Rosé spritzers are low in alcohol and calories, and perfect for a summer evening. Just combine rosé wine with sparkling water, and garnish with lime and basil!
It’s summer, the weather is warm, and the early evening café tables in Paris are filled with people drinking Aperol Spritzes and chilled glasses of rosé. In fact, a glass of rosé is often served with a glass of ice on the side. (Why those coveted ice cubes are served with wine and not, say, a Diet Coke or a glass of water, I can’t tell you.)
Now I’m not above throwing a cube or two of ice in my glass of rosé, but sometimes what I really want is a Rosé Spritzer.
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Why Make This Recipe
- Low alcohol: Perfect for afternoon parties or evening affairs that get an early start! Less alcohol means that you can drink one (or two) during the day and not need a nap before dinner. And should your evening event move from spritzers to cocktails to wine, you’ll be glad you started the night off slow with one of these.
- Low calorie: Fewer calories means you can eat more yummy appetizers while you sip!
- Only 4 ingredients: These wine spritzers are super fast to make, and use only 4 easy-to-find ingredients.
🥗 Ingredients
- Sparkling water: You can use tonic water or club soda as an alternative to sparkling water. In fact, some people prefer to pair a dry rosé with tonic water in a spritzer, as tonic water is sweeter than sparkling water. For an even sweeter take on this spritzer, you can use a lemon-lime soda like Sprite.
- Fresh Basil: You can leave this out if you don’t have it, or try replacing with a sprig of fresh thyme.
- Lime: Try replacing the lime with lemon or orange slices.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Chill a bottle of dry rosé wine and a bottle of sparkling water a few hours in advance.
2. Prepare the garnish by first slicing a lime into thin circles, and rinsing sprigs of basil, then patting dry.
3. To serve, add a generous handful of ice to a glass, then drop in one lime slice.
4. Now pour in the rosé, filling the glass about halfway.
5. Top it off with sparkling water, then add a sprig of fresh basil on top.
🧐 Recipe FAQs
A wine spritzer is a low-alcohol cocktail made by combining wine with some kind of sparkling water (tonic water, club soda, etc.). Traditionally, spritzers are made with equal parts wine and sparkling water, though you can adjust them to your liking. Many people prefer 2:1 ratio of wine to sparkling water.
I like a light, dry rosé, and that is what I’ve used for this recipe. In fact, mine is so light that the cocktail is almost clear in color. However, you can choose whatever style of rosé wine you like to drink. Also, make sure your wine is very well chilled. Otherwise, the ice cubes begin to melt quickly, watering down your drink.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Feel like making a pitcher of rosé spritzers to serve a crowd? Great idea, but keep in mind that the sparkling water will lose its effervescence the longer it sits. Best to make it no more than 15 minutes or so in advance.
To make a pitcher drink, combine the bottle of rosé with as much sparkling water as you like (either the same amount, or about half the amount of wine). You can then either add the garnishes of lime slices and basil to the pitcher, or you can garnish each glass with them as you pour out your cocktails. Keep the pitcher in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Then, as each guest arrives, fill his/her glass with ice, then fill with the rosé spritzer and garnishes.
Want to add more flavor? Try adding some Lavender Simple Syrup to your spritzer.
If you love the idea of a super-cold drink, but hate watering down your wine, try pouring rosé into ice cube trays and freezing. Then just pop out a few when you're ready to add to your rosé spritzer!
Better yet, jazz up your spritzer with these gorgeous Flower Ice Cubes. So pretty, and perfect for a special occasion.
Want to try another low-alcohol cocktail? Try this delicious Aperol Soda. So fresh and summery! Or add some rosé or a hint of gin to a Lavender Lemonade. You might also want to try one of our other favorite Spritz cocktails, this St. Germain Spritz recipe.
Other Delicious Cocktails
If you're looking for other cocktail options for summer or fall entertaining, don't miss some of my favorite drinks to make at home:
And if it's winter where you are, try my warming Vin Chaud!
If you try this Rosé Spritzer, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Rosé Spritzer
Ingredients
- 1 750ml bottle of dry rosé wine
- 1 500ml-750ml bottle of sparkling water
- 6 sprigs fresh basil
- 1 lime
- Ice cubes for serving
Instructions
- Chill the bottles of wine and sparkling water before starting.
- Prepare the garnish by slicing the lime into thin circles.
- To serve, add a generous handful of ice to a glass, then drop in one lime slice.
- Now pour in the rosé, filling the glass about halfway.
- Top it off with sparkling water. You can choose how much sparkling water to add—some people prefer a 1:1 ratio of wine to sparkling water, and some prefer a 2:1 ratio of wine to water (and anywhere in between!).
- Finally, add a sprig of fresh basil on top, and serve.
Notes
- I like a light, dry rosé, and that is what I’ve used for this recipe. However, you can choose whatever style of rosé wine you like to drink. Just make sure your wine is very well chilled. Otherwise, the ice cubes begin to melt quickly, watering down your drink.
- There are many options for the sparkling part of this spritzer. Besides sparkling water, you can also use tonic water or club soda. In fact, some people prefer pairing tonic water with a dry rosé since tonic water is sweeter than sparkling water. For an even sweeter take on this spritzer, you can use a lemon-lime soda like Sprite.
- If you don't have fresh basil, try replacing with a sprig of fresh thyme.
- If you don't have a lime, try replacing the lime with lemon or orange slices.
- To make this drink in advance, combine the bottle of rosé with as much sparkling water as you like (either the same amount, or about half the amount of wine). You can then either add the garnishes of lime slices and basil to the pitcher, or you can garnish each glass with them as you pour out your cocktails. Don’t add ice, but keep the pitcher in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Since sparkling water will lose its fizz over time, don't make more than 15 minutes or so in advance.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Mimi Rippee says
I have many bottles of rosé just waiting for this recipe! Merci! My mother just dies so it will be the first time we don’t make a big deal about the quatorze!!!
http://www.chefmimiblog.com
Molly Pisula says
Oh I'm sorry to hear that. I will toast to her with this spritzer!
Mimi Rippee says
What a fabulous idea!
Molly Pisula says
So refreshing on a hot evening!
Alex says
Cheers to this delicious drink - what a lovely cocktail, perfect to enjoy on a warm evening!
Chef Molly says
Yes, perfect for summer! 🙂