Wine Cocktails Are Back: How Bars Can Use Wine Without Cheapening the Menu
Updated: Oct 25
Wine cocktails are back in a serious way, but they need to be handled carefully.
Done well, they can make a bar menu feel lighter, more food-friendly, more seasonal, and more approachable. Done badly, they can make the menu feel cheap, confused, or worse, like the bar is trying to hide leftover wine under fruit juice.
That is the real issue. Wine cocktails are not a problem. Weak execution is the problem.
For bars, restaurants, hotels, and event venues, wine can be a very useful cocktail ingredient. It brings acidity, aroma, fruit, tannin, bubbles, texture, and lower alcohol. It can support spritzes, aperitivo drinks, brunch cocktails, terrace serves, sharing drinks, and low-ABV options.
The goal is not to make wine look like a cheaper spirit. The goal is to use wine for what it does best.
Key Takeaways
Use wine with intention, not as a filler.
Choose fresh, clean wine that still tastes good on its own.
Avoid presenting wine cocktails as a way to use leftovers.
Keep most wine cocktails cold, bright, and easy to drink.
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