Cocktail Recipes

Recipe

3 oz López de Heredia Viña Gravonia · 1 oz aged fino sherry · 0.5 oz honey-chamomile syrup · 2 dashes orange bitters · Twist of lemon peel · Stir the Gravonia, sherry, honey-chamomile syrup, and orange bitters with ice for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Express the lemon peel over the surface and rest it on the rim. Serve immediately. · Glass: Coupe

Recipe

Pour 4 oz chilled Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume into a rocks glass over a single large ice cube. Add 1 oz sparkling mineral water (high mineral content such as Gerolsteiner), ½ oz fresh lemon juice, and ¼ oz elderflower liqueur. Stir gently once. Garnish with a thin strip of lemon peel and a sprig of fresh thyme laid across the rim. The mineral water amplifies the wine's chalky backbone while elderflower adds just enough sweetness to echo Fourchaume's generous side.

Recipe

Pour 4 oz chilled Clos Floridène Blanc into a large wine glass. Add 1 oz fresh white grapefruit juice, 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur, and a dash of saline solution (4:1 water to salt). Stir gently over a single large ice cube. Garnish with a thin ribbon of grapefruit peel woven around a sprig of fresh thyme.

Recipe

3 oz Coenobium Ruscum 2021 · 1 oz Cappelletti Aperitivo · 0.5 oz local wildflower honey syrup (1:1) · 2 oz sparkling mineral water · Lemon zest and a sprig of fresh rosemary · Combine the wine, Cappelletti, and honey syrup in a large wine glass over ice. Stir gently. Top with sparkling mineral water. Express the lemon zest over the surface and drop it in. Garnish with the rosemary sprig. The amber-gold drink glimmers with an almost metallic sheen—quicksilver in a glass. · Glass: Large wine glass or copa

Recipe

This wine is far too rare and complex for mixing. Serve at 54°F in a Burgundy glass, ideally decanted an hour before pouring, or cellared for a decade or more.

Recipe

3 oz Nikolaihof Vom Stein Riesling, 1 oz elderflower cordial, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, 2 oz chilled soda water. Build in a large wine glass over ice, garnish with a thin cucumber ribbon and a sprig of thyme.

Recipe

3 oz Foradori Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco, 1 oz Suze, 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur, top with dry tonic. Serve over a large cube in a wine glass with a grapefruit twist and a sprig of fresh thyme.

Recipe

This wine is not for cocktails — serve it neat at 52°F in a Burgundy-shaped glass. For a table companion, offer a spritz: 4 oz chilled dry Chenin, 1 oz Cocchi Americano, top with soda, garnished with a wide strip of grapefruit peel.

Recipe

3 oz Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling, 1 oz elderflower tonic, ½ oz fresh lime juice, splash of soda. Build over ice in a wine glass, garnish with a grapefruit twist and a sprig of thyme.

Recipe

3 oz Movia Lunar, 1 oz chilled Cocchi Americano, 2 oz sparkling water, orange twist. Build in a chilled wine glass over one large cube, stir gently, garnish with a wide swath of orange peel.

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Not intended for cocktails — but for a wine-forward aperitivo, combine 3 oz Radikon Slatnik with a dash of orange bitters and a strip of grapefruit peel over one large cube. Stir briefly and serve in a stemmed glass.

Recipe

3 oz Graci Etna Bianco Arcurìa, 1 oz blanc vermouth, 0.5 oz Suze, top with chilled soda water. Build in a wine glass over ice, garnish with a grapefruit twist and a sprig of thyme.

Recipe

3 oz Ribolla Gialla, 0.5 oz Cocchi Americano, 0.25 oz honey syrup, 2 dashes orange bitters. Stir briefly over ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a dried apricot.

Recipe

3 oz Mullineux Old Vines White, 1 oz dry vermouth, 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur, top with chilled tonic; serve over ice in a large wine glass with a lemon peel and a sprig of fennel.

Recipe

Serve at 52–55°F in a medium white wine glass; give it 20 minutes of air before assessing.

Recipe

Not a mixer. This is a Grand Cru bottling from a biodynamic estate, and the honest answer is to open it, serve at 52°F in a Riesling glass, and let the first pour be drunk alone. Reconsider only after a plate of food calls for it.

Recipe

A wine this singular should not be mixed. Serve it at cellar temperature (55°F) in a wide-bowled white wine glass and let it evolve over an hour. As it warms, the Honey and Toasted notes will amplify and the acidity will soften into something almost unctuous.

Recipe

"The Nantais Spritz": Pour 3 oz Clos des Briords Muscadet over ice in a large wine glass. Add 2 oz Prosecco and a splash of elderflower liqueur. Garnish with a thin slice of green apple and a sprig of mint. The mineral backbone of the Muscadet gives this spritz a savory depth most lack.

Recipe

The Amphora Spritz: 3 oz Gravner Ribolla Gialla, 1 oz Aperol, 2 oz sparkling water. Build over ice in a wine glass, stir gently, garnish with a dried apricot slice.

Recipe

The Art Series Spritz: Pour 4 oz Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay into a large wine glass over a single ice cube. Add 1 oz elderflower liqueur and top with 2 oz dry sparkling water.

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Serve This Chilled: Albariño of this quality shines brightest on its own. Serve at 8–10°C in a tulip-shaped white wine glass.

