menu, Modesto offers several versions of tinto de verano as well as a few other concoctions made with wine that are perfect for summertime sipping. ¡Salud!
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2007.
