Wine Cooler
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 7.5% ABV ∙
A wine cooler is a low-proof highball of white wine, citrus vodka, and fresh citrus juices topped with lemon-lime soda over ice. Crisp and fizzy, with sauvignon blanc's grassy tang riding a wave of citrus soda before a clean, lightly sweet finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake the first 4 ingredients with ice: Sauvignon blanc wine 60 mlCitron vodka 15 mlLemon juice 15 mlOrange juice 15 ml
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Top with Lemon-lime soda and lightly stir
- Garnish with a lemon slice and an orange slice
- Note: Can be scaled up and served from a punch bowl or a large pitcher
Tips
- Shake the wine and juices hard with ice before straining — this chills and slightly aerates the wine without flattening the soda topper.
- Scaling up for a punch bowl or pitcher works well for this build, but stir the soda in gently right before serving so it stays lively.
History
A wine cooler is a mixed drink of wine, fruit juice, and a carbonated mixer, homemade informally for years before it became a commercial category. Its popularization is credited to Michael Crete, a beer and wine salesman in Northern California, who mixed white wine with tropical fruit juices and club soda for friends at Santa Cruz beach parties. Sources differ on the year: some date the founding of his California Cooler brand to 1976, while others place the commercial launch in 1981, when Crete partnered with high school friend Stuart Bewley to bottle and sell the formula nationally.
California Cooler is generally regarded as the first wine cooler to be bottled and marketed commercially, helping California vintners offload a wine surplus during a period when the domestic industry was struggling against imports. Sales grew rapidly through the mid-1980s, prompting larger companies such as E & J Gallo Winery (with Bartles & Jaymes) and Seagram's to launch competing wine cooler brands, and Crete and Bewley sold California Cooler to Brown-Forman in 1985. The category peaked around 1987, when wine coolers accounted for roughly a fifth of all wine sold in the United States, before a steep excise tax increase on wine in 1991 and a reputation as a drink favored by underage drinkers led to its rapid decline.
FAQ
What is a wine cooler made of?
This wine cooler is made of sauvignon blanc wine, citron vodka, fresh lemon and orange juice, and lemon-lime soda, shaken and topped over ice. It is finished with a lemon slice and an orange slice in a Collins glass.
How do you make a wine cooler?
Pre-chill a glass, then shake the sauvignon blanc, citron vodka, lemon juice, and orange juice hard with ice. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass, top with lemon-lime soda, stir lightly, and garnish with a lemon slice and an orange slice.
Is a wine cooler a spritz?
Not quite — a spritz is typically wine, a bitter liqueur, and sparkling water, while this wine cooler shakes wine with citron vodka and fresh citrus before topping with lemon-lime soda, giving it a sweeter, fruitier character.
Do wine coolers get you tipsy?
They can, though this one is quite light at about 7.5% ABV, roughly a third the strength of a straight spirit cocktail. The wine and vodka are cut with juice and soda, so it drinks easily but still carries real alcohol.
What are the ingredients in a wine cooler?
Sauvignon blanc wine, citron vodka, fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, and lemon-lime soda, shaken and served over ice in a Collins glass with a lemon slice and an orange slice.
What is the ratio for a wine cooler?
This build is wine-forward: 60 ml sauvignon blanc to 15 ml each of citron vodka, lemon juice, and orange juice, topped with 45 ml lemon-lime soda. The soda goes in last, after the shaken base is strained over ice, to keep its fizz.
