Summery Strawberry White Wine Spritzer Recipe

On a hot summer afternoon, after being out in the sun all day walking the streets of Vienna, nothing hits the spot quite like a white wine spritzer — particularly when that spritzer comes loaded with the flavors of the season in the form of strawberries and mint.

Spritzers are a simple drink, traditionally no more than a mixture of white wine and sparkling water, which makes a perfect thirst-quencher and aperitif. They are cold, hydrating, and low in alcohol, meaning you can have a couple at happy hour on the patio without thinking twice about the fact that you haven't yet had dinner.

In this recipe, brought to us by developer A.J. Forget, we use ice cubes filled with strawberry and mint to add a bit of fruity flair to a fairly traditional spritzer recipe. For the base we stick to the Germanic origins of the spritzer and use a medium-sweet riesling. This slightly sweet wine stands up well when mixed with plain seltzer. The strawberry-mint ice cubes in this recipe not only ensure that your spritzer stays nice and chilled, but as they melt they also steadily infuse more and more fruity flavor into the drink. Be warned, it may be hard to stop at one, as the second round is even more delicious than the first.

The ingredient list for this spritzer couldn't be simpler — you will need medium-sweet riesling wine and club soda for the spritzer as well as strawberries and fresh mint for the ice cubes. 

Mix the diced strawberries and chopped mint in a small bowl.

Divide the strawberry mixture evenly into 8 cells in a silicone ice tray.

Pour over just enough water to cover the strawberry mixture.

Place the ice tray in the freezer for 3 hours, or until frozen solid.

When you're ready to serve, combine the riesling and club soda in a large pitcher.

Add 2 ice cubes to each serving glass.

Fill the glass with the wine mixture.

Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve immediately.

Traditionally, white wine spritzers are made with just chilled white wine, ice cubes, and some sort of sparkling water, be it seltzer water, club soda, or mineral water. It's a simple drink, designed to help you cool off on a hot summer's afternoon. But do you have to use club soda like we've specified in the recipe? And what's the difference between seltzer water and club soda anyway?

For this recipe we stuck to a traditional base: riesling and club soda. Club soda differs from seltzer water in that, in addition to being carbonated water, it also contains sodium bicarbonate (AKA baking soda). The sodium bicarbonate lends a hint of saltiness to club soda, which is part of why it is a popular mixer, as a touch of salt enhances perception of flavors in cocktails. However, this is not strictly necessary. The downside to club soda is that it does contain sodium, so those watching their sodium intake might wish to avoid it. In that case, seltzer water is no problem.

If you want to mix things up, you could try one of the many flavored seltzers on the market. A hint of a complementary fruit flavor, such as lime, could provide an interesting twist. Or you could really go wild and opt for seltzer and a splash of lemon soda, as in the popular Spanish drink, tinto de verano, though you may wish to use a drier wine to counterbalance that additional sweetness.

Choosing the right wine to pair with a dish, or to use in a spritzer, can be a challenging ordeal. There are so many varieties of white wine out there, and so much variance even within a particular grape varietal. But, like most decisions in the kitchen, in the end it is largely up to your particular preferences.

In this recipe we used a medium-sweet riesling. We chose this wine in part as a nod to the Germanic origins of white wine spritzers, but primarily because a medium-sweet wine works particularly well when diluted. Adding sparkling water to a sweet wine dilutes the flavor without erasing it. With more delicate wines, too much sparkling water could be a problem. Additionally, the sweet wine is perfectly complemented by the fruit and herb notes of the strawberry-mint ice cubes. Other medium-sweet options include moscato and French pinot gris.

For a slightly drier flavor, you could choose an American pinot gris, a dry riesling, or even a chardonnay. These wines would stand up well in this recipe, imparting slightly less sweetness, but still working in concert with the fruity elements.

If you are looking for a touch more sweetness, the best option would be to use a sweet riesling or a sweet moscato. With these wines you may wish to slightly increase the ratio of sparkling water to wine, to dilute the sweetness.