[1] This “July 4th” wine cooler takes the extra step of cutting apple slices into stars. You can serve the same recipe all summer long with regular apple slices (photo © Daniele Aquino | Real Food Mostly Plants).

[2] Find a good, affordable Chardonnay (photo © Boggle Winery).

[3] Can’t find rambutan? Substitute lychee (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

[4] Bartles & James was the #1 wine cooler in the 1980s. It’s one of the ‘80s-era coolers that’s still in business (photo © Bartles & Jaymes).

[5] St. Mayhem is one of the 21st century “craft” wine coolers (photo © St. Mayhem).

[6] Hoxie is another entrant into the revitalized wine cooler/spritzer category (photo © Hoxie Spritzer).

A wine cooler is an alcoholic beverage made from wine and fruit or fruit juice, often with a carbonated beverage and some sweetener.

But when you look at the ingredients in the recipe below, what’s the difference between a wine cooler and sangria?

We have the answer below, along with the history of the wine cooler.

This refreshing cooler recipe below is by Melissa’s Executive Chef Tom Fraker. It’s filled with juicy fruits.

The reason it’s called a July 4th cooler is the star-cut apples that serve as playful decor, while also providing sweet apple juice and a nice crunch when you eat the wine-soaked fruit after finishing the drink.

And although the rambutan in the recipe isn’t a common fruit to add to a cooler, you will be surprised at how nicely the floral accents blend with the other fruit flavors.
 
 
RECIPE: JULY 4TH COOLER
 
Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the wine, lime juice, and agave in a large pitcher; stir to combine.

2. ADD the strawberries, rambutan, and blueberries to the pitcher.

3. SLICE the apple crosswise and, using a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut stars from the apple slices. No star-shaped cutter? Cut them freehand. Add the apple stars to the pitcher.

4. PLACE the pitcher into the refrigerator and chill overnight.

5. TO SERVE, stir the sparkling water into the pitcher. Add ice to drinking glasses. Pour in the cooler and top with some of the fruit.

 
 
WINE COOLER HISTORY

A wine cooler is a modern reinvention of sangria, a drink that has been made in Spain for more than 1,000 years (here’s the history of sangria).

Sangria is a cold drink made with wine, fruit, a sparkling element† like club soda, ginger ale, or sparkling wine, and sometimes, a sweetener and/or a liqueur or spirit like brandy.

Leave out the spirit, and you have a wine cooler. (A wine spritzer is simply wine and carbonated water.)

The original wine cooler brand was California Cooler, a drink made by Michael Crete, who originally mixed together white wine with fruit juice, and club soda and brought it to the beach to share with his friends. Everyone loved it.

At the time, Crete was working in wine and beer sales, and he saw an opportunity. In 1981 he teamed up with a friend and started a company to make what they called California Wine Cooler. It was sold in a 12-ounce green glass bottle with foil around the neck, looking like a bottle of Beck’s beer.

While there was a long history of wine mixed with juice—not just in sangria but in wine spritzers (which originated in early-19th-century Venice—here’s the history of wine spritzers)—California Cooler was the first bottled, ready-to-drink version.
 
 
The Cooler Category Grows, Then Fades

It took off, selling 10 million cases in 1984. In 1985, Crete and his partner sold the company to Brown-Forman. By that time, the category had exploded: There were now more than 100 different coolers across America [source].

In that same year, wine giant Ernest & Julio Gallo launched the Bartles & Jaymes brand, which soon took over the top spot in the category from California Cooler.

Other big boys came to play. Seagram’s, which took over the #2 spot, hired Bruce Willis for its commercials. Sun Country Wine Coolers, also owned by Gallo, hired celebrities like Ringo Starr, Grace Jones, and Charo.

But packaged wine coolers turned out to be a fad. The market peaked just two years later, in 1987. Sales fell by double-digit percentages.

Brands big and small discontinued their lines; California Cooler bit the dust in the early 1990s (Bartles & Jaymes still exists).

In 1991, a steep increase in federal excise taxes on wine made wine coolers a losing proposition.

Seagram’s and others discontinued their wine coolers and launched cheaper malt liquor-based beverages, in a new category that soon saw brands like Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Seagrams Escapes, Smirnoff Ice, and Zima.
 
 
The New Era

But now, some 30 years later, a new generation of wine coolers is popping up. Calling themselves spritzers or wine cocktails and positioning themselves as artisan or craft drinks are brands like Blossom Brothers, Hoxie, Pampelonne, and St. Mayhem.

They favor more modern flavors that are bittersweet, botanical, herbal, or spicy. If the flavors are fruit, they bypass the sugary fruity cooler flavors of yore in favor of two-flavor notes like white peach and jasmine flower or pink grapefruit and honeycomb (Blossom Brothers), grapefruit elderflower, and lemon ginger rosé (Hoxie) [source].

Pamplonne, which looks like a French brand in its packaging and flavors, and is made with French wine, was started by two Americans and is produced in Modesto, California.

