The Rosé Squirt--A Perfect Seasonal Sipper
Come summer, I love a refreshing Kir with White Wine--a glass of inexpensive, not terribly flavorful white wine with a shot of Chambord, Cassis, or Raspberry Liqueur--which sweetens the drink, infuses it with an unmistakable berry perfume, and turns it a pretty sunset pink.
I like my Kir au Vin Blanc (the drink’s proper French name) served with a twist of orange plus rocks on the side. This allows me not only to cool the drink as I desire, but to add an ice cube or three to taste, especially if the bartender has a heavy hand with the berry liqueur, as often occurs.
My friend A.J. Rathbun, an Amazon.com staffer and regular contributor to Al Dente, has just released an entire book dedicated to drinks such as my beloved Kir--drinks that highlight wines embellished with liqueurs, spirits, fruit juices, herbs, and spices.
Entitled Wine Cocktails: 50 Stylish Sippers That Show Off Your Reds, Whites, and Rosés (Harvard Common Press, 2009), his latest tome makes a welcome addition to his ever-growing list of titles, which include Party Snacks!, Party Drinks!, Luscious Liqueurs, Good Spirits, and Dark Spirits, the last forthcoming this fall.
Over a couple of Kirs at a swanky downtown Seattle hotel last month, A.J. told me his latest book was inspired by his editor at the Harvard Common Press, who enjoyed wine cocktails during her travels to France and Italy. She wondered why such sophisticated, food-friendly drinks weren’t more popular in the U.S., and contracted A.J. for the project.
It being sunny summer in Seattle, I asked A.J. for his take on the perfect seasonal sipper. Slightly rakish and ever-evocative, he described a good summer wine cocktail as one that “cools you down, has a school’s-out sort of vibe, is light on its feet, and less alcoholic than cocktails enjoyed during the cold winter months.”
His Rosé Squirt fits the bill to a “t”--bubbly, dry, refreshing--a drink A.J. enjoys “while sitting with that perfect person as the sun goes down in July.” Favorite sites for sipping the drink include his backyard with wife Natalie (on their newly remodeled deck) or on the lawn at Casa Vitiano (the couple’s favorite retreat in the Upper Tiber region of Italy).
Rosé Squirt
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Ice cubes
2 ounces maraschino liqueur
6 ounces dry rosé
Chilled club soda
2 maraschino cherries, for garnish
Directions:
1. Fill two highball glasses three-quarters full with ice cubes. Add 1 ounce maraschino liqueur and 3 ounces rosé to each glass. Stir briefly.
2. Fill each glass almost to the top with the chilled club soda. Stir again, a bit more than briefly. Drop a cherry on top and serve.
Note: Don’t be fooled into thinking that maraschino liqueur is the same as the liquid that comes with maraschino cherries in the jar, or the same as cherry syrup. Instead, it’s made from the fruit and pits of Marasca cherries, with a dry, rich flavor that has hints of both cherries and almonds.
Exerpted from Wine Cocktails, by A.J. Rathbun. (c) 2009, used by permission from The Harvard Common Press.
Rosé Squirt photo (c), by Melissa Punch
Photo of Braiden by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon
Tulse Luper on July 16, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Wow, that Rose Squirt sounds delicious! I think I'll make one this evening.