THE HISTORY OF FROSÉ

A Frosé, a frozen rosé cocktail (more technically, a winetail) can be as simple as a mixture of chilled rosé wine with a scoop of strawberry or lemon sorbet.

It’s easy to make at home. You can:

 
Want it really frozen?

 
But the original Frosé was quite different.

It was made in a frozen drink machine and had the texture of a frozen Margarita.

The frozen wine cocktail was created in the summer of 2016, at Bar Primi, a bar and restaurant in New York City. Rosé was the wine of choice.

The venue had a frozen drink machine, which led to curiosity about what would happen if rosé were poured into it.

After working on the recipe, Bar Primi created a version that included sweet vermouth and strawberries. It was a huge hit.

Word spread and other mixologists created their own versions.

No sorbet was used. Sorbet came later, as a technique to get a slushy drink at home.
 
Use The Right Rosé

The following recipe (photo #1) from Discover California Wines, adds raspberries for a Raspberry Frosé. We have additional Frosé recipes below.

There are many delicious California rosés, but don’t use a bone-dry rosé. Ask the wine store clerk for something with a hint of sweetness. It will go better with the fruit and sorbet.
 
 
RECIPE: RASPBERRY FROSÉ

Ingredients For 5 Drinks

 
Preparation With An Ice Cream Machine

1a. ADD the berries, peach, sugar, and lemon juice to a blender; pour in the rosé. Process the ingredients until smooth. Taste for sweetness; if more sweetness is desired, add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar and blend again.

2a. POUR the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn until thick and slushy (40-60 minutes).

3a. SCOOP or pour the rose into serving glasses; garnish and serve.
 
Preparation With A Blender & Freezer

1b. FOLLOW steps 1a & 2a above. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 freezer-safe pan. Cover and freeze until the mixture is mostly solid, at least 6 hours.

2b. REMOVE from the freezer and scoop the mixture into the blender. Blend just until the mixture is smooth.

3b. POUR into glasses and garnish as desired.
 

MORE FROSÉ RECIPES

[1] Lush summer raspberries create a flavor-forward Frosé (photo and recipe © Discover California Wines).

[2] Kindred Restaurant in Davidson, North Carolina adds fresh lemon juice and a garnish of lemon peel (photo © Kindred Restaurant).

[3] Substitute raspberries for blackberries, blueberries or strawberries. Watermelon works, too. Here’s the recipe (photo © U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council).

[4] Bonterra is a California rosé that makes great Frosés (photo © Bonterra).

Also referred to as blush wine, rosé can be made as a still, semi-still, or sparkling wine.

Still rosé wines can be made from almost any red grape varietal, or from a blend of varietals. Sparkling rosé wines, including rosé Champagne, are exceptions because they also can be made with white grapes.

The wines get their rosy color from contact with the red grape skins. Depending on the grape, terroir, and winemaking techniques, the color can range from the palest pink to deep ruby red to hues of orange or violet.