The “new coolers” are largely in 8.4-fluid-ounce cans, not bottles.

Things have come full circle.
 
 
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*In the beginning, sangria wasn’t sparkling. Carbonation wasn’t invented until 1767, and the oldest recorded sparkling wine is Blanquette de Limoux, which was apparently invented by Benedictine monks in the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire, near Carcassonne, in the South of France, in 1531 [source].

†Fresh rambutan is available from Melissa’s. If you don’t have rambutan (fresh or canned) you can substitute equal amounts of lychees, fresh or canned. Lychees are sweeter and have a more floral bouquet, rambutan is fleshier. They are both members of the soapberry botanical family (Sapindaceae), along with the longan fruit and the horse chestnut. Here are more of the differences between lychee and rambutan. Can’t find either? Substitute peaches or nectarines.

What’s a July 4th celebration without potato salad? While we previously published a July 4th potato salad recipe, this one is distinctly different. It uses apples for the white stars.

The apple stars are made with Envy apples (photo #3), a newer breed that was created to avoid beginning to brown (oxidize) for up to 10 hours, making it a variety to seek out for recipes.

As a regular eating apple (the trade term is “hand fruit,” the flavor is sweet and the texture is crisp, with a satisfying crunch.

Along with an elegant vinaigrette, the recipe is not your mother’s white-potatoes-with-mayo dish.

Check out the potato salad (photo #1), and also our first Red, White & Blue Potato Salad recipe made with bacon and a protein-packed walnut crunch (photo #2).

If you need more recipes for July 4th weekend, here are more than 60 red, white, and blue recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks.

> The history of potatoes.

> The different types of potatoes.
 
 
RECIPE: RED, WHITE & BLUE POTATO SALAD #2
 
Ingredients

 
For The Garnish

 
Preparation

1. BOIL the red and purple potatoes separately in salted water (should taste like the ocean) until tender. Drain.

2. WHISK together all ingredients for the vinaigrette and then toss with the warm potatoes.

3. FOLD in the diced apples and parsley and serve.
 
 
________________

*The different types of vinegar.

[1] A red, white and blue potato salad with crunchy white stars made from non-browning Envy apples (photos #1 and #3 © Envy Apple).

[2] Another red, white and blue potato salad with bacon, walnuts, and bell peppers. Here’s the recipe (photo © U.S. Potato Board | Potatoes USA).

[3] The Envy apple, a sweet and crispy apple that avoids browning for 10 hours or more. Here’s more about them.

[1] Frozen grapes keep chilled drinks (photo © Foods & Wines From Spain).

[2] A medley of grape colors looks best (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

Here’s a way to keep cool your glass of white wine or other cold drinks that are served without ice: Use frozen grapes as ice cubes!

They’re decorative, and when the drink is finished, tasty grapes that have taken on a hint of the drink are left to enjoy.

In addition to white wine, rosé, sparkling wine, use frozen grapes to chill:

 
You can also use them in drinks that typically have ice:

 
You can mix and max types of grapes, but make them seedless for more elegant consumption (i.e., no need to dispose of the pits).

How do you eat the grapes at the bottom of the glass?

Sprouted bread is typically a product sold in natural food stores. In our little municipality—the island of Manhattan—the supermarkets are very small and you have to go to a natural foods store to find anything sprouted.

Fortunately, we have more than a few Whole Foods Markets which carry sprouted breads (check both the fresh bread and freezer sections).

And Silver Hills Bakery is a sprouted brand worth seeking out. Their whole grain products are so much more delicious and nutritious than conventional whole-grain breads.

And tastier than other sprouted brands we’ve tried.

So if you’re already a whole-wheat guy or gal, try sprouted. And if you eat supermarket white bread (with allowances for baguettes, challah, focaccia, rustic Italian loaves, and artisan breads from bakeries)…you’re in for a taste treat.

One that’s good for you!
 
 
WHAT ARE SPROUTED FOODS?

Sprouting, also known as germination, is a common practice used to improve the digestibility and nutritional value of :

 
The sprouting process involves soaking the food for up to 24 hours, then draining and rinsing repeatedly over several days.

It’s labor-intensive, but beneficial nutritionally (more about that in a minute).

To make sprouted bread, sprouted whole grains are milled into flour. It’s that simple.

We typically consume whole-grain breads instead of refined grains, but we’ve taken the next step.

Beyond conventional whole-grain bread, we’ve become a convert to sprouted grain bread because… we’ve discovered that it’s delicious!

In particular, a sample of sprouted breads from Silver Hills Bakery arrived, and we couldn’t stop eating them—especially the most textured, seed-loaded varieties.

Silver Hills Bakery has converted us to sprouted-grain bread and is our Top Pick Of The Week.
 
 
THE BENEFITS OF SPROUTED BREAD

It’s great that a slice of sprouted bread has 22g or more of whole grains (depending on variety) and 6g of protein (there are 3.6g in regular whole-wheat bread).

