Beat the Heat with a Frozen Wine Slushy and Cool Caprese Skewers [RECIPE]

During the long hot days of late summer, give yourself and your friends something to look forward to by hosting an afternoon for sipping wine and nibbling appetizers. It’s never too hot for wine with this recipe for wine slushy that is easy to make and extremely versatile depending on your taste. Serve it with the bright and refreshing taste of caprese skewers, and you have the makings of a perfect afternoon.

This wine slushy recipe can be made the day before, giving it plenty of time to freeze before friends arrive. The powdered citric acid can easily be found in most any grocery store, as it’s a common item in canning this time of year. It sounds like an item from chemistry class, but it really just provides a citrusy zip to recipes and can help act as a preservative for fresh fruits and veggies like avocados and apples. 

For your wine selection when making slushies, we’ve found that sweeter wines tend to work a little better when mixed with the citric acid and powdered water flavorings. For the powdered water flavorings, like Crystal Lite, be sure to grab the larger size packets meant for a pitcher of water, and not just an individual serving. 

Wine Slushy Recipe

Ingredients:

1 bottle (750ml) red wine*

1 bottle tap water

1 (1oz) berry pomegranate powdered drink mix packet

1-½ cup sugar

1-½ tsp citric acid

Instructions: 

1. Pour the bottle of red wine in a 1-quart pitcher. (We use an empty and clean gallon plastic ice cream bucket!) 
2. Refill the bottle with water and pour in the pitcher, blending it with the wine. 
3. Combine sugar, citric acid and drink mix and shake well to work out any sugar clumps, etc. 
4. Pour this sugar mixture into the pitcher and stir until dissolved. 
5. Cover pitcher or bucket with a lid and place in the freezer. 

In 4 hours, it should be slushy -  and in about 6 hours it will be like a snow cone. Using an ice cream scoop, dip some out of the pitcher into your wine glass. You can eat it with a spoon or wait a few moments until it becomes slushy and drink. Feel free to garnish with sliced strawberries or your favorite summertime fruit. 

*If you prefer white wine instead of red, you’ll want to select a different drink mix flavor. For sweet white wine, citrus or peach flavors tend to pair well with sweeter white wines. A strawberry daiquiri drink mix also works well. Feel free to experiment and find the different blends you like the best! 

Caprese Skewers Recipe

Ingredients: 

40 cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half

20 fresh Italian Basil leaves, torn or cut in half

1 ball fresh mozzarella, cut into 40 small cubes

Good quality balsamic vinegar

40 toothpicks

Instructions

1. On a toothpick, skewer half a cherry tomato, then a piece of Italian basil and one cube fresh mozzarella. Finish the skewer with the other half of your cherry tomato.
2. Repeat until all toothpicks and/or food is used.
3. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. Just prior to serving, drizzle with balsamic vinegar

Enjoy!