Red Wine
In our drinks, red wine is a dry still red of about 13% ABV, chosen for fruit and colour rather than age. Our recipes use it three ways: floated over a New York Sour, steeped with fruit and brandy in Sangria, and warmed with spice in Mulled Wine. Each asks for a different red, and none needs an expensive one.
Quick Facts
We keep an open bottle re-corked in the fridge; two or three days is enough for mixing.
Contains: sulphites.
About Red Wine
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Blackberry and plum fruit over drying tannin: the qualities that read loudest against citrus and whiskey.
Fruit and colour matter more than age
In a drink, a red has to bring colour and dark fruit and stay audible next to citrus, sugar or spice. What makes a fine bottle worth its price, its age, restraint and long finish, mostly disappears in that company. A dry, fruit-forward wine from a recent vintage does the work, and an oaky one arrives as wood. Shiraz and Malbec bring the depth a float needs; Garnacha and young Tempranillo bring the softer fruit a steeped or warmed drink wants.
Each recipe asks for a different red
The red each of our recipes asks for
New York Sour
- Measure
- 15ml, floated
- The wine
- Dry Shiraz or Malbec, with tannin
- What goes wrong
- A pale or delicate red vanishes into the sour
Sangria
- Measure
- 120ml a glass
- The wine
- Young, unoaked Garnacha or Tempranillo
- What goes wrong
- Oak and tannin turn harsh against fruit and sugar
Mulled Wine
- Measure
- A 750ml bottle, warmed
- The wine
- Medium-bodied, unoaked, soft tannin
- What goes wrong
- A thin, sharp red turns sour when heated
| Drink | Measure | The wine | What goes wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Sour | 15ml, floated | Dry Shiraz or Malbec, with tannin | A pale or delicate red vanishes into the sour |
| Sangria | 120ml a glass | Young, unoaked Garnacha or Tempranillo | Oak and tannin turn harsh against fruit and sugar |
| Mulled Wine | A 750ml bottle, warmed | Medium-bodied, unoaked, soft tannin | A thin, sharp red turns sour when heated |
The New York Sour wants structure, because the float sits apart and is tasted first. Sangria and Mulled Wine want softness, because fruit, sugar and heat all exaggerate tannin. Sangria rests in the fridge for an hour or overnight, never more than a day, while mulled wine is warmed gently and never boils.
An open bottle suits the bar
Mixing forgives a bottle that has been open a day or two. In our experience, re-corked and kept in the fridge, a red stays useful for two or three days, long after it would disappoint in a glass. When it smells sharp or of vinegar, pour it away: neither heat nor fruit hides acetic acid.
Using Red Wine
Usage
Float 15ml over a New York Sour, steep 120ml a glass with fruit and brandy for Sangria, or warm a 750ml bottle with brandy, honey and spice for Mulled Wine, never letting it boil. Keep it dry and fruity: oak and heavy tannin fight both sugar and spice.
Pro Tip
Float the wine only once the sour is in the glass and still. A drink still swirling from the shake breaks the layer, and the wine clouds into it instead of sitting on top.
Top Tips
- For a float, last night's bottle is fine; a day of air barely shows in 15ml.
- Taste a red cold before you mull it. If it is thin and sharp now, heat will make it sour.
- For Sangria, young and unoaked does better than old and grand; the fruit and sugar cover everything else.
- Keep mulled wine just steaming; a boil drives off the aroma and alcohol and stews the spice.
Possible Substitutions
- Port: In half measure for a float: sweeter and stronger, a richer layer
- Crème de Cassis: A splash deepens the colour and fruit of a thin red for a float
Production Method
Fermented on the grape skins, which contribute the colour and tannin that let a red read through citrus and spirit where whites disappear.
More to explore
Common Questions
What red wine goes in a New York Sour?
What red wine should I use for sangria?
What red wine is good for mulled wine?
How long does red wine keep once opened for cocktails?
How strong is red wine?
Why does the wine float on a New York Sour?
What cocktails use red wine?
Made with Red Wine
Featured In These Cocktails
Often Used With
Updated 16 October 2026