It’s that time of year when the chilly winter air sets into our bones and we all huddle around the nearest fire, wearing our biggest sweaters. The ski slopes are covered in snow, making it the perfect place to spend the day. But after a long day of skiing, sometimes you just want something warm and alcoholic to relax with.
Here are five wine cocktails that will help you do just that! These wine cocktails feel fancy and like a special treat but are super easy to make. There is a recipe here for every kind of palate.
Cheers to getting through the winter with wine cocktails and warm boozy concoctions! Spring is around the corner!
Red Wine Hot Chocolate
Decadent and delicious. Wine and chocolate are even better together!
Serves 1-2
Ingredients
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup Crescent Bay Red by Snow Farm Vineyard
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Directions
Combine the chocolate chips, wine, milk, and sugar (if using), in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring constantly until chocolate chips are melted.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour into mugs.
Recipe Adapted from Brandy G. (@authentically.b)
Old Fashioned with Maple and Grape Wine
Our Fox Hill Maple wine is a perfect Vermonty treat by itself and shines even more when you use it to make an easy Old Fashioned. Instead of the water and sugar used in a traditional Old Fashioned, this recipe uses maple wine.
Single serving
Ingredients
1.5 oz. Bourbon or Rye
.5 – 1 oz. Fox Hill Maple
Orange peel
Cinnamon
Directions
Pour the bourbon/rye over ice, add Fox Hill Maple wine. Garnish with an orange peel and sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Holiday Sangria
The cranberries and raspberries make this sangria feel festive.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 bottle Rose Red by Snow Farm Vineyard
2-3 cups cranberries and raspberries
12-24 oz. of tonic water or seltzer
Directions
Combine the fruit and red wine in a pitcher. Top with seltzer water.
Mulled Wine
It’s hard not to fall in love with a warm mug of wine that is full of the flavors of winter.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 bottle of Leon Millot by Snow Farm Vineyard
1 orange, peeled and sliced into rounds
8 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
2–4 tablespoons maple syrup to taste
optional add-in: 1/4 cup brandy (or your favorite liqueur)
optional garnishes: citrus slices (orange, lemon and/or lime), cinnamon sticks
Directions
Combine all of the ingredients in a crockpot.
Cook the mulled wine on LOW (to avoid letting it come to a bowl and the alcohol burning off), cover, and let the wine simmer on low for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, discard the orange slices, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise.
Add extra maple syrup if desired.
Serve warm in heatproof mugs topped with your favorite garnishes.
Sparkling CranApple Wine Cocktail
This light and refreshing cocktail perfectly balances out a heavy meal.
Single serving
Ingredients
1/3 Cranberry Juice
1/3 Naked Mermaid or Seyval Blanc by Snow Farm Vineyard
1/3 Sparkling water
Directions
Mix all ingredients together. Add cranberries, diced apples, and rosemary for “festiveness”
Recipe adapted from Kaily Mae (@heykailymae on Instagram)
