2 Guys Uncorked – Wine Reviews & Wine Blog - Making Wine Fun and Easy

This week, 2 Guys Uncorked is getting unconventional. Forget the usual swirling and sniffing, Ted and I are going to mix things up, literally, with wine cocktails.

Wine does not need to be drunk alone. If you have a bottle of wine (sparkling or still) sitting in the fridge, grab some mixers and turn it into a tasty batch of cocktails. Here are six of our favorites:

• Kir Royale: Very french, always impressive. Whenever I have one of these, I imagine myself in Paris sitting at a cafe in the sun. The black currant liquor gives the champagne a little fruity kick. These are always a hit at parties.
  • 9 parts champagne/sparkling wine
  • 1 part Chambord/creme de cassis
  • float a single mint leaf on top.

• Bellini: Supposedly invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice. This is a classic champagne cocktail. At brunch this week, try one of these instead of your usual mimosa.
  • 9 parts champagne/sparkling wine
  • 1 part peach puree
  • garnish with a peach wedge

• Lavender Champagne: Fresh, perfumed and purple. I love lavender, and I love champagne, so it’s gotta be good. Ted found this one in Martha Stewart.
  • 9 parts champagne/sparkling wine
  • 1 part lavender simple syrup
  • float a single lavender sprig in the glass

• Kir: The classic wine cocktail. A little splash of this or that can really spice up a boring bottle of wine. A Kir can be made in many different ways, so I will list my top three.
  • 9 parts white wine
  • 1 part mixer
    • Traditional Kir: Chambord / creme de cassis (top with a blackberry)
    • Neon Kir: Blue Curacao (garnish with sorority girls)
    • Kir Jonathan: Absolute Pear Vodka and pear puree (garnish with Jelly Belly ‘Juicy Pear’ jelly beans)

• Calimocho: I have seen this drink in Hungary, Germany, Spain and Portugal. Everywhere you go it has a different name (bambus, houba, vadasz, Rioja libre). No matter where you are, it’s a great way to turn cheap red wine into a party drink (caffeine + booze = fun all night long).
  • 1 part red wine
  • 1 part Coca-Cola

• 7-Jiu: A Chinese cocktail. Wine in China is pretty crappy, so they mix it with some 7-Up to make it drinkable and sweet. No matter how bad the wine is, 7-Up will always do the trick. Ganbei!
  • 1 part white wine
  • 1 part 7-Up / Sprite