This Pinot Grigio-based cocktail has dark cherry and pomegranate notes for easy couch drinking.
Here’s the latest #HalesTails cocktail to whet your whistle from my mixologist friend, Haley! – Erin
This content contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Me again! This time I’m sharing a wine cocktail that I concocted for a friend get-together. What’s really nice about a lot of wine-based cocktails is that they can be pretty versatile.
I’m definitely that person that shops for wine by the label and description. So, while I’m certainly no sommelier, I knew I needed something crisp that could hold up against the sweet fruity components I was going to add. For this drink I tried a couple of Pinot Grigios and a Rosé. While they were all worked just fine, I settled on the 2018 Chalkboard Pinot Grigio. It has the classic apple and citrus notes of a Pinot Grigio but what I really loved was the flavor of lychee that came out with this cocktail!!
Made in 1818, Heering is the original cherry brandy liqueur originating from Copenhagen. It’s a beautiful deep red color, thick, and full of flavor. It lacks the medicinal taste that a lot of cherry liqueurs carry and instead is reminiscent of jam with a slight dark cherry tartness and hints of wood and almond. If you want to know what else you can do with Cherry Heering, the Singapore Sling and Blood and Sand are two classic cocktails and it’s often used in a number of food and dessert recipes. If you have a jar of pitted dark cherries, you can use the juice from this instead to get a similar taste.
The ginger simple syrup is just a heated 1:1 of granulated sugar and water steeped with slices of ginger root. It will keep in a closed container in the refrigerator for a few weeks but might start to lose the ginger flavor so just check on it!
I’m sensitive to bitter but with cocktails I’ve learned that by including bitters or an amaro, I achieve a more well-balanced flavor. Aperol is a really approachable with an orange and rhubarb flavor and that bitterness that a grapefruit provides. It helps cut the sweetness from the pomegranate and cherry but also plays really nicely with the basil.
I layered the ingredients for the photo and stirred it up and drank afterwards but I think it is better if you can shake the ingredients. And there were so many garnish options! I went with a ginger root wheel and basil leaves but a cherry, candied ginger, or pomegranate seeds are all great too.
Four years ago: Coconut Pistachio Larabars
Five years ago: Strawberry M&M® Cheesecake Truffles
Six years ago: Black Bean & Chorizo Soup
Seven years ago: Three Cheese Chicken and Artichoke Bake
Nine years ago: Almond Cherry Chip Blondies
Ten years ago: Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
Source: A Haley original.