The USDA’s 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines recommends that Americans consume at least 3 servings of whole-grain foods daily, which adds up to 48 grams of whole grains. Two slices of Silver Hills bread will get you there, almost.

Sprouted bread has 47% less gluten than regular bread, 75% of the carbohydrates, and about 40% of the fat of even conventional whole-grain bread. There’s a greater amount of naturally occurring fiber, vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients.

As a bonus, sprouted bread is low glycemic, and more easily digestible.

But we’re in it for the great flavor.

Whether it’s avocado toast or toast with cream cheese or jam for breakfast, in a ham and Swiss or grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, or in the dinner bread basket, give us sprouted grains!
 
 
ABOUT SILVER HILLS BAKERY

Silver Hills Bakery is a Canadian-based company that sells in Canada and the U.S. Its lines include loaves of bread, bagels, buns, and tortillas.

They’re better-for-you bread options: sprouted whole grain nutrition, low-carb, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly.

The products are:

 
We’ve tasted the breads and bagels:

The Loaves: There are 16 different loaves, of which the majority are organic. For the texture we love, pick Squirrelly (sprouted wheat stuffed with sesame and sunflower seeds) and The Big 16 (oat-topped sprouted wheat stuffed with 16 seeds and grains). A fan favorite we haven’t tried is Mack’s Flax (sprouted whole wheat with whole flax and ground flax).

The Bagels: While the bagel textures are conventional—you wouldn’t know they’re sprouted, since the crumb* is smooth—we enjoyed them for their lower carb, low-glycemic profile. And the flavor is far better than the leading brand of frozen bagels! The flavors: Cinnamon Raisin, Everything, Plain, and Sesame Sunflower.

Silver Hills products are sold fresh and frozen, depending on the variety and the store. Look for them at Target, Whole Foods, and on Amazon. Here’s a store locator.
 
We’ve tried some other sprouted brands, but nothing tastes as good as Silver Hills. It’s worth seeing out.

There are plenty of recipes on SilverHillsBakery.ca.
 
________________

*Bakers use the term “crumb” to describe the interior consistency of breads and cakes. They can be light or dense, smooth or textured, etc.

[1] Sprouted power! Silver Hills Bakery’s lines are loaded with it (all photos © Silver Hills Bakery).

[2] Breakfast or snack? A sprouted bagel with peanut butter and fresh strawberries.

[3] French toast with Silver Hill’s Cinnamon Raisin sprouted loaf.

[4] Sprouted power for lunch. Your sandwich will taste better, too.

[5] Snack or first course: cheesy cauliflower spread on toast. Here’s the recipe.

[6] There are also sprouted hot dog and hamburger buns.

[1] The three main types of onions: red, white, and yellow. But that’s just a start. Here are the different types of onions (photo © National Onion Association).

[2] A hot dog with raw onions, cilantro, and melted Swiss cheese (photo © Murrays Cheese).

[3] Beer-batter onion rings wih horseradish dipping sauce. Here’s the recipe (photo © QVC).

[4] A caramelized onion, potato and Gruyère pizza with rosemary. Here’s the recipe (photo © Domestic Gothess).

We’ve got onion uses and onion trivia for June 27th, National Onion Day. Onions are a vegetable we may not think a whole lot about. But Americans eat an average of 20-21 pounds per year.

“It’s hard to imagine civilization without onions,” quoth Julia Child. How do we enjoy them?

 
Here’s a recipe you may not have made before, but it couldn’t be easier: Baked Onions.

> The different types of onions and when to use which type.

> The history of onions.

And now…
 
 
ONION TRIVIA

Why do onions make you cry?

Sulfuric compounds are released when the cells of the onion’s flesh are cut. To cut down on the crying, chill the onion and cut into the root end of the onion last. Our special tip: Wear swim goggles when cutting onions! The reason sweet onions don’t make you cry is because there’s little sulphur in the soil where they’re grown.

One medium onion contains how many calories?

Just 45 calories. A one-cup serving of raw onions contains 64 calories.

What cocktail is garnished with an onion?

The Gibson is garnished with a pickled pearl onion, called a cocktail onion. According to The Webtender, these lesser-known cocktails are also garnished with a cocktail onion: Gent Of The Jury, Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster #2, Patton Martini, and the Yellow Rattler.

What should you eat to get rid of onion breath?

Chew on parsley.

What city was known as The Big Onion?

Before it was known as the Big Apple, New York City was called the Big Onion because it was “a place from which you could peel off layer after layer without ever reaching the core” [source]. However, Chicago is more rightly called called the Big Onion: “Chicago” is the French interpretation of the local Miami-Illinois Nation’s word shikaakwa, which means “stinky Onion” after garlic (not onion) plant that grew along the Chicago River [source].

More Onion Trivia

 
We close with an old English rhyme:

“Onion skins very thin, Mild winter coming in. Onion skins very tough, Coming winter very rough.”

Trivia is courtesy of the National Onion Association.