“If it seems like you can add rosé to nearly any cocktail, the answer is that you can!” says Colleen Graham, author of Rosé Made Me Do It, available on Amazon. She was inspired by the versatility of rosé wines in making pink cocktails for her latest manual.
In fact, no recipe seems to be off limits and you don’t need to splash out on an expensive bottle of Whispering Angel to dress your drinks in pink.
Graham suggests using premium-quality spirits you wouldn’t mind drinking on their own. But she adds: “There’s no need to pay for a super pricey bottle of rosé, though, as wine is typically a cocktail mixer that allows you to save a bit of money.”
Put a Peachy Rosé Twist on the Cosmo https://t.co/S0NlzvwRB3 pic.twitter.com/8wB6PBzdJD
— Colleen Graham (@cocktailsguide) June 19, 2019
“Rosé is one of the best wines for mixed drinks, with its flavour of strawberries or watermelon. It works perfectly with many spirits (whiskey, gin, vodka, tequila, rum) and almost any additional flavours, from fruits to herbs and spices,” Graham promises.
Like the sound of giving a classic cocktail a pink twist? Here are four recipes to try…
Rosé Mojito
Mojitos are a ton of fun to drink, and not as hard to make as you might think. The secret is to use a muddler to press the fresh mint into the syrup. This flavour foundation can then be dressed up in the original way (rum and soda water) or it can take a more unconventional turn, as with the Rosé Mojito.
‘Refreshing’ doesn’t even begin to describe the taste; you’ll love how the cooling, sweetened mint plays off a nice rosé. It’s then given an extra twist by using a sparkling lemonade rather than soda water. If you prefer it less sweet, add a lemon-flavoured Italian soda water instead.
Ingredients: (Serves 6-8)
750ml rosé
480ml sparkling lemonade
2 limes cut into wedges
25g fresh mint leaves
Simple syrup to taste
Lime slices and extra mint leaves to garnish
Method:
Using a muddler, press the lime wedges, mint leaves and about 15ml of simple syrup in a jug to release the juice and essential oils. Add the rosé and lemonade. Stir well, taste and add more syrup if desired. The jug can then be stored in the fridge for an hour or two. Serve in tall glasses filled with ice and garnish with lime slices and fresh mint.
Berry Rosé Julep
The Berry Rosé Julep puts a ‘berrylicious’ twist on the classic mint julep.
Choose a nice, smooth whiskey for this drink – something like a softer bourbon or an Irish blended whiskey is ideal against the fresh berries.
This drink also substitutes rosemary for the traditional mint, creating a sweet floral touch that’s quite lovely against the pink wine. Add more berries if you like, and mix raspberries with blackberries if you have both on hand.
Ingredients: (Serves 1)
45ml whiskey
Rosé to top up
5–6 raspberries and/or blackberries
A sprig of rosemary
Extra rosemary and berries to garnish.
Method:
In the bottom of a tumbler, muddle the berries and rosemary. Add the whiskey, then fill the glass with shaved ice. Top up with rosé, garnish with rosemary and a few berries, and enjoy it through a straw.
Rosé Cosmo
The classic cosmopolitan is an ideal cocktail for a little rosé. It already has the sweet fruits that pair so nicely with rosé, and the recipe isn’t too different from the original, so it’s both familiar and novel. For the Rosé Cosmo, the wine and citrus vodka play equal roles to form a pretty foundation.
This then gets a slight accent from triple sec and cranberry juice to produce a well-balanced cocktail that’s easy to drink. In true cosmopolitan fashion, add as much cranberry juice as you like; this recipe produces a drier cosmo that can easily be sweetened by doubling or tripling the juice.
Ingredients: (Serves 1)
45ml citrus vodka
45ml rosé
15ml triple sec
15ml cranberry juice
Orange twist to garnish
Method:
Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and decorate the rim with an orange twist.
Jasmine Tea Tini
This beautiful pink tea-flavoured martini cocktail is a great choice as an afternoon drink, and jasmine tea is a wonderful, fragrant option. It’s particularly nice when paired with rosé in a simple and elegant vodka martini recipe. The Jasmine Tea Tini is easy to prepare and you can adjust each of the elements to suit your personal taste. Start by pouring equal parts of the vodka and rosé, then increase either while reducing the quantity of tea, if you like.
Then add more of either the simple syrup or lemon juice as you see fit. This is also a lovely recipe to mix up by the jug and serve at a small gathering: keep everything in proportion and increase the pour of each ingredient according to the number of servings you need. You can stir it with ice in the jug, then pour it into cocktail glasses to serve.
Ingredients:(Serves 1)
30ml vodka
30ml rosé
60ml jasmine tea, chilled
A splash of simple syrup
A splash of lemon juice
A jasmine flower or lemon twist to garnish
Method:
Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the ingredients, shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. If available, garnish with a jasmine flower; otherwise use a long lemon twist.
Extracted from Rosé Made Me Do It: 60 Perfectly Pink Punches And Cocktails by Colleen Graham.
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