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STYLES OF ROSÉ
Rosé is French for ‘pink’; Spanish and Portuguese wines are labelled ‘rosado’, and Italian wines ‘rosato’. However, rosé is definitely not limited to these countries. Understanding the complex maze that is rosé’s many flavour characteristics is complicated, so we’ll only touch on this briefly to make navigating wine labels a little easier.
Rosé comes in many shades of pink. On the lightest side, you’ll find the drier rosés of Provence. This French region primarily makes rosé, offering zesty, refreshing wines that have long been held up as the standard. Following these are the pinot noir rosés, which are slightly earthier, with a bright, acidic fruitiness. Spain’s favourite grape – the tempranillo – produces a slightly darker rosé with a brilliant spiced-berry flavour and a slightly darker hue. Surprisingly, when it comes to the rosé colour spectrum, California’s famed white zinfandel falls right in the middle. If you’re looking for a sweet wine, a bottle of white zin is what you want.
As you move through the remaining red wine grapes, the rosés produced by them tend to get darker. From merlot and sangiovese to cabernet sauvignon and shiraz (or syrah), the pink begins to resemble red wine. The darkest rosés come from Tavel, a small area in France’s Rhone Valley that produces nothing but rosé. These offer the best choice for red wine lovers, with the perfect display of tannins against spicy berry flavours and an unusually dry palate.
All of the other styles of rosé produced throughout the world fall somewhere within that spectrum. There are great options from Germany (roséwein or Weissherbst), France’s Loire Valley (rosé d’Anjou) and the Austrian state of Styria. The Spanish rosados (including sparkling cavas) are light and fresh, while Portugal tends to produce rosados that are sweet and inexpensive, with a hint of sparkle. Moscato wines are sweeter, and Italy’s prosecco rosatos are known for their vivacious bubbles. Beyond all that, there are many rosés that don’t fit into any easily defined idea of regional or varietal characteristics.
Before we finish, there are just a few more simple notes to bear in mind. The driest rosés often come from the driest red wine grapes, such as grenache, cinsault and shiraz. Any rosé can be a blend of grapes or use a single varietal, so don’t rely on that. A sparkling wine with a label saying ‘frizzante’ is gently sparkling, and ‘brut’ means ‘dry’. When in doubt, simply read the winemaker’s notes on the label. And, if you’re intrigued by a bottle (even just the catchy label), try it! If you don’t like it on its own, there’s bound to be a cocktail that will doctor it up.
DRINKING ROSÉ
Despite all the variations, rosé always has a generalised flavour profile of strawberries or watermelon. It contains fewer tannins than red wines and is very easy to drink. Rosés are typically best when young, too, so drink them up, don’t store them!
For the most part, you’ll want to chill still rosé before drinking it, and sparkling rosés are best when ice-cold. You are free to stick to your own preferences, but since we’re mixing up cold rosé cocktails here, keeping bottles cold will definitely help the drinks along.
You will also be delighted to hear that rosé is the most versatile wine for food pairings. Don’t stress over which wine is best with steak or seafood – rosé can cover the entire gamut of foods, cuisines and courses, from canapés to dessert. Likewise, the cocktails you make with rosé will be a splendid match for any meal.
Here’s the secret to mixing up a great cocktail: have fun! There are lots of tricks that bartenders use to create spectacular drinks, but anyone can learn the basic techniques (they’re not difficult), so the most important thing is to have a good time. You might make mistakes – we all do – and that’s okay. It’s just a drink that will be gone in a few minutes; the real joy in mixing cocktails is the exploration, discovering what you like and don’t like.
That said, a few tips will help you make the best cocktails possible:
• Use premium-quality spirits that you wouldn’t mind drinking on their own. There’s no need to pay for a super pricey bottle of rosé, though, as wine is typically a cocktail mixer that allows you to save a bit of money.
• Fresh ingredients are best. This is particularly true of citrus juices, but if you have the ability to juice other fruits, say with an electric juicer, that’s even better. And don’t be afraid of homemade mixers like Simple Syrup – they’re easy, cheap and fun.
• Chill your glassware, especially if the cocktail recipe doesn’t include ice in the glass. Your drinks will stay colder longer and be more refreshing.
If you find a drink that you think needs to be tweaked, by all means do it! Cocktail recipes are meant to be adjusted according to personal taste, and everyone’s tastes are different. After all, I’m not drinking it – you are.
BAR GEAR
There’s no need to buy a full bar kit unless you’d like to. With just a few of the essentials, you can mix up a great variety of drinks.
A cocktail shaker is a must. A standard three-piece shaker with a built-in strainer will do most home bartenders just fine. Stainless steel shakers are the best and will last a lifetime. If you go the pro route and pick up a Boston shaker (one piece is a shaking tin and the other a mixing glass), be sure to buy a Hawthorne strainer as well.
A bar spoon is also a good investment because the long, twisted handle makes stirring a breeze, especially in tall glasses. For precise measuring, a jigger (a two-ended cup that measures shots and half-shots) is invaluable and allows for the greatest control of flavour balance. Finally, add a muddler to your shopping list. The freshest cocktails – mojitos and juleps included – require this handy stick, resembling a miniature baseball bat. (More on this here.)
ICE
It’s a given that high-quality ingredients will produce better-tasting mixed drinks, and the same rule applies to ice. It is the one ingredient that almost every cocktail has in common, so it’s extremely important!
You will use a lot of ice, both in the serving glass and/or the cocktail shaker. Make your ice with distilled water for the best results, and do always have a fresh stock of ice in the freezer so that you don’t run out. If there’s a tray that’s been sitting there for a couple of months unused, toss it away and start again. Try to avoid storing ice near fish and other pungent frozen foods, too, because it will absorb some of their flavours. Fishy drinks are definitely not good!
For a drink like the Berry Rosé Julep, you’ll need shaved ice (okay, it’s not necessary, but it is really nice). If you don’t have an ice maker that has that capability, toss some ice in your blender and give it a few whirls, then get rid of any excess water. Another fun way to crush ice (a little chunkier than shaved ice) is to whack it with your muddler. Put some ice cubes in a sealable plastic bag or a Lewis bag (made of cloth just for this purpose) and whack it into smaller bits. It’s also an activity that provides great stress relief!
A couple of the recipes also utilise novelty ice cubes as part of the drink. The Rosé Parade freezes wine into ice cubes, while the Sparkling Borage Cocktail and the Blushing Fizz both freeze flowers inside the ice.
SHAKING AND STIRRING
There are two primary methods for mixing cocktails: shaking and stirring. They’re both easy, but there are tricks to doing it right. For the first, fill the cocktail shaker