A Peachy Wine Cocktail for Long Summer Days

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Here’s a cocktail idea for those times when you want a little something fun and festive, but you don’t want to go overboard with the alcohol.

It’s an example of a low-alcohol drink, called a “shim” or “session cocktail”, perfect for long afternoons in the sun or summer evenings when you want to stay alert. I tend to stick to shims when we’re hosting friends at our place (at least until after dinner has been served!), but of course, there are many reasons for someone to choose to drink lightly.

I recently enjoyed a couple on a sunny Saturday afternoon spent reading outside, on a day with evening plans that would be scuppered by too much day-drinking.

This is a wine-based cocktail that is very much like a sparkling peach sangria, but is much more simple to make, because the sparkle and the sweet come in the wine. Then all that’s required is the peach, some ice and some water. It’s so pretty that it looks like more than it is, and is a good choice to bring to a party because there isn’t much to bring.

The ingredients include a slightly sweet sparkling wine — I chose a Moscato d’Asti, which are made in the province of Asti in Italy, where they grow the Moscato bianco grape. This kind of wine naturally comes with the added benefit (for making a light cocktail) of containing less alcohol than other wines.

The specific wine I used was Batasiolo Bosc dla Rei. It goes especially well with the peaches in this cocktail being described as having “lovely floral, honeysuckle and apricot aromas; medium sweet, slight frizzante; balanced flavours of peach and lemon/lime, with medium length finish”. However, any sparkling white wine with a touch of sweetness will work. (Note: I don’t usually like sweet wines at all, but find a little bit of sweetness nice in this particular drink. But of course, choose a dry wine if that’s your preference.)

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To make one, put a sliced peach into a tall glass and add some ice cubes. Mix a 50/50 ratio of sparkling white wine and cold water. Pour over peaches and ice. To refresh your drink, just add more ice, wine and water to the glass — the one peach will last all day.

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Cheers and thanks for checking out my post.
xo loulou

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