Aperitif Wine Tonic Cocktail Recipe
Chilled aperitif wine with tonic and a wide orange peel — the lightest thing on a French terrace.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Wine glass
- ABV: 8%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Aperitif wine70 ml (2.4 oz)
- Tonic water120 ml (4.1 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a wine glass with ice.
- Pour in the chilled aperitif wine.
- Top with cold tonic water and stir once.
- Express a wide orange peel over the glass and drop it in.
Garnish
Wide orange peel
What it tastes like
It smells of lemon and lime peel, it carries a floral top note, it is carbonated and it is low in alcohol.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A stemmed wine glass. The big bowl leaves room for ice and fruit, and gives the aroma somewhere to gather.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Tonic water
- Carbonated water made bitter by quinine — that is what separates it from soda. Sugar content varies up to twofold between brands, and that directly sets how sweet the drink lands.
The Story
Bordeaux aperitif wines were nearly extinct by the 1980s and came back entirely on the strength of being served long with tonic.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Aperitif Wine Tonic mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a wine glass.
- How strong is a Aperitif Wine Tonic?
- Roughly 8% ABV as served — lighter than a beer — a long-conversation drink that takes a second round.
- Can a Aperitif Wine Tonic be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Aperitif Wine Tonic hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
The main ingredient here is also a dream symbol: Wine in a dream
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.