It’s hot out there, people. And one of the absolute best ways to cool off is by way of a great frozen cocktail. So, let us introduce you to the pink wine-inspired Frosé, an ideal drink for the next heat wave.
But first, a little history. The Frosé was allegedly born at Bar Primi in NYC. The drink is very much as advertised, a rosé wine-centric frozen cocktail (hence, the name). The Italian joint’s general manager, Justin Sievers, came up with the drink, treating guests to an ice-cold pink concoction that’s all the better during the middle of summer.
How to make Frosé
Throwing some pink wine and ice in a blender might yield something vaguely drinkable, but that’s not how you make a proper Frosé. There are some details that need to be addressed regarding the Frosé recipe. For starters, the wine. Sievers said to go with fuller, juicier rosé wines. “Some rosés can be quite light and not have much flavor,” he explained. “That is not what you want here. You need that juicy fruit-forwardness in order for the flavor to punch through when it’s frozen.”
Examples include Le Veli ‘Torrerose,’ a product of the Primitivo grape. Sievers also likes fruit-forward pink wines made from Sangiovese. Begin with the strawberries. “You’ll need to puree them ahead of time and freeze that puree in an ice cube tray,” Sievers said. “To make the puree, you’ll just put 1 pound of whole strawberries (be sure to cut off the green tops!) in a blender with 2 tablespoons of sugar and about 6 ounces of water. Blend it all up and pour it into your ice cube trays. This allows you to use them in smaller quantities depending on how much Frosé you are making.”
Additional tips
There are other tricks to the Frosé-making trade. Sievers suggests keeping everything in the fridge so it’s all cold when it goes into the blender. “You can also pre-mix the rosé wine and rosé vermouth and put it in the freezer, but it will freeze solid, so make sure to put them in a plastic container first and not a glass bottle,” he said.
The secret weapon is the flavored cubes. “When you put it all together in the blender to finally make your refreshing libation, the strawberry puree ‘ice cubes’ will act as your freezing agent that will give you that smooth texture. There is no additional water in our original recipe, but if you are having trouble getting the consistency frozen enough, you can throw a few additional regular ice cubes in as well,” he added.
Sievers jokes that if you’re really serious about nailing that texture, you can shell out $1,200 for a good frozen drink machine.
Try a Frosé on a hot day this summer and see why we’re smitten. While you’re at it, check out The Manual’s takes on the frozen lemon drop as well as classic frozen cocktails. There’s no reason for you to feel as hot as the forecast.
