Moscato Love - a Valentine's Day cocktail (or any time, actually!)

Wow.  What a gorgeously delicious, refreshing, mouthwatering, eminently drinkable combination this is!

Now I'm not normally one for making cocktails.  However, when Barefoot Wine got in touch and asked whether (as I cook with wine quite often), I'd be interested in having some of their white Moscato dessert wine and Merlot red wine to play with, (see recipe for Drunken Spaghetti, next up on the blog) I just couldn't refuse.  Well, especially with Valentine's day hoving into view.

With the wine, came some suggested recipes - one of which was for the Moscato Love.  Now I dare say you could call this cocktail whatever the heck you like - as I can see that it has uses across all the seasons.  It is obviously appropriate for Valentine's day, however if you bear in mind the Cranberry juice and the red colour, it would make a fantastic alternative to Buck's Fizz at Christmas.  The flavours though - now they are all summer.  I can imagine that it would be utterly divine, paired up with raspberries from the garden, poured over ice and enjoyed whilst sitting on the patio watching the garden grow.  Fabulous!

As I say, I'm not one for cocktails - and in fact, I'm not one for alcohol in general (unless I'm cooking with it!).  However, this one just blew my little socks off.  I know that there are those out there who would be laughing into their martini glass at this being referred to as a "cocktail", but to be honest I really don't care.  Here's a thought - if you're catering for folk like me, who don't imbibe on a regular basis and who aren't wine drinkers, then this is a great choice - and I wouldn't mind betting that the drinkers will be just as happy with it!

My thanks go out to Barefoot Wine for giving us the opportunity of sampling the Moscato.  Outside of the cocktail, it is of course a very sweet wine (it's a dessert wine, when all is said and done) but in contrast to many it has a remarkably pure and clean flavour without any of the heaviness that so often comes with a dessert wine.

Cheers!

MOSCATO LOVE

Ingredients :

1 bottle of Barefoot White Moscato
250ml of lemonade
1 cup of raspberries
2 teaspoons of honey
2 cups of cranberry juice
Ice.

Method :

1.  Combine all the ingredients except the lemonade and the ice.  Blend until smooth.

2.  Gently add the lemonade, so as to minimise the loss of fizz.

3.  Pour over ice, or add ice to the jug.

4.  Be ready to get up and make some more!

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