With summer upon us, we’re ready to ditch the warming dark rums and have the white wines takeover. While we love a crisp Chardonnay on a warm summer evening, adding a little bit of pizazz to it wouldn’t hurt. 

This summer, beat the heat with the refreshing white wine cocktails that are easy to make, and utterly delectable. 

Grapefruit White Wine Spritzer

Recipe by: Vintage Kitty

Grapefruit White Wine Spritzer, Source Website

Grapefruit and Moscato come together to create a crisp, refreshing spritz that’s great for cooling off on a hot afternoon, busy weeknights, with impromptu guests, or just while spending an evening at home.

Ingredients (1 serving)

• 1-ounce grapefruit vodka (Try Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka)
• 6 ounces sweet white wine (Try Château de Lacroux/ Vigne de Maurival 2018, White Wine of the Year at Sommeliers Choice Awards 2020)
• 3-4 ounces club soda
• slice of grapefruit
• sprig of rosemary

Fill a wine glass halfway with ice, then add the grapefruit vodka and sweet white wine. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit and a sprig of rosemary. Top with club soda.

Raspberry Lemonade Sangria

Recipe by: Spruce Eats

Raspberry Lemonade Sangria, Source Website

The raspberry lemonade Moscato sangria gives you a delicious lemonade-based treat with plenty of zest, ideal to beat the heat. It takes a few minutes to whip up this one, but just like any sangria, it will be best if you allow it to marinate overnight.

Ingredients (6-8 Servings):

• 1 (750-ml) bottle white wine (Try Sommeliers Choice Awards Gold Medalist Muscat Vin Doolsey)
• 2 cups fresh raspberries (or frozen)
• 2 lemons, sliced
• 12 ounces lemonade
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) lemon-lime soda
• Lemon slices, garnish

Mix the wine, berries, lemons, lemonade, and sugar in a pitcher. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Add the lemon-lime soda just before serving. Add ice in either the pitcher or individual glasses. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Mint and Citrus Sangria

Recipe by: Minimalist Baker

Mint and Citrus Sangria, Source Website

A refreshing white wine sangria made with flavorful mint, lemon, and lime.

Ingredients (4 Servings)

• 1 bottle white wine (Try 2020 USA Spirits Ratings’ gold medalist Giulio Pasotti Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC )
• 1 medium lemon (thinly sliced)
• 1 medium lime (thinly sliced)
• 8-10 mint leaves
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp water

Prepare simple syrup by mixing sugar and water in a small dish and microwaving for 30-second increments. Add 1 tablespoon to each wine glass. Then add mint leaves and stir/lightly muddle. Next, add several slices each of lemon and lime. Top off with wine and let sit for a few minutes so the flavors can meld together. Top off with more wine and citrus as needed.

Bubbly Champagne Punch

Recipe by: Taste of Home

Bubbly Champagne Punch, Source Website

A little bit of bubbly always lightens up the occasion. This champagne punch is a perfect drink for summer weddings, birthdays, and get-togethers.

Ingredients (16 Servings)

• 3 orange slices, halved
• Fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2-1/2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1-1/2 cups ginger ale
• 2 bottles (750 ml each) brut champagne, chilled (Try 95 point, Sommeliers Choice Awards Winner Champagne Delamotte Brut Rosé NV)
• 1 bottle (375 ml) sweet white wine, chilled
• 1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Line the bottom of a 6-cup ring mold with orange slices and cranberries. Combine pineapple juice and ginger ale; pour over fruit. Freeze until solid. Just before serving, unmold the ice ring into a punch bowl. Gently stir in remaining ingredients.

Melon Basil White Wine Spritzer

Recipe by: The Sweetest Occasion

The Sweetest Occasion, Source Website

An ideal wine cooler for a hot summer night that pairs impeccably with wood fired pizza and goat cheese. 

Ingredients (1 Serving)

• 2 oz cantaloupe melon puree
• 4 oz sauvignon blanc (Try 96 Points, Sommeliers Choice Awards Winner Chaleur Blanc)
• 2 oz lemon-lime soda
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• Ice

Cut up a fresh melon and blend it until smooth in a blender or food processor. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to thin out the puree. Combine the melon puree, sauvignon blanc, and basil leaves in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Shake until nice and cold, then strain over a glass full of ice. Top with soda, stir gently, and garnish with basil.

