Red Wine Cooler with Carlo Rossi Burgandy

I’m probably opening myself up for judgment by saying this, but Carlo Rossi wine coolers have been dear to my heart since I was about 5 years old.  When I was little, whenever we would go camping, my parents and their friends would bring Carlo Rossi Burgundy, Orange Juice, and 7Up to make red wine coolers in Red Solo Cups.  I used to love the fruity smell of the drink, and because it had 7Up in it (which was a treat for me) I wanted to be old enough to drink one in the worst way.  Occasionally, I’d ask for sips of the cocktail, even as a wee one.  Now, before someone gets too angry at this post, I can tell you, my parents handled this like champs.  They made me my very own “mocktails.”  7Up and Orange Juice was my new “it” treat drink, and it made me feel special and like a grown up. (And on a parental note, it worked in place of wine coolers, mimosas and beer.)

Here we are, almost 30 years later, and now that I’m old enough, I still love my family’s recipe for the actual red wine coolers. It also helps that we’ve started camping a fair amount ourselves so they’re really nostalgic now.  Now, I remember friends drinking Boone’s in college (I was more of a Smirnoff Ice girl), but these are nothing like the wine coolers college kids stash in dorm rooms.  Those were fruity, sickeningly sweet, and sortof gross, if I remember correctly (no offense, Boone’s!).  These are fruity and sweet-ish, but they also have a pucker-y essence to them that gives them a great flavor–while also making them a dangerously easy to drink, so be careful.

While I have kept the basics of my family’s recipe from those camping trips a million years ago, when I drink them nowadays, I tweak the recipe to make it my own.  Below are both the original recipe and my slightly altered one.  These are both awesome on a hot summer night while cooking at the BBQ.  Happy Summer!

Camping Original Red Wine Cooler

12 oz. Glass with Ice

1 1/2 – 2 oz. Orange Juice (depending on how sweet you’d like it)

Fill the rest of the glass with Carlo Rossi Burgundy

Float with 7Up

Squeeze 1/4 Lime

Mix all ingredients well.

Molly’s Tropical Tweak Wine Cooler

12 oz. Glass with Ice

1 1/2 oz. POG (Passion Orange and Guava) Juice (Whole Foods carries one that has 100% Juice!!!)

Fill the rest of the glass with Carlo Rossi Burgundy

Float with Favorite Flavored Soda Water like La Croix or Calistoga (My favorite for Wine Coolers is the La Croix Cherry Lime, but I’m LOVING my soda stream where I can make my own and not have all the waste of the cans/bottles.  Click here to shop Soda Stream)

Squeeze 1/3 Lime (I like a bit more lime to cut the sweetness of the juice)

Mix all ingredients well.