Have you looked?  It’s the end of July!

At the risk of dating myself, I’m remembering the 1969 TV Special, “It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown.” There’s a memorable scene where the boys are sitting around the campfire, bemoaning their sad summer.  It has not gone how they expected it to.

Perhaps this is a good reminder that here in Alberta, the summer is also short.  Consequently, it needs to be grasped with gusto, shaken into submission and wrung out til every possible enjoyable moment has been extracted.  Of course the enjoyment of summer means different things to different people, but there’s little doubt that many enjoy the simple things:  lots of sunshine, warm evenings, simple summer meals, and cool summer drinks on the patio.

If you’ve been following us on social media recently, you may have already seen some posts about patio drinks made with fruit wines.  As we like to say, “With Fruit Wines, the possibilities are endless!”  And so, in keeping with that theme, I thought I’d share one dozen fun ideas on how to enjoy Field Stone wines in the summer heat.  It’s time to pull up that deck chair!

1. Berry Lemonade Summer Cocktail (What else says ‘summer’ like lemonade?)

1 oz. Saskatoon Berry Dessert Wine

3 oz. lemonade

Fill tall glass with ice and lemon slices.  Mix all ingredients together and pour over the ice.

2. Strawberry-Rhubarb Popsicles  (Finally, an adult popsicle!)

¼ c. water

¼ c. sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 lb. fresh strawberries

1 cup Strawberry-Rhubarb Fruit Wine

Bring water, sugar & lemon juice to a boil; boil for 5 minutes.  Let cool.

Cut up the strawberries and slightly puree them.  Combine with simple syrup and fruit wine.  Stir slightly.  Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

3. Not An Aperol Spritz (A popular Prosecco-based spritz…)

3 oz. Wild Black Cherry Dessert Wine

3 oz. Prosecco

1 oz. club soda

Add ice to a wine glass til nearly full.  Pour in dessert wine, add prosecco and top up with soda.  Add two slices of orange and enjoy!

4. Raspberry Cooler Martini   (A kind of adult lemonade in a martini glass..)

2 oz. Raspberry Dessert Wine
1 oz. Vodka
2 oz. Pink Lemonade

Pour ingredients into a shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into chilled martini glasses.  Garnish with raspberries.

5. Kir Royale Sangria  (Quick to assemble… not too sweet… just right!)

1 bottle Black Currant Fruit Wine

3/4 cup Black Currant Dessert Wine

1 tablespoon simple syrup

1 cup sparkling water

2 cups frozen mixed berries, straight from the freezer

Combine all in a large pitcher with ice. Serve immediately.

6. Pop’s Popular Popsicle  (Perfect for a 30 degree day…)

1 bottle Bumbleberry Fruit Wine

½ cup simple syrup

½ cup orange liqueur (can substitute orange juice)

2 lemons

2 cups mixed berries

Combine wine, simple syrup and orange liqueur in pitcher.  Juice 1 lemon into the pitcher. Slice & halve the other lemon and add with the berries.  Pour into 3-ounce paper cups and freeze for 2 hours til it starts to ice over.  Insert popsicle sticks and freeze overnight.  Carefully peel away the paper and eat immediately!

7. Raspberry Wine Slushie  (Who doesn’t love a slushie?)

2 cups raspberries

1 bottle Raspberry Fruit Wine

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. sugar

Puree the raspberries, wine, juice & sugar. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions.  Scoop out of the freezer bowl and place in container to store until ready to drink.  Allow to thaw to slushy consistency before serving.

8. Simple Strawberry Spritzer (So easy, so yummy and so summery…)

4 oz. Strawberry Dessert Wine

2 oz. club soda

Fill a glass with ice and add wine & soda.  Garnish with a fresh strawberry.

9. Strawberry-Rhubarb “Frose” (For all you ‘frose’ lovers…)

1 bottle Strawberry-Rhubarb Fruit Wine

2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen

1 tbsp. sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

1/3 cup vodka

Pour wine into two ice cube trays and freeze 8 hours or overnight.  Add all ingredients to the blender and blend to desired consistency.  Top with your favourite garnish and serve!

PS:  Prefer Raspberry?  Use one bottle of Raspberry Fruit Wine and 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries.  Equally delish!

10. Cherry-Berry Wine Slushie (Simplified and super tasty…)

2 cups frozen cherries (sweet or sour)

2 cups frozen saskatoon berries

1 bottle Cherry Fruit Wine

Place cherries, berries, and wine in blender.  Blend until it reaches your desired consistency.  Pour into four glasses and serve immediately.

11. Pink Gin & Tonic (A new twist on an old favourite….)

1 cup gin

1 cup cranberry juice

1 cup Raspberry Fruit Wine

2-3 lemons, sliced

1 cup tonic water.

Fill pitcher with ice.  Pour in gin, juice and wine; stir well.  Add lemons and top up with tonic water.  Pour into chilled glasses and enjoy!

12. Field Stone FloraDora (Light as a feather … with that great ginger flavour…)

2 oz. gin

1 oz. Raspberry Dessert Wine

½ oz. lime juice

2 oz. ginger beer

Mix together in a glass, over ice.  Garnish with lots of raspberries and a twist of lime.

(Do you like it sweeter?  Substitute ginger ale for the beer..)  Either way, it’s a hit!

Of course, these are just a few of the many patio possibilities …  the list is as long as your imagination!

Hopefully these fruity recipes help you with your summer relaxation.  If you have any variations that have worked well for you, I’d love to hear about them!   And you can always find more at www.fieldstonefruitwines.com.

Thanks to all who have come out to the seasonal markets around the province these last two months.  If you haven’t visited one yet, check out our list on the Find Us page, and plan to take one in.  We continue to offer some great deals at both our seasonal, and also our year-round markets each week.  There are also samples available, so you can taste before you buy…

We’re very excited about coming up to our FIRST ANNIVERSARY at Calgary Farmers Market Greenwich in August!  It’s been a great year for us at this location, which just couldn’t have happened without the support of Calgarians and Albertans from around the province. We’ll be posting more in August about our anniversary celebrations.

And as always, join us on social media to keep abreast of new events, new recipes and new promotions all summer long!

Summer just can’t be beat.   Warm weather, sunshine, farmers markets, seasonal fruits, garden bounty.  Just add patio-perfect, award-winning, Alberta fruit wines, and stir.

Happy July, everyone.  Let the relaxation continue.