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I hope you’re ready for cocktail season, because I’ve got a whole pipeline of festive remedies ready for your drinking pleasure! 😋 This year I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and reach for something other than a wine bottle, and I figured this recipe was the perfect one to kick off a full season of merriment.

And To All A Good Night

(A boozy bourbon-herb infused red wine cocktail)

This might come as a surprise to some people, but generally speaking, I am not a fan of wine-based drinks. There was a brief moment in my late 20s and early 30s where I was all about sangria and a Tom Collins-inspired drink which had a red wine float. I realized that sangria (and most other cocktails with wine), was simply a vehicle for cheaply made, headache-inducing wines to be consumed.

Needless to say the last several years, I have turned down many glasses of sangria or “the best wine cocktail” so and so had ever tasted, and I was comfortable being the only “wine snob” in the group to decline a taste. Then, last year at a holiday party I was immediately handed a ruby red beverage upon hanging over my coat and, mostly out of politeness, took a sip. #mindblown For the rest of the night, I asked everyone I knew if they had the recipe.  

By the end of the night, I had consumed enough of the herby-bourbon drink and completely forgot that I still needed to harass the host to get the recipe. She surprised me by shoving an old receipt into my hand with the recipe scribbled on it. Since then, I have been counting down the days until it was seasonally appropriate to share this recipe.

While this is a red wine cocktail, there’s enough other stuff in this drink recipe that it’s not a drink that’s ever going to replace mulled wine, which is great for those who both love and loathe mulled wine throughout the holidays. Be warned: this drink is strong and it sneaks up quickly.

The best part of this drink recipe is that it can be made in advanced—the flavors from the fresh herbs will continue to develop while the concoction sits in the refrigerator. I just don’t recommend leaving it overnight, an hour or two before guests are due to arrive will mean the herbs are still fresh and vibrant in color.

For this drink recipe, a blended red wine is ideal, and I found that Scheid Vineyards Odd Lot Red provided the perfect balance of flavors. This bad boy is a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon amongst other varietals—so you know it’s tasty. Another red wine blend that I regularly drink, gift and buy is Vina Robles Red4 which is a blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache—it’s also under $20.