This homemade berry wine cooler is really easy to make and perfect for summer barbecues. It uses frozen berries which chill the drink and give it great flavor and color.
When I’m going to be sipping on drinks for a few hours, whether at a barbecue or just hanging by the pool, I make something that’s light on the alcohol and on the calories. One of my go-to’s is a white wine spritzer made with dry white wine, soda water, and big squeezes of lemon and lime. But sometimes I want something a little different.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Keep Drinks Cool With Frozen Berries
For our summer barbecue a couple of weeks ago I decided to make spritzers a pitcher at a time. But I didn’t want to water them down with ice cubes. Instead, I decided to dump in a bag of frozen mixed berries.
It was perfect! The frozen berries defrosted a little on contact with the liquid and gave it a sparkly pink color. And a nice bit of berry flavor too. It was like the Wild Berry Wine Coolers I remember my aunts drinking when I was young. But not as sweet.
How To Make Berry Wine Coolers
This pitcher drink couldn’t be simpler. Pour in a bottle of white wine, add your frozen berries, and mix. Then top it all off with seltzer water. That’s it!
I like to use a dry white wine for this like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc. But if you like sweeter drinks, you could go with a Moscato or Riesling. Just pick a wine that you enjoy drinking on its own.
Feel free to personalize it too. If you like sweeter drinks, you could substitute lemon-lime soda for the seltzer water. Not into berries? Maybe try another fruit like frozen chunks of peach or mango instead.
I have one more idea for you on top of those! This one is the best, truly.
Add a can of frozen concentrate juice to the mix. If you can find a strawberry one (Bacardi makes a frozen strawberry concentrate that is sold in my grocery store beside the frozen orange juice concentrate), you can whip up a fruity strawberry cooler in minutes: 1 bottle of dry white wine, 2 cups of seltzer or lime-flavored unsweetened seltzer, and 1 can of the concentrate. Mix and drink!
More Refreshing Drink Recipes
Enjoy! – Christine xo
Homemade Berry Wine Cooler Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This white wine berry wine cooler is really easy to make and perfect for summer barbecues. It uses frozen berries which help cool the drink and flavor.
Choose a wine that you like to drink on its own. If you like dry white wines, go with a dry white here. If you like sweet wines, then use a sweet one. If you like your drinks even sweeter than that, you can use lemon-lime soda instead of seltzer water.
Ingredients
- 1 (750 ml) bottle white wine, very cold
- 12 oz. frozen mixed berries
- 3 cups seltzer water, very cold
Instructions
- Pour wine into a pitcher. Add berries. Stir.
- Add seltzer. Stir.
- Serve.
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This post originally appeared in June 2014 and was revised and republished in June 2023.
Sweet tips for homemade berry wine cooler! Can i use any other fruit like cherry, grapes instead of berry?
Emma, Yes other fruits definitely. You’ll still want them to be frozen though. The best fruits to use are those that are really juicy on the outside because their flavor will go out into the beverage more. So grapes wouldn’t be as good as cherries. A good way to test without wasting wine is to test it with plain water and see if the flavor comes out well.
You make me want to spend a afternoon with this cooler! Yum!
I think a pitcher of this would really help me to survive the last couple of days of school
Now that bbq season is in full swing this refreshing berry cooler is the best beverage to accompany the goodies from the bbq!
Using frozen fruit instead of ice cubes is such a smart idea!
If I’m drinking wine, it’s definitely gonna be a white one. I’m a big fan of spritzers like this as well. YUM! :) I love the frozen berry idea because watered down or hot (or warm) white wine are both no good. Great idea! :) I’m re-inspired to find ways to riff on this classic again! Thanks!
Such a nice light summer drink.
The only way I actually like wine is when it’s loaded with fruit, so this drink has me allll ova it! Gorgeous photos too! Pinned :)