9 Unexpected Wine Recipes To Get Drunk On Right Now
Happy National Wine Day! One of the greatest days of the year, if you ask me.
While drinking a nice glass of red or white would be enough to celebrate this great national holiday, we extend a formal challenge to vino lovers everywhere: get weird with your wine.
To get your imagination flowing like the vino will be tonight, we present 9 of the most interesting wine drinks you’ll stumble across on the interweb. Some sound refreshingly unique and others are downright weird, but each have something that is near and dear to all our hearts — wine.
San Francisco Sangaree
- 4 cherries
- ¼ oz. simple syrup
- 1 ½ oz. Merlot
- 1 oz. bourbon
- 1 lemon slice
If you thought wine and bourbon were never meant to meet, you couldn’t have been more wrong. The bold flavors of Merlot and tangy bourbon make for the manliest wine spritzer we’ve ever seen. And we’ve seen some spritzers in our time.
No simple syrup? No problem. To make your own, simply get some water and sugar boiling, then lower the temperature and stir frequently until dissolved.
Muddle cherries in a cocktail shaker, add ice followed by merlot, bourbon, and a lemon slice. Shake and strain.
Cherry Jam
- 1 spoon of cherry jam
- ½ oz. lemon juice
- 1/3 oz. vodka
- 3 oz. Chandon Brut Classic
Pour yourself a tall glass of this concoction for a jammin’ good time. (Sorry, couldn’t help it.) To begin said good time, combine vodka with Chandon Brut Classic and add some luscious cherry jam for a sweet and sour twist on classic white wine.
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain.
Red Splash
- 1 ½ oz. Camarena Tequila Silver
- 1 ½ oz. Pinot Noir
- ½ oz. lime juice
- ½ oz. agave nectar
- 2 oz. grapefruit soda
- Garnish: lime wedge
As we all know, tequila consumption doesn’t have to end after Cinco de Mayo. That couldn’t be further from the truth. But instead of those salt and lime shooters you’re accustomed to, give tequila a classy new twist in this refreshing wine spritzer.
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain.
Kalimotxo
- Ice
- 1 ½ oz. Pinot Noir
- 1 ½ oz. Coca Cola
- Optional: anise flavoring
- Squeeze of lemon
Wine and…Coke? It sounds so wrong, but it feels so right. Combine a rich Pinot Noir with the sticky, sweet flavor of Coca Cola for a truly unique spin on the spritzer. For a more bitter taste to balance out the sugary pop, try adding anise flavoring. We normally wouldn’t encourage you to go out of your way to make things purposefully taste like black licorice, but here we are.
In a glass filled with ice, add red wine and cola. Add anise flavoring if desired. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
The Star Gazer
- 2 oz. Chardonnay
- 1 oz. dark rum
- ½ oz. vanilla bean syrup
- ½ oz. pineapple juice
- Lime wedge
Longing for the tropics? Well, we can’t send you to the Bahamas, but the power of National Wine Day can give you a drink that will make you feel like you’re right there! These sweet tropical flavors, dark rum, and perky Chardonnay taste like all the best parts of vacation. Close enough, right?
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain.
The Refresher
- 5 grapes
- 2 mint sprigs
- ½ oz. simple syrup
- 1 ¼ oz. vanilla vodka
- ½ oz. lime juice
- 1 oz. Chardonnay
- Prosecco
- Garnish: Two grapes
Wine and vanilla vodka: the combo the world never knew it needed. Until now. This dry, fruity drink is a bit unexpected — but trust us, this spritzer is essentially class in a glass. And you deserve to feel like you’re lounging at the country club rather than sitting at home in your sweatpants watching Netflix. It’s National Wine Day. Treat yo’ self.
Muddle grapes, mint, and simple syrup in a shaker. Add vodka, Chardonnay, and Prosecco. Shake and strain. Finish with lime juice. Garnish with two grapes.
Russian Coffee
- 2 oz. vodka
- 4 oz. coffee
- 4 oz. Merlot
- ½ oz. simple syrup
Ah, the classic bar conundrum of not being able to choose between vodka or wine… or coffee. Classic. Well, why not have all three, compliments of Mother Russia – only if you’re brave enough to try this confusing cocktail, that is. And we’re not sure you are.
Combine all ingredients into a chilled wine glass. If you have a heart condition, we advise you to talk to your doctor before combining caffeine and alcohol.
Cool Melon Mint
- ¾ cup Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Sweet White
- ¼ cup elderflower cordial
- ½ honeydew melon, cut into cubes
- 1 cup crushed ice
- Seltzer water
For something next-level fancy, get your hands on some elderflower cordial. This popular British beverage has a long and storied past, having been enjoyed by legends such as King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. You may not have a table, but you and the Knights of the Dirty Couch are going to have an epic National Wine Day with this concoction.
Blend wine and elderflower in blender until smooth. Add ice. Blend until smooth. Top off with seltzer water and garnish with melon cubes.
Plum Wine and Milk
- 1 oz. plum wine
- 1 oz. orange juice
- 1 ½ oz. milk
Then, for the extremely ballsy among us, there’s this popular Asian drink. No, your eyes do not deceive you, that’s wine and milk mixed together. Some versions (as you’ll see above) even turn this cocktail into a bowl of cereal, complete with a fruit topping, forever redefining the term “breakfast of champions.”
Add plum wine to a chilled wine glass. Enhance the chill with ice cubes. Add orange juice and milk. Stir immediately so the milk will settle correctly.
Now get those bottles popping! National Wine Day only comes around once a year, and if you can’t enjoy a glass tonight, it’s okay. Let’s be honest, we can all acknowledge that every day is National Wine Day… in our hearts.