Fresh Ingredients

Grapes

Grapes for drinks are table grapes, the seedless eating kind, and the ones in British shops are imported all year. Muddled, they give a drink juice, sweetness and a light tannin from the skins, which our Enzoni sets against Campari and lemon. Whole, they are a garnish: a green grape or two on a pick, or a small bunch beside a short drink.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFood

Flavour Strengthmild

SeasonImported all year: South Africa early in the year, Egypt in June, European grapes from August to October (East Fruit trade data). Not a UK crop on the British Dietetic Association calendar.

Our keeping timeSeveral days refrigerated, by the bunch.

Storage

Refrigerate the bunch unwashed, still on the stalk; rinse just before use.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Grapes

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

GrapeJuicySoft Tannin

Tasting Notes

Juicy and sweet with a light tannin from the skins; gentler than citrus and rounder than sugar syrup.

Juice, sugar and a little tannin in one fruit

A ripe grape is mostly sweet juice, with tannin in its skin. Muddled, it gives a drink sugar and a light grip at the same time. Vincenzo Errico built the Enzoni on that at Match in London in 2001, Difford’s Guide says, and he told Punch that grapes with lemon give a flavour he likens to grapefruit, a natural partner for Campari.

Burst the skins and stop there

Our Enzoni presses five seedless green grapes in the shaker until the skins burst. Then come 45ml of gin, 22.5ml of Campari, 15ml of lemon and 10ml of simple syrup. It is shaken hard for 10 to 12 seconds and double strained over fresh ice, so the skins stay in the strainer. Pressing on after the skins split grinds them, and pulls out bitterness.

Fresh grapes against the bottled forms of the same fruit

Fresh grapes, muddled

Sugar: Fruit sugar
Tannin: Light, from the skins
Alcohol: None
Job in a drink: Sweetness and grip

White grape juice

Sugar: Fruit sugar
Tannin: Little
Alcohol: None
Job in a drink: Sweetness only

Dry white wine

Sugar: Little or none
Tannin: Light
Alcohol: About 12%
Job in a drink: Acidity and length

Grappa

Sugar: None
Tannin: None
Alcohol: Usually 40%
Job in a drink: The spirit itself

	Sugar	Tannin	Alcohol	Job in a drink
Fresh grapes, muddled	Fruit sugar	Light, from the skins	None	Sweetness and grip
White grape juice	Fruit sugar	Little	None	Sweetness only
Dry white wine	Little or none	Light	About 12%	Acidity and length
Grappa	None	None	Usually 40%	The spirit itself

A grape or a bunch as the garnish

Whole grapes make a plain garnish. A green grape or two, threaded on a pick and laid over the rocks glass, finishes the Enzoni. A small bunch of white grapes on the stalk, rested beside a short drink, points at the grape spirit or wine inside. Choose firm fruit still attached; a loose, soft grape slides off the rim.

Imported all year, kept on the stalk

The British Dietetic Association leaves grapes off its list of UK produce. The table grapes in British shops are imported all year: from South Africa early in the year, Egypt in June and Europe from August to October. Taste one in the shop; they will not sweeten at home. Frozen whole, they chill dry white wine without diluting it.

Using it

Using Grapes

Usage

Muddle five seedless green grapes in the shaker until the skins burst, as in our Enzoni, then shake and double strain so the skins stay behind. As a garnish, thread a grape or two on a pick, or rest a small bunch of white grapes beside a short drink.

Pro Tip

For a bunch garnish, snip a small cluster of three to five grapes with scissors rather than pulling them off. The stalk holds them together on the rim and gives the drinker something to lift them by.

Top Tips

Buy seedless. Crushed seeds turn a muddled drink bitter, and they are tedious to strain out.
Choose grapes that are firm and still attached to the stalk; loose ones soften first.
Taste one before buying. A sour bunch stays sour, since grapes stop ripening when cut from the vine.
Freeze a few whole on a tray to chill a glass of wine without watering it down.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What cocktail uses muddled grapes?

The Enzoni, created by Vincenzo Errico at Match in London in 2001, by Difford’s Guide’s account. Our version muddles five seedless green grapes, then shakes them with 45ml of gin, 22.5ml of Campari, 15ml of lemon and a 10ml measure of simple syrup, and double strains the drink over fresh ice in a rocks glass.

Green or red grapes for cocktails?

Green, for the Enzoni, which asks for seedless green grapes. Red grapes work in a muddled drink too; they carry a little more colour in the skin and tint the glass darker. As a garnish, choose by the colour of the drink: white grapes sit well beside a pale one.

Why use seedless grapes in a cocktail?

Because the muddler finds the seeds. Crushed grape seeds are bitter and gritty, and they undo the care taken to burst the skins gently. Seedless table grapes avoid the problem, and the double strain then only has to catch skins and pulp on the way to the glass.

Can I use grape juice instead of fresh grapes?

Not for the same result. Bottled grape juice brings sweetness but little of the tannin in the skins, and that light grip is what fresh grapes add to the Enzoni. If you have no grapes, try 15ml of white grape juice in place of the simple syrup, and expect a softer drink.

How do you garnish a drink with grapes?

Two ways. Thread a green grape or two on a cocktail pick and lay it across a rocks glass, as on the Enzoni. Or cut a small bunch of white grapes on the stalk and rest it beside a short drink, which points at a grape spirit or wine in the glass.

Can you use frozen grapes as ice?

In a glass of wine, yes. Frozen whole, they chill it without adding water, and you can eat them afterwards. They are less use in a cocktail, which needs the dilution that melting ice provides. Once thawed, grapes go soft and are no good for muddling or garnish.

How long do grapes keep in the fridge?

Several days, kept unwashed and still on the stalk. Moisture on the skins speeds mould, so rinse grapes only as you need them. Pull out any that have split or gone soft before they spoil their neighbours, and use softening grapes for muddling rather than garnish.

Sources.

Correct as of 18 October 2026.

Difford’s Guide, “Enzoni” (“created in 2001 by Vincenzo Errico at Match Bar in London”).
Punch, “How the Enzoni, a Gin Sour, Became a Modern Classic Cocktail” (Errico interview: grapes with lemon “what Errico likens to a grapefruit-like flavor”).

Make something

Made with Grapes

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Updated 18 October 2026

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