Red Wine and Cherry Spritzer

Fortify red wine with cherry pie liqueur, add a little ginger ale for bubbles, and serve on the rocks for a refreshing, easy red wine and cherry spritzer. Perfect for the holidays and a great summer drink, too!

Thanksgiving? Check. Made this drink. Everyone loved it.

Christmas? This drink would be perfect. It’s festive and red!

New Year’s Eve? Another ideal occasion for this drink. It has bubbles!

Tonight? Well, I have an open bottle of wine to use.

And you know what? This is a great drink for summer, too!

A cherry spritzer starts with Pinot Noir but if you’re not wine drinker–don’t stop reading! Unless you avoid wine because of the alcohol. In that case, this might not be for you. If you’re not fond of the taste of red wine, I recommend giving this a chance. You’ll be surprised by the flavor and I’m guessing you’ll love it. Other red wine varieties would work, too.

The original recipe, which I adapted from EverydayFood magazine, called for cherry flavored liqueur, which for some reason we had a hard time finding. Kroger didn’t have it, so I sent hubs to a liquor store with a post-it note naming a couple different brands. He texted me from the store saying he couldn’t find either brand, but that they had cherry pie liquor or cherry brandy. Now, mind you, I don’t think I’ve ever had brandy. So I’m standing in the kitchen, phone in hand, confused and unsure (rough life, I know), and I write:

“Cherry Pie.”

Then I delete.

I type: “Cherry Brandy.”

Then I delete.

Then I get another text: “Which one should I get?” (He’s probably at the store thinking, what in the world is taking this woman so long?)

I type, for the second time, “Cherry Pie,” and I cross my fingers that it won’t be too sweet. It’s perfect, though, and I can’t wait to make more fun drinks with cherry pie liqueur.

About Cherry and Red Wine Spritzer

This is a very easy cocktail. The directions are for one cocktail but you can easily increase it. Mix up a pitcher if you have a lot of guests.

Simply pour a few ounces of red wine into a wine glass filled with ice. Add a splash of cherry pie liqueur, and then a few ounces of ginger ale. Garnish with a couple of maraschino cherries for a festive touch. That’s it! I’m sure you’ll enjoy this refreshing drink.

And don’t wait until the holidays to serve it. This spritzer is perfect for hot summer days, too. 

Cocktail time!

If you’d like more ideas for cocktails, check out these recipes:

 

• Frosé — frozen rosé with strawberries, blended into a slushie
• Grapefruit and Elderflower Cocktail
• Cherry Martini
• Pomegranate Mojito
• Hot White Russian
• Ginger-Cinnamon Apple Cider Mocktail (or spike it, if you want!)
• Cranberry Margarita
• Stardust Dazzler

Verdict: Fantastic refreshing drink. Will definitely be making this one again.
Husband’s take: He didn’t try it (beer guy). But the rest of my family loves it!
Changes I would make: None!
Difficulty: Once you’ve found the right ingredients, easy.

I’ll leave you with some wine cork wisdom:

Smart dude.

What is your favorite holiday drink?