Spring is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with delicious craft wine-based cocktails, tall deck drinks and homemade sangria that combines craft wines, spirits and fresh local fruit?
At John’s Home Brew Store in Charlottetown, owners Becky Mowat and Michael Hammond say many Islanders are craving a taste of summer after a long, isolating winter where they couldn’t travel south for sunshine.
“Wine-based cocktails are never boring. They can be full and rich or light and refreshing, with amazing craft wine flavors — and they contain a serving of healthy local fruit,” says Becky.
Trending this spring are rosé wine cocktails made with dry rosé or blush wines, whether your tastes skew to light, crisp and dry to rich and floral, rosés exude flavors of strawberry, cranberry, pomegranate, rhubarb, and lemon with rose and minerality.
For a fun twist, Becky suggests freezing a bit of rosé in ice cube trays and serving them with spirits, fruit and the rosé of choice to make fabulous chilly “Frosé” cocktails.
“The basic recipe can be tweaked to suit everyone’s flavour preferences and it offers big savings because a batch fills many glasses,” adds Becky. “We’ve created our own recipe for our customers called ‘P.E.I. Strawberry Fields Forever Frosé, and it’s delicious — like a sunny vacation in a glass!”
She’s also a fan of “P.E.I. Divine Wine Spritzers,” which can be either fruity and soft — think tropical fruit, peach, honeysuckle and orange with Chardonnay or Muscat — or refreshingly crisp — think white grapefruit, green apple and lemon with Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Combined with sparkling water and liqueur-soaked fruit, this light and elegant libation is perfect for warmer weather.
If you’re eager to say “Olé” to sangrias, Becky says the “Red Isle Sunset Sangria” is a favourite that can be made dry or sweet, and the same goes with their “P.E.I. Singing Sands White Sangria.”
John’s Home Brew Store is celebrating its 25th anniversary all throughout the month of March, so it’s the perfect time to load your wine rack with a variety of your favourite craft wines so you’re ready to enjoy delicious frosées, spritzers and sangrias. Never made your own wine before? It’s easy to do, and the team is always happy to guide you through the process.
Pop into John’s Home Brew Store (14 A Exhibition Dr., Charlottetown) or visit johnshomebrewstorepei.ca/fabulous-wine-recipe-creations to explore making wine-based cocktails, or call (902) 892-1987 to learn more.
