How to choose the right wine for frosé, a summertime cocktail staple
The frozen cocktail is turning 10 this year, and is still just as refreshing as it was in 2016. Here's how to make frosé, from choosing the right wine to the right method.
It’s the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, and this week is packed with activities to celebrate. It’s also the 10th anniversary of another historic event: The 2016 frosé — or frozen rosé — frenzy that kicked off when New York City’s Bar Primi put the drink on their cocktail menu and nearly broke the internet.
Concocted in a slushie machine, the eye-catching frozen treat became an instant social media sensation, leading Bon Appétit magazine to publish a variation on the recipe that summer that topped their charts for months on end. Since July 4th weekend looks like it will be a scorcher, now is the perfect time to make frosé at home to celebrate both of these important contributions to the pursuit of happiness.
Frosé is not the place for pricy rosés, so save the pale, understated beauties of Provence in the south of France to be enjoyed on their own. The frozen cocktail needs wines with bolder flavors and deeper colors to overcome the dilution and serving temperature, so opt for one with a color that pops on the shelf, like this wine from Washington’s Columbia Valley. There, darker grape varieties like syrah and cabernet sauvignon dominate the blend.
The simplest way to frosé at home is the smoothie method: Fill your blender with frozen strawberries or watermelon and pour in enough rosé wine to cover the fruit and blend, adding sugar to taste as needed. For a more sheer and polished texture, make the drink with ice in place of frozen fruit and stick to clear ingredients. You may also need to spike with vodka and sweeten with a fruit liqueur to overcome the dilution.
The original Bon Appétit recipe explains how to dissolve sugar in water with strawberries and lemon juice on the stovetop to make a simple strawberry syrup suitable for flavoring your frosé and deepening its color, which yields a refined and faithful variant on the Bar Primi classic. If you like your wines pure, undiluted, and dry, and you just happen to own an ice cream maker, your method is much easier. Pour this bottle in and churn about 20 minutes to get the perfect slushie machine texture you know and love.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Rosé
Columbia Valley, Wash.; 12.5% ABV
PLCB Item #98215 — $10.99 through July 5 (regularly $13.99)
Also available at: Moorestown Super Buy Rite in Moorestown ($10.99; moorestownbuyrite.com) and Hopewell Super Buy Rite in Pennington ($10.99; hopewellbuyrite.com).
