Enrich the red wine with orange liqueur, add soda water for fizz and serve as a refreshing red wine spritzer “on the rocks”. A great summer drink and perfect for the holidays too!
Recipe overview
Why you will love it: A red wine spritzer is a popular cocktail and very easy to prepare. There are also many different ways to change it.
How long does it take: 5 minutes
Equipment you will need: just lots of ice cream
Servings: as many as you want
A red wine spritzer starts with red wine, of course, but even if you’re not a wine drinker, don’t stop reading (unless you avoid wine because of the alcohol). Even if you are not a red wine lover, I recommend you give this cocktail a try or try our white wine spritzer.
A red wine spritzer is much lighter than regular wine. The addition of carbonation in the form of soda water or lemonade adds effervescence (lots of bubbles!) to the drink and gives the plain wine a more festive and celebratory vibe. It will remind you of sparkling wine.
Since this cocktail is also fortified with an ounce of orange liqueur, it’s a little stronger than regular wine, but not by much. You can easily make a punch from this red wine spritzer and serve it at your next party.
Why you will love this red wine spritzer
- It’s super easy to prepare. Whether you’re stirring a single cocktail, pitcher or punch, this celebratory drink won’t take long to prepare. It contains only a few ingredients.
- A spritzer is suitable for almost every occasion. Serve it on a warm summer evening when you’re looking for a refreshing drink to cool off with. Because it’s light and fruity, it pairs perfectly with hearty holiday meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It works well for a brunch or bridal shower. From the book club to a girlfriends evening – a spritzer is always welcome.
- You can easily change it. There are so many ways to customize this cocktail. Check out the recipe card for ideas.
What you need to prepare a spritz
- Pinot Noir Wine: See the section below for more information on the best wine for a red wine spritzer. You will need about 4 ounces. wine per spritzer. There are 25 ounces in a 750ml bottle of wine, which is enough to make 6 spritzers.
- Orange liqueur: Some popular brands are Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Curaçao or Triple Sec. Orange liqueur is flavored with dried orange peel or orange essential oil and has an alcohol content of 60 to 80%. It has an unlimited shelf life and is an important ingredient in many other cocktails. Try this blood orange martini or strawberry margarita punch.
- Mineral water: This unsweetened mixer is carbonated water. It can be called sparkling water or seltzer water. Club soda is similar but contains additional minerals. Make sure it’s well chilled.
- Ice: You need enough fresh ice, either ice cubes or crushed ice.
- Orange wedges for garnish: You could say that every side is optional I guess, but a side makes a good first impression. It not only decorates the cocktail, but also adds flavor to the cocktail through its olfactory receptors. (That’s a fancy way of saying they smell nice!)
Which red wine goes best with a spritzer?
As a wine spritzer, I usually choose a Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is a fruity, dry red wine with notes of cherry and raspberry, sometimes strawberry. It is light to medium-bodied, has few tannins and is often served slightly chilled.
Choose a wine that you would like to drink neat. Expensive, aged wine is not necessary for spritzers, but the wine should be of good quality.
Feel free to experiment with other red wines you know. Look for a light, fruity wine. Rosé wine is a popular choice for spritzers (be sure to try my rosé spritzer or my raspberry rose spritzer).
How to make a red wine spritzer
Red wine spritzers are very easy to prepare.
Simply pour four ounces of red wine into an ice-filled glass.
Add a squirt of orange liqueur (1 ounce), then top up with about 4 ounces of sparkling soda water. Garnish with an orange slice, if you like.
That’s it! I’m sure you will enjoy this refreshing drink.
Are you looking for something to nibble on with your wine spritzer? How about homemade Cheez-Its crackers with cheddar cheese, almonds roasted in olive oil or crispy fried goat cheese? Crackers with crab rangoon dip or homemade spinach dip are great too!
Make it your own
- Aperol splash: Replace the orange liqueur with Aperol, a bitter Italian aperitif (or make an Aperol spritz with sparkling wine instead of red wine).
- cherry spritzer: Replace the orange liqueur with cherry liqueur and top it up with ginger ale instead of seltzer or soda water. Garnish with maraschino cherries, if you like.
- Light Splash: Omit the orange liqueur. Make a spritzer with equal parts wine and soda water. For a sweeter drink, you can also make it with Sprite or 7-Up.
- Sangria Splashes: Preparing a spritzer and adding fruit to it is like making sangria. Add simple syrup to taste and chop fruit like strawberries, oranges, peaches, pineapple, etc. into chunks.
Did you do this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
cocktail
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Enrich the red wine with orange liqueur, add soda water for fizz and serve as a refreshing red wine spritzer “on the rocks”. A great summer drink and perfect for the holidays too!
instructions
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Fill glass with ice cubes.
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Add wine and orange liqueur; stir gently. Top up with soda water; Stir to combine.
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Garnish with an orange slice, if you like, and serve immediately.
Remarks
- Replace the orange liqueur with Aperol, an Italian bitter aperitif.
- Add cherry liqueur (omit orange liqueur) and top up with ginger ale instead of soda water; Garnish with maraschino cherries, if you like.
- Light spritzer: Omit the orange liqueur. Make a spritzer with equal parts wine and soda, Sprite, or 7-Up.
- Sangria Spritzer: Add simple syrup to taste and chop up fruits like strawberries, oranges, peaches, pineapple, etc.
Make a pitcher (6 servings):
- a bottle of Pinot Noir (750 ml)
- 6 ounces. Orange liqueur
- 24 ounces. Soda water, chilled
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, stir gently and pour into glasses filled with ice. Garnish as desired.
Nutritional Information
Portion: 1cocktail, Calories: 180kcal, Carbohydrates: 12G, Protein: 0.1G, Fat: 0.1G, Saturated Fatty Acids: 0.03G, Polyunsaturated fat: 0.03G, Monounsaturated fatty acids: 0.01G, Sodium: 26mg, Potassium: 11mg, Sugar: 9G, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 0.03mg
Approximate nutritional information is provided on this website for convenience only. Nutritional data is collected primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database (where available) or other online calculators.