Easy White Wine Sangria

Recipe by: My Food Story

White Wine Sangria, Source Website

The flavors of strawberries, oranges, limes, and basil, combined with white wine, are a perky take on the traditional sangria. A great addition to your bottomless brunch menu this Sunday. 

Ingredients (1 Serving)

• 2 cups Strawberries sliced 
• 1 Orange sliced
• 1 cup Basil loosely packed 
• 2 Lime sliced
• 1 Bottle Chardonnay (Try 96 Points, Sommeliers Choice Awards Winner Cannonball ELEVEN Chardonnay)
• ½ cup Tequila / Vodka / Brandy
• 3 cups Sparkling Water / Soda

Slice the orange and limes with their peels. Add the fruits, lime, and basil to a pitcher. Pour tequila and wine over the fruits and stir it. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or preferably overnight. The taste will intensify and get better as it sits in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, pour in the sparkling water or soda. Serve immediately.

Spiked Ginger & Lemon Refresher

Recipe by: Sugar & Charm

Spiked Ginger & Lemon Refresher, Source Website

Ginger is a great ingredient to spice things up, especially in a cocktail. With lemon and ginger working together, this is an ideal cocktail to sip on while lounging on the patio chair. 

Ingredients (1 Serving)

• 1 cup White Wine (Try it with Apothic White Wine)
• 1 1/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 ounce Pisco
• 1-ounce ginger simple syrup
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons chopped ginger

Bring the sugar and water to a boil for a few minutes, then add in the ginger. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the ginger infuse in the syrup for 20 minutes. Strain the simple syrup through a sieve. Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for 20 seconds. Strain over a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge or candied ginger.

Kir

Recipe by: Tipsy Bartender

Kir, Source Website

The Kir cocktail recipe has its roots set in World War II and the French Resistance Movement. Kir was reportedly named after Felix Kir, a Catholic priest and decorated member of the French Resistance. The reinvention of blanc-cassis in the recipe was necessitated by the German Army’s confiscation of all the local Burgundy wines during the war. Faced with an excess of white wine, Kir reinvented a drink that used to be made primarily with red. Kir is made with  dry white wine and Crème de Cassis.

Ingredients 

• 1/4 oz. Creme de Cassis
• White Wine (Try Mappinga Chardonnay, Gold Medalist at USA Wine Ratings)
• Lemon

Add creme de cassis to a wine glass. Top with white wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.

White Wine Margarita

Recipe by The Cookie Rookie

White Wine Margarita, Source Website

A margarita is one of our favorite drinks to sip on and when topped off with wine, it’s even better. This makes for a crowd-pleasing pitcher to be enjoyed whenever you want throughout the summer. 

Ingredients (4 Serving)

• 1 bottle Pinot Grigio (Try Ca' Montini, Gold Medalist at USA Wine Ratings)
• 1 12 ounces can limeade concentrate
• water
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup good quality tequila Try (Maestro Dobel Anejo, Tequila of the Year at the Bartender Spirits Awards 2020)
• sea salt lime, and orange slices as garnish

In a large pitcher, combine the wine, limeade, orange juice, and tequila. Fill the empty limeade can with water twice and mix it into the pitcher. Stir to combine. Take a lime wedge and wet the rim of each glass. Dip into sea salt to coat. Fill each glass with ice and pour your White Wine margarita over ice. Garnish with lime or orange slices. 

Malibu with a twist

Recipe by Farm Wife Drinks

Malibu Sangria, Source Website

This Malibu Sangria recipe will not disappoint any of our Malibu rum-loving friends out there. Malibu sangria is easy to make if you have some staples on hand.

Ingredients (4 Serving)

• 1 pound frozen tropical fruit: pineapple, strawberries, mangoes and peaches
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 2 limes juiced
• ¾ cup Malibu Rum
• 1 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (Try 2020 USA Wine Ratings Gold Medalist Lands End Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 cup soda water or ginger ale

Pour the frozen fruit into the bottom of a two-quart pitcher. Pour Malibu Rum and juices over fruit. Let soak in the fridge until ready to serve. When ready to serve, pour chilled wine and club soda over the fruit/rum mixture. Stir to combine. Serve, making sure fruit is in each glass of sangria.