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The Dalmatian Spritz: 3 oz Kumeu River Maté’s Vineyard Chardonnay, 1 oz elderflower liqueur (St-Germain), 2 oz sparkling water, expressed lemon peel.

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The Etna Spritz: 3 oz Benanti Etna Bianco · 1.5 oz Aperol · 1 oz sparkling water · Orange slice. Build over ice in a wine glass.

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The Sonnenuhr Spritz: 4 oz Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr · 1 oz elderflower liqueur · 2 oz sparkling water · Fresh mint leaves · Build in a wine glass over ice, stir gently.

Recipe

The Soave Spritz

Recipe

— Dönnhoff White Wine Spritzer: 4 oz Dönnhoff Riesling Tonschiefer · 2 oz sparkling water · Fresh mint sprig · Lemon twist. Pour chilled wine over ice in a large wine glass, top with sparkling water, garnish with mint and lemon.

Recipe

Alsatian Spritz: Combine 3 oz Hugel Riesling Classic with 1 oz elderflower liqueur and 2 oz sparkling water in a wine glass over ice. Stir gently. Garnish with a thin slice of green apple.

Recipe

The Kamptal Spritz: 3 oz Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner · 2 oz elderflower tonic water · 0.5 oz fresh lime juice · Cucumber ribbon and mint sprig garnish.

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The Conundrum Spritz: 3 oz Conundrum · 2 oz elderflower liqueur · 2 oz sparkling water · mint sprig.

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The Chavignol Spritz: 4 oz Henri Bourgeois Sancerre La Bourgeoise · 1 oz elderflower cordial · 2 oz chilled sparkling water · thin cucumber slices. Build in a large wine glass over ice, stir gently.

Recipe

Far Niente Elderflower Spritz: 3 oz Far Niente Chardonnay · 1 oz elderflower liqueur · 2 oz sparkling water · Lemon twist · Fresh mint. Build in a wine glass over ice. Add Chardonnay, elderflower liqueur, and sparkling water. Garnish with lemon twist and mint.

Recipe

The Alsace Aperitif: In a wine glass with a single large ice cube, combine 4 oz Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer and 1 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur. Stir gently and garnish with fresh ginger and an edible rose petal.

Recipe

Wachau Spritzer: Combine 4 oz Nikolaihof Riesling with 2 oz sparkling mineral water in a traditional Austrian wine glass over a single ice cube. Garnish with a thin green apple slice.

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The Burgundy Spritz: 4 oz Leflaive PF · 1 oz St-Germain · 2 oz sparkling water · lemon peel.

Recipe

The Napa Spritz: 3 oz Cakebread Chardonnay · 1 oz elderflower liqueur (St-Germain) · 2 oz sparkling water · expressed lemon peel. Build in a wine glass over ice. The Chardonnay's apple and citrus notes pair beautifully with the elderflower, creating a refreshing warm-weather spritz that respects the wine.

Recipe

The Chablis Spritz: 3 oz Domaine William Fèvre Chablis · 1 oz elderflower liqueur (St-Germain) · 2 oz sparkling water · lemon twist. Build over ice in a large wine glass. The Chablis’s mineral precision keeps this elegant and dry where lesser whites would turn sweet.

Recipe

The Friulian Spritz: 3 oz Jermann Vintage Tunina · 1.5 oz Aperol · 2 oz prosecco · splash of sparkling water · orange slice. Build over ice in a large wine glass. The Tunina’s complexity and weight make this a spritz with real substance.

Recipe

The Alsatian Spritz: 3 oz Trimbach Riesling · 2 oz elderflower liqueur (St-Germain) · 2 oz sparkling water · fresh sprig of thyme. Build over ice in a wine glass. The Riesling’s acidity and minerality keep this spritz sharp where sweeter wines would make it cloying.

Recipe

The Mosel Spritz: 3 oz Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett · 1 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur · 2 oz sparkling water · Fresh mint sprig. Build in a wine glass over ice.

Recipe

The Cloudy Bay Spritz: 4 oz Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc · 1 oz Aperol · 2 oz sparkling water · Fresh grapefruit wedge. Build in a large wine glass over ice.

Recipe

Marlborough Spritz: 3 oz Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc · 1 oz elderflower liqueur · 2 oz sparkling water · Fresh basil leaf and lime wheel. Build in a wine glass over ice.

Recipe

This wine is best enjoyed neat, but for a spritz: 3 oz Trebez, 1 oz sparkling water, a dash of orange bitters, served over a single large cube with a strip of orange peel expressed and dropped in.

Recipe

2 oz Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2021 · 0.75 oz chilled chamomile-honeysuckle tisane · 0.25 oz white peach liqueur · 0.25 oz fresh Meyer lemon juice · 2 dashes saline solution · Gently stir all ingredients with ice for 15 seconds to preserve the wine's crystalline minerality, then strain into the glass over a single clear ice sphere. · Garnish: a thin wheel of dehydrated Meyer lemon laid across the rim · Glass: wide-bowled white wine glass

Recipe

Pour 5 oz Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2022 into a wide-bowled glass over a single large clear ice sphere. Add 0.5 oz honey-chamomile syrup (equal parts honey and chamomile tea, reduced by half) and a barspoon of white verjus. Stir gently three times. Express a wide strip of grapefruit peel over the surface and discard. Garnish with a single dried chamomile flower resting on the ice.