When the sun is shining, there's nothing like enjoying a glass of rosé wine. Whether you're sipping it in your own backyard, enjoying a glass on one of Toronto's best patios or being transported to the tropics on a sun-soaked rooftop, the pink drink is guaranteed to boost your mood. But what about upping the ante and making a rosé cocktail?
We're not just talking frosés or wine coolers (although, those sound pretty delicious TBH) — we're talking about rosé cocktails that add layers of complexity to your drink. Wine, like rosé, can add sweetness and make the profile more delicate if you're mixing with higher proof spirits. Or it can add an effervescent fizz in the case of sparkling rosé cocktails.
Mixed with gin, topping tequila or frozen into an ice cube: Rosé cocktails are a fabulous addition to your roster. We've tapped some of Toronto's best bars for some summer sipping inspiration, so you can get creative and make happy hour pretty in pink.
Mademoiselle Raw Bar & Grill's Lickety-Spritz
Makes 1
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 oz elderflower liqueur
4 oz Fiol Prosecco Rosé
2 oz soda water
Mint, to garnish
Dehydrated lime wheel, to garnish
Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir.
Strain into a glass over crushed ice.
Garnish with a sprig of mint and a dehydrated lime wheel.
Clockwork's Meet me At the Clock
Makes 1
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 oz Hendricks Gin
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
1½ oz Veuve Clicquot Champagne
5 dashes peychaud bitters
1 frosé ice ball
Method
Add all ingredients except champagne and frosé ice ball to a shaker tin with ice and shake.
Add a frosé ice ball to a large, chilled coupe glass.
Strain the cocktail over the ice ball and top with 1½ oz of champagne.
The Rabbit Hole's Blushing Bunny
Makes 1
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 oz Dillon’s Maison Selby Berry Bliss Liqueur
1 oz apple juice
2 oz Cave Spring Rosé
½ oz honey ginger syrup
½ oz lemon juice
4 fresh raspberries
Lemon slice, to garnish
Method
Add all liquid ingredients and three of the raspberries to a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake and dirty pour into a wine glass.
Garnish with a fresh raspberry and a slice of lemon.
Gia's Aperol Spritz 3.0
Makes 1
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
3 oz Aperol infused with Fragola Fabbri
½ oz Lillet
3 dashes rhubarb bitters
½ oz lemon juice
Sparkling rosé or rosé, to top
Dehydrated strawberry dust, to garnish
Method
Add all ingredients except rosé to a shaker tin with ice and shake.
Strain into a glass over fresh ice.
Top with rosé or sparkling rosé and garnish with dehydrated strawberry dust.
Sunnys Chinese's Sichuan Spritz
Makes 1
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 oz Reid’s Spiced Gin infused with Sichuan peppercorns
½ oz watermelon syrup
½ oz lime
Sparkling rosé, to top
Lime wheels, to garnish
Method
Add all ingredients except sparkling rosé to a shaker tin with ice. Shake.
Strain into a glass over fresh ice.
Top with sparkling rosé.
Garnish with lime wheels.
The Senator Restaurant's Letters from the Farm
Makes 1
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 oz tequila
1 oz honey hibiscus syrup
1 ½ oz fresh grapefruit juice
½ oz fresh lemon juice
Rosé, to top
Pinch of salt, to garnish
Lemon zest, to garnish
Fresh mint, to garnish
Honey Hibiscus Syrup
Honey (preferably wild flower honey)
Hibiscus tea
Method
Honey Hibiscus Syrup
Combine equal parts honey with hot hibiscus tea.
Stir until the honey has fully dissolved.
Letters from the Farm
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin with ice. Shake.
Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Garnish with a pinch of salt, lemon zest and a sprig of fresh mint.
d|bar's Rhubarb Basil Gin Spritz
Makes 1
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
8 pieces of soaked rhubarb
1 bunch basil
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz rhubarb syrup
1 oz Botanist Gin
4 oz Moët & Chandon Impérial Rosé Champagne
Method
Add all ingredients, except the rosé champagne, to a mixing glass and muddle.
Pour into a wine glass over ice.
Top with the rosé champagne.
Hong Shing's Rosé Royale
Makes 1
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
3 oz rosé wine
¾ oz Dillon's Rose Gin
½ oz gin
½ oz simple syrup
¼ oz fresh lime juice
Method
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin with ice. Shake.
Fine strain with a Hawthorne strainer into a coupe glass.
