A wine cocktail is a mixed drink, similar to a true cocktail. It is made predominantly with wine (including Champagne and Prosecco), into which distilled alcohol or other drink mixer is combined. A spritz is a drink that has Prosecco added to it.
The distinction between a wine cocktail and a cocktail with wine is the relative amounts of the various alcohols. In a wine cocktail, the wine product is the primary alcohol by volume compared to the distilled alcohol or mixer.
The following drinks are not technically cocktails unless wine is secondary by volume to a distilled beverage, since wine is a fermented beverage not a distilled one.
| Fortified wine |
|
|---|---|
| Wine cocktails | |
| Sparkling wine | |
| Champagne | |
| Red wine |
|
| White wine | |
| Miscellaneous | |
A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, shrubs, and bitters. Cocktails vary widely across regions of the world, and many websites publish both original recipes and their own interpretations of older and more famous cocktails.
Cognac is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.
A spritzer is a tall, chilled drink, usually made with white wine and carbonated water or sparkling mineral water. Fermented simple syrup can be used instead of white wine to keep it sweet but flavor neutral.
A wine cooler is an alcoholic beverage made from wine and fruit juice, often in combination with a carbonated beverage and sugar.
The term punch refers to a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruits or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from the Indian subcontinent to England by employees of the East India Company in the late 17th century. Punch is usually served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls.
The negroni is a cocktail, made of equal parts gin, vermouth rosso, and Campari, generally served on the rocks, and commonly garnished with an orange slice or orange peel. It is considered an apéritif.
Apéritifs and digestifs are drinks, typically alcoholic, that are normally served before and after a meal respectively.
The Kir is a French cocktail made with a measure of crème de cassis topped up with white wine.
Campari is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif of the amaro variety, obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit in alcohol and water. It is a type of bitters, characterised by its dark red colour. It is produced by the Davide Campari Group, a multinational company based in Italy.
Aguardente (Portuguese) or aguardiente (Spanish) is a type of distilled alcoholic spirit that contains between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It is a somewhat generic term that can refer to liquors made from various foods. It originates from and is typically consumed on the Iberian Peninsula and in Iberian America.
Buck's fizz is an alcoholic cocktail made of about two parts sparkling wine, typically champagne, to one part orange juice. It is essentially the same as the mimosa; the International Bartenders Association considers the two drinks synonymous. Other sparkling wines may also be used.
A Bellini is a cocktail made with Prosecco and peach purée or nectar. It originated in Venice, Italy.
The Kir royal is a French cocktail, a variation on the Kir. It consists of crème de cassis topped with champagne, rather than the white wine used in traditional Kir. This apéritif is typically served in a flute glass.
A spritz is an Italian wine-based cocktail, commonly served as an apéritif across Italy. It consists of Prosecco, digestive bitters and soda water. The original spritz veneziano uses Select as bitters and was created in Venice in 1920. Popular variants are spritz al Campari, which uses Campari, and Aperol spritz, which uses Aperol as bitters.
Drinks containing alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered non-alcoholic.
An astro pop cocktail is a layered cocktail, mixed drink or shooter so named because it resembles the Astro Pop lollipop candy brand. Various recipes exist that use liquor and liqueurs to produce the drink. A version of the drink exists that is layered with red, white, and blue colors and served in a shot glass. It is a popular alcoholic beverage in some drinking establishments.
