Wine Cooler
A refreshing, citrus and bubbly cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 6.4% ABV ∙
The Wine Cooler is a low-proof highball of sauvignon blanc, citron vodka, and fresh lemon and orange juice, topped with lemon-lime soda over ice.
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 only the wine, vodka, and juices; add the lemon-lime soda in the glass and stir lightly so it keeps its fizz.
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. Its success prompted larger companies such as E & J Gallo Winery (with Bartles & Jaymes) and Seagram's to launch competing brands, and Crete and Bewley sold California Cooler to Brown-Forman in 1985.
FAQ
What is a wine cooler made of?
This Wine Cooler is sauvignon blanc, citron vodka, and fresh lemon and orange juice, topped with lemon-lime soda.
How do you make a wine cooler?
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. This Wine Cooler shakes wine with citron vodka and fresh citrus, then tops it with lemon-lime soda, so it is sweeter and fruitier.
Do wine coolers get you tipsy?
They can. This one is light, at about 6.4% ABV, but the wine and vodka are real alcohol, and cut with juice and soda it drinks easily.
What is the ratio for a wine cooler?
This recipe leans on the wine: 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, so it keeps its fizz.
