Some people may wait for the thermostat to top 70 to pull their blenders back out and begin experimenting with frozen cocktails. I am not one of those people. I’ll take my margarita any day of the year, thank you very much. So when King Family Vineyards unveiled their 2017 Crosé, I gave myself the green light for making my favorite blended drink.
On a recent trip to the vineyard to celebrate a certain cutie’s birthday, I got my first taste of the best rose wine in the region. While the children romped around the property, played soccer, and greeted horses, I picked up a few bottles of Crosé, one for sipping and one for slushing. Recipe is below.
Crosé Frosé
Adapted from Bon Appetit
1 bottle rosé (I used King Family’s Crosé but any merlot grape rosé will do)
1/2 c sugar
2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/3 cup lemon juice
Pour entire bottle of rosé into a 13×9″ pan and freeze until almost solid (about 6 hours)
Make a simple syrup by cooking down sugar and 1/2 cup water until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently for a few minutes. Add strawberries, remove from heat, and let sit 30 minutes to infuse syrup with strawberry flavor. Strain the syrup through a sieve into a small bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Discard strawberries (or save them to add to ice cream later!).
Scrape rosé into a blender. Add lemon juice, 1/2 cup strawberry syrup, and 1 cup crushed ice and purée until smooth. Transfer blender jar to freezer and freeze until frosé is thickened, about 30 minutes.
Blend again until frosé is slushy. Divide into 4 glasses. Garnish with mint and enjoy!
Yum! Bring some to Kentucky!