Making Cocktails with Snowkiss Wines





8 June 2023



My relationship with cocktails was pretty limited for a long time. I’d have something basic like a gin and tonic or a daiquiri from time to time depending on the setting, but I mostly stick to wine or a beer at a brewery. However, after I moved to Longmont and started spending time at the local distilleries, I’ve gotten into the craft cocktail movement. Better late than never, I guess! While I still lean in to the basic, old-school side (my favorite cocktail is now a Manhattan), it has also been fun trying the variety of concoctions made up by creative mixologists, and those libations got me thinking about using our wines in the fine art of cocktail making.


My experience as a bartender is essentially non-existent, with my only claim to fame is having invented a drink I call the Green Dragon. A Green Dragon is a variant of the classic Screwdriver that I developed on a trip to las Vegas with my brother years ago. To make one, just combine 2 oz of vodka and 4 oz of orange juice in a glass with ice with ~0.5 oz of blue curacao poured on top. Simple but a great Vegas drink!


Developing cocktail recipes for our Vins and Rochosos took some additional finesse.





Most cocktails consist of primary liquors combined with various mixers and juices, but sometimes, wines can be used as well. Other than the Aperol spritz, which I first encountered on a trip to Italy several years ago, and of course sangria, I was completely unfamiliar with wine-based cocktails. Luckily, we have the internet and, of course books are still a thing too, so I spent some time researching wine-based cocktail recipes, pulled some bottles from inventory, and went to work testing out recipes. I adapted the recipes to fit the flavor profiles of our wines. I was excited to harness the unique flavors of our Vins and Rochosos in concert with various liquors and other flavors found in cocktails. In this process I also learned that our Rochosos are very similar in alcohol and sweetness content to Vermouth, but without the spice infusion, so I was of course excited to see how the Rochosos preformed when used to make Manhattans (hint: they preform very nicely indeed!). As with any kind of experimentation, there were plenty of misses in the process, but we eventually came up with recipes for some pretty great drinks. In many cases, you can use several of our fruit wines, not just the ones I’ve written here, maximizing your ability as a mixologist to customize the drink experience. Hope you enjoy!