Raise your hand if wine coolers were the first alcoholic beverage you ever tasted.  Yeah, me too.  I have only had them a couple of times, just enough to accustom my then uninitiated palate to the world of booze.  (Cheap fruity wines such as Arbor Mist were also crucial in this role.)  I moved on and slowly broadened my horizons to the world of “real” wine and mixed drinks.

Though I now associate wine coolers with those few furtive sips as a teenager and then later in college when I was surrounded by far more experienced drinkers, I think of them as a good idea with poor execution.  Homemade wine coolers can right that wrong.  Take a fruity white wine and blend with fresh fruit and a splash of vodka.  Serve with ice and top off with a bit more wine, and suddenly you have a wine cooler worthy of sharing with guests other than college students.  I think these would be so perfect for a girls’ night in or a summer bridal shower.  I know we’ll continue to enjoy them throughout the summer.  (Be sure to check out the peach version as well!)

  • Yield 6-8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
  • 2 oz. vodka
  • Generous pinch of coarse salt
  • 2 (750 ml) bottles off-dry white wine, such as Riesling, chilled

Directions

  • 01

    Reserve 6-8 of the strawberries for garnish.  Add the remaining berries to a blender or food processor with the vodka, salt, and 2 cups of the white wine.  Blend until smooth, about 1 minute.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove any fruit puree bits.  Cover and chill at least 1-2 hours.

  • 02

    To serve, fill wine glasses with ice.  Fill each glass about half full with the fruit-vodka mixture.  Top off with the remaining chilled white wine.  Garnish the glasses with reserved strawberries.

Source

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