Frozen Rosé Wine (i.e.: Frosé) is popping up everywhere, but is it just a trend? Or is it worth freezing a bottle of good wine? 

“Her? The sloppy drunk?” (i.e.: my future best friend)
“I know the painter says he isn’t ready for a new relationship, but I’m different.”
“Hashtags are excessive.”
“Sure, a third margarita please!”
“I’m sure these leftover mussels are fiiiiine!” (that one still makes me queasy)
“Julep will stop running when she’s too hot.” (poor baby) 
“Frozen red wine? Isn’t that an abomination? A stupid, girlie drink?”

Chalk these up as judgments I made superficially and go figure… poorly. 

Frozen Rosé Wine (i.e.: Frosé) has been making its way from social media to major recipe publications and probably some noteworthy bars in between. For the longest time, all I could think was “here’s a trendy abomination of a perfectly good bottle of summer wine.” I was wrong, but to be fair, I put my snap judgements to the test. 

This, my friends, is a source of pride. I may be judgmental, but for the most part, I make an effort to judge based on experience or acute observation (like my stints in the College Republican club and Tri Delta sorority- not for me, but now I can speak from a place of experience). 

So if you’re like me, or like I was, curb those judgements. Frosé is worth the hype. It’s all the benefits of rosé; it’s crisp, it’s refreshing, and it pairs well with so many summer plates, but as an adult slushy, it’s even more refreshing and easy to drink, dangerously easy, which could lead to more poor decisions (see my intro).  

The only potential downfalls of frozen rosé wine are the extra time commitment (gotta account for that freezer time) and the potential for wasting fresh fruit, BUT I have a way to stretch the fruit infusion even further… into dessert! One of my favorite ways to waste less is to eat more dessert.

Frosé is a combination of frozen rosé wine and a fruit-infused simple syrup. Typically, recipes will instruct tossing the syrupy fruit, but why waste perfectly good stewed berries?  Simply stir the stewed fruit into batter, or top your cake before baking for more of a garnish, then bake according to instructions. The stewed fruit would also pair well with pancakes or french toast, especially if brunch includes champagne. 

Serve the fruit-topped cakes on their own, or continue to garnish with frosting and fresh berries. For this cocktail and dessert pairing, I featured my favorite go-to for simple, serving-conscious dessert: Healthyish Cakes. The Healthyish baking subscriptions include individually portioned, organic cake mixes and plenty of toppings. Healthyish makes it easy to mix up a variety of sweet-tooth satisfying desserts without mixing up an entire cake- another reason to waste less while eating more dessert. This is why Healthyish is one of the few baking mixes you’ll ever find on this site. 

I’ve changed my tune, and I’m singing the praises of frozen rosé wine, but, in the words of LeVar Burton, “don’t take my word for it.” Give it a whirl, and let me know if you’re sold, or if you think this is one trend to let go the way of the snap bracelet. 

Cheers,

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Speak Wines and Healthyish Foods, but all opinions are taste-tested and my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support With The Grains.

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Frozen Rosé Wine
recipe adapted from Bon Appétit
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 (750 ml) bottle hearty, bold rosé (such as Speak Wines’ Malbec Rosé)
1/2 cup organic raw cane sugar
8 ounces organic strawberries, hulled, quartered
2 1/2 ounces fresh lemon juice

Directions

Pour rosé into a 13×9″ pan and freeze until almost solid (it won’t completely solidify due to the alcohol), at least 6 hours.

Meanwhile, bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add strawberries, remove from heat, and let sit 30 minutes to infuse syrup with strawberry flavor.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl (do not press on solids), reserving the strawberries. Cover and chill the infused syrup until cold, about 30 minutes.

Note: Save strawberries for adding to cakes or pancakes.

Scrape rosé into a blender. Add lemon juice, 3 1/2 ounces strawberry syrup, and 1 cup crushed ice and purée until smooth. Transfer blender jar to freezer and freeze until frosé is thickened (aim for milkshake consistency), 25–35 minutes.

Blend again until frosé is slushy. Divide among glasses.

Note: Rosé can be frozen 1 week ahead. Instructions on how to bake Healthyish cakes can be found inside of each baking kit.