Recipe: White Zin-ful Strawberry Cooler

Memorial Day weekend is finally here and I couldn’t be happier. It’s really a long haul from President’s Day to Memorial Day when you work a standard Monday – Friday job, so I truly appreciate this 3-day weekend. I thought this would be the perfect time to wind down with a nice drink, and the amazing strawberries my mom brought up on this weekend’s visit seemed like they would be perfect for a simple drink idea I’d been mulling over for a couple of weeks.

I call this a cooler because it’s really not a sangria. Not enough fruit & different juices are involved with the wine to make this a true sangria. However, I’ve always thought that a nice White Zinfandel would go great with some fruit to make a nice little punch on a hot summer day. Because white zin is already a slightly sweet little wine, I wanted to play with that and add some more sweetness with some fresh, juicy strawberries (really, it was very serendipitous that Mom should bring them this weekend). Some lemon juice for sass & some ginger ale for sparkle, and I knew I had the makings of a refreshingly sweet little drink.

Again, there is no need to go for the uber-expensive wine, especially when you’re making a fruity punch with it. A modestly priced wine will still be delicious, though you should try your best to buy the sweetest, juiciest strawberries out there so that they infuse the wine with their lovely flavor. Other than that, not much to note on this one! Just relax & enjoy it. 🙂