Paul Kushner
Red wine cocktails offer a fun twist on a classic favorite. Blending the rich, deep flavors of red wine with other ingredients creates drinks that are bold, smooth, and refreshing. If you love wine but want to try something different, these cocktails are perfect. They work well for parties, dinners, or a quiet evening at home. Each recipe in this list brings a new way to enjoy red wine, combining tradition with a touch of creativity. From simple mixes to bold blends, there’s something here for every taste. Take a look and get inspired to mix up your next glass.
Red Sangria
Perhaps the most famous red wine cocktail of all, Red Sangria is a red wine and fruit punch that dates back to the Middle Ages. It remains the most popular drink in Spain. This classic recipe makes a pitcher out of a bottle of red wine, brandy, and orange juice. Whole pieces of citrus and apples infuse fresh fruit flavor.
Classic Red Sangria
Ingredients
Method
- Wash and slice the orange, lemon, and apple into thin rounds or wedges.
- Place the fruit slices into a large pitcher.
- Add the brandy and simple syrup, stirring to mix the flavors.
- Pour in the red wine and stir again to evenly combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the fruit to infuse.
- Just before serving, add the club soda and ice to the pitcher.
- Stir gently, then pour into glasses and enjoy.
Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is essentially a wintertime sangria. It is a red wine and brandy infusion, using a customizable list of your favorite baking spices and citrus fruits. This recipe calls for cloves, cinnamon, and star anise to simmer for hours. The longer you simmer this liquid, the richer the mulled wine will taste.
Mulled Wine
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the wine, orange slices, sugar, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise in a large pot.
- Gently warm the mixture over low heat for about 20 minutes. Make sure it doesn't boil; we just want it nice and warm.
- Taste it and add more sugar if you like it sweeter.
- Use a strainer to remove the spices and orange slices.
- Serve warm in your chosen mugs or glasses.
- If you like, add a splash of brandy to each cup for extra warmth.
New York Sour
A sour of any kind is a tasty blend of sweet and tart mixers with a spirit of your choice. This New York Sour is a bourbon sour with a splash of red wine. The unique use of red wine is more for presentation as you pour a dash of red wine over a bar spoon over the top of the bourbon, lemon, and simple syrup mix to create a blood-red top layer.
New York Sour
Ingredients
Method
- Dry Shake: In a shaker, combine the whiskey, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white. Shake the mixture without ice for about 10-15 seconds. This is known as a "dry shake" and it helps to emulsify the egg white, creating that desired frothiness.
- Shake with Ice: Add ice to the shaker and continue to shake the mixture until well chilled, about another 15 seconds.
- Strain: Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice.
- Add the Wine: Using the back of a spoon, gently pour the red wine over the concoction. As with the classic version, aim to have the wine float on top of the drink for a layered effect. To achieve this, place the spoon upside down, close to the drink's surface, and slowly pour the wine over it.
- Garnish: Garnish with a lemon wheel or cherry if desired.
- Enjoy: Relish in the smooth and frothy texture of your New York Sour, complemented by the rich depth of the red wine.
Devil’s Margarita
Named for its menacing blood-red appearance, the Devil’s Margarita is a classier version of the sangria margarita. It stays true to the original recipe for a margarita, using Blanco tequila, lime juice, and simple syrup. Instead of triple sec, this margarita gets a hearty pour of red wine. A full-bodied wine works well with the harsh alcohol-forward white tequila.
Devil’s Margarita
Ingredients
Method
- Begin by rimming your glass with salt, if desired. Do this by running a lime wedge around the edge and dipping it into salt.
- In your cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, lime juice, and simple syrup with ice. Shake well until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into your prepared glass filled with fresh ice.
- Carefully pour the red wine over the back of a spoon to float it on top of the tequila mix.
- Garnish with a lime wheel, and enjoy.
