More and more wine in cocktails: is it a good choice or just a waste?
Forbidden snobbery towards the art of mixology: from Vermouth for the Negroni to Prosecco in the Spritz, it is OK to use wine as long as you don't use too much of it
3' min read
3' min read
The world of mixology enjoys excellent health, while that of wine has seen better times. That said, wine remains, in different guises, an essential ingredient in the preparation of excellent drinks.
The cocktail industry is becoming part of mass culture and everywhere we go we can find cocktail bars that are also pizzerias, or gastronomic restaurants where drinks (even high-end, conceptual) are served in combination with great dishes. So this is no longer avant-garde, but an established, usual and frequent reality.
The scenario is a relevant one, since in the preparation of a cocktail there is creativity, dexterity, colour, energy, while drinking a glass of quality wine has become a ritual that requires too much attention. To a large number of communicators I leave it up to them whether they should put their hand on their conscience for trying to elevate wine to an intellectual product while legitimising charges in the restaurant industry that are, in my opinion, totally unjustifiable.
In the light of this, the question is: can the use of wine in cocktail preparation be a good choice or is it wasted wine? I say that it is a good and right choice that should be encouraged provided, of course, that you do not use overpriced and very fine wines (or wines with many years of ageing behind them). For the rest, many of our wines can be used for blending and with excellent results, which I have already experienced thanks to the creativity of young, well-trained barmen.
Now, let us divide the world of mixology involving wine as an ingredient into three types: Vermouth, sparkling wine and red wine.
