“it’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine … it’s summertime!”
— Kenny Chesney
In the interest of keeping a simple picnic simple, here is my offering for a summer cocktail. Again, there are lots of beautiful red, white and blue cocktails out there made with rum and other lethal liqueurs to give them their color. They also give the worst imaginable hangovers, and after a certain age one weighs the hangover against the allure of the exotic cocktail – and leaves the cocktail to more adventurous souls who don’t have to get up before noon the next day.
This is an easy, light cocktail for a sunny afternoon. Use a white burgundy or a pinot grigio for the wine, and let the subtle colors of the fruit bring out the holiday theme.
Serves 4
Prep time: ten minutes
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of pinot grigio or white burgundy wine
- Handful of red raspberries
- Handful of blueberries
- Handful of pitted red cherries
Directions
- Pour well-chilled wine into a pitcher or clear container.
- Drop the mixed fruit into the container, leaving aside a few berries to plop into the wine glasses for garnish.
- Serve immediately.
- It’s a nice touch to keep the wine glasses in the fridge until serving, so that they are frosty and cold when the wine is poured.