Kalimotxo
If you’ve ever been to Spain, you’ve surely delighted in a Kalimotxo, pronounced: “Calimocho.” It became a staple of Spanish drinking culture in the 1970s, around the time Coca-Cola became popular in Spain. It’s a simple blend of coke and dry red wine. It might sound strange to foreigners, but one sip of this rich two-ingredient cocktail will have you hooked.
Kalimotxo
Ingredients
Method
- Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
- Pour in the red wine and cola.
- Stir the mixture gently.
- Garnish with a lemon or orange wedge.
Sangria Margarita
A marriage of Spanish and Mexican cocktails, the Sangria Margarita is both festive and elegant. It is an elaborate cocktail that is as beautiful to look at as it is to taste. The margarita blends sour mix, tequila, and orange juice in a cocktail shaker. Red wine tops the margarita, creating a stunning two-tone cocktail that you load with fresh fruit garnish.
Ingredients
For the sangria layer
- 4 oz dry red wine
- Juice of 1 lime
- Juice of 1 orange
- 0.25 oz triple sec
- 1 cup ice
For the margarita layer
- ½ can frozen limeade concentrate, undiluted
- 1.5 oz blanco tequila
- 1 cup ice
For serving
- Salt, for the rims
- Lime wedges, for garnish
Red Wine Spritzer
If you’re looking for the easiest cocktail to whip up on a moment’s notice, this red wine spritzer is just two ingredients. All you need is a bottle of red wine and a liter of sprite, and voila, cocktails are served for an impromptu summer happy hour.
Ingredients
- 3 oz red wine
- 2.5 oz chilled Sprite
Ginger + Red Wine Fizz
This delicious and simple red wine fizz is the perfect fall cocktail. It combines red wine with orange liqueur and ginger ale for a wonderful trifecta of citrus, spice, and tannins. This recipe makes four cocktails, perfect for get-togethers. It’s a simple pitcher filled with three ingredients that you stir to blend.
Ingredients
- 6 oz chilled red wine
- 2 oz chilled ginger beer
- Orange peel, for garnish
- Fresh rosemary sprig, for garnish
Raspberry Red Wine Spritzer
This elegant red wine spritzer is a bright and cheerful cocktail for a summer dinner party. It makes enough for a small group, using fresh raspberries mudded in individual glasses. Red wine and limoncello-flavored seltzer water blend with the raspberries, creating a crimson hue and a fruity, tart flavor palate.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh raspberries, divided
- 4 oz red wine
- 5 oz chilled Limoncello LaCroix seltzer
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1 rosemary sprig, for garnish
Red Moon Over Manhattan Cocktail
A unique twist on the classic Manhattan, the Red Moon Over Manhattan swaps rye whiskey with Bourbon and uses red wine instead of vermouth. Simple syrup and bourbon come in equal parts to infuse the wine with sweetness and smoke. This cocktail is a classy happy hour cocktail, garnished with a syrupy maraschino cherry.
Ingredients
- 2 oz red wine
- 0.5 oz bourbon
- 0.25 oz simple syrup
- 3 maraschino cherries
- Orange peel
- Ice, plus 1 large ice cube for serving
Call Me A Cab Cocktail
This highly alcoholic red wine cocktail will require a cab ride home! Call Me a Cab cocktail is a doubly spiked lemonade with both cabernet and vodka. Lemonade and a full-bodied cabernet make for a tart, juicy, and sweet flavor profile that all but masks the vodka. One of these cocktails is more than enough to get the party started.
Ingredients
- 5 oz lemonade
- 1 oz vodka
- 2.5 oz Cabernet Sauvignon
- Ice
Devil’s Sunset
Another bold alcoholic beverage, the Devil’s Sunset is a blend of dry red wine, tequila, and blue curacao. Lime juice adds tartness and extra citrus to accentuate the blue curacao. This cocktail gets a refreshing finish thanks to a dash of soda water.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz dry red wine
- 0.5 oz blanco tequila
- 0.5 oz blue curaçao
- 0.25 oz simple syrup
- 1 lime wedge, for squeezing
- 2 oz chilled cherry-flavored sparkling water
- Fresh cherry slices and a lime wedge, for garnish
