Red Wine Cocktails: 7 Luscious Crimson Concoctions

Red, red wine, I’d love to keep you close to me, but I’m more in the mood for a cocktail to be honest. So what’s a pal supposed to do when they’re in the mood for the sweet berry notes of a pinot noir or a dry and tobacco-forward malbec? Turn to red wine cocktails, that’s what. Fizzy, stirred, sultry, shaken, and all those things in between, there’s no more need to decide on wine or cocktail. The answer? Red wine cocktail!

Go ahead, slip on those dancing shoes and boogey with the devil. Actually, not quite if we’re being honest. This is a sensual upgrade on the classic margarita, with that pop of deep red catching your eye sip after sip. 

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces silver tequila
• 1 ounce red wine
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Ice
• Lemon wheel for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, silver tequila, red wine, simple syrup, and lemon juice.
2. Shake to chill.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Red wine meets lemon-lime soda for a simple Tinto de Verano. Or, you can add a little more somethin’ somethin’ by including a dash of lime simple syrup and sweet vermouth. Dreamy? Oh, you are in for an absolute treat.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces Spanish red wine
• 3 ounces lemon-lime soda
• Ice
• Orange slice for garnish

Instructions

1. In a wine glass, add ice, red wine, and lemon-lime soda.
2. Stir to mix.
3. Garnish with an orange slice.

Typically, a cobbler uses sherry wine. But in this juicy, red twist, you can enjoy it with a lovely bottle of cabernet. 

Ingredients

• 3 ounces cabernet sauvignon
• ¾ ounce raspberry liqueur
• ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ ounce simple syrup
• Ice
• Mint sprig and lemon wheel for garnish

Instructions 

1. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, cabernet, raspberry liqueur, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
2. Shake to chill.
3. Strain into a wine glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon wheel.

Related: Wine & Cocktail Mash-Up: Fruity Sangria Margarita Cocktail

The sour of many names, this pretty red wine cocktail is also known as the New York sour. With a heady combo of red wine and bourbon, it's believed the cocktail has been around since the early 1860s. So we can pretend that it’s named 1870 because that’s when it truly caught on.

Ingredients

• 1 egg white
• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• 1½ ounce bourbon
• Ice
• ½ ounce dry red wine

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the egg white, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bourbon.
2. Dry shake (without ice) vigorously for 30 to 60 seconds so the egg whites foam.
3. Add ice and shake until chilled.
4. Strain into a glass. Float the red wine over the top using a bar spoon.

This highball adds a little more depth to the usual vodka soda splash of cran, thanks to the dry red wine. 

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces strawberry vodka
• 1 ounce red wine
• ½ ounce cranberry juice
• ¼ ounce orange liqueur
• Ice
• Club soda to top off
• Lime wedge for garnish

Instructions

1. In a highball glass, add ice, strawberry vodka, red wine, cranberry juice, and orange liqueur.
2. Top off with club soda.
3. Stir briefly to mix.
4. Garnish with a lime wedge.

This? This may look like sangria, but as you’ve learned, red wine is so much more than just a pitcher of sangria. It’s a fruity and boozy cocktail that’s sneakily easy to drink.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces red wine
• 1 ounce apple brandy
• ½ ounce simple syrup
• ½ ounce sloe gin
• 2-3 dashes orange bitters
• Ice
• Orange slice for garnish

Instructions 

1. In a mixing glass, add ice, red wine, apple brandy, simple syrup, sloe gin, and bitters.
2. Stir rapidly to chill.
3. Strain into a wine glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with an orange slice.

Related: 7 White Wine Cocktails That Are Art in a Glass

Like the Tinto de Verano, soda and wine join together to create the perfect sippable cocktail for any occasion. Winter? Perfect. Summer dinner? Absolutely. Fall lunch? Yes.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces red wine
• 3 ounces cola
• ¼ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Ice
• Lemon slice for garnish

Instructions 

1. In a rocks glass, add red wine, cola, and lemon juice.
2. Stir briefly to mix.
3. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Bold and beautiful, there's nothing quite like the canvas of flavor a red wine cocktail can make. So, go ahead, lean into your own personal red wine revival by elevating those freshly opened bottles from simple glass of wine to dreamy cocktail. Taste the crimson rainbow.