A frosé by any other name should still be slightly sweet

The summer of our content is finally here. Well, almost here, if you’re worried about technicalities (the first official first day of summer is June 21). No required masks, no indoor spacing and no need for vaccination cards.

It might not be the summer of love, but it could be the summer of like, right? And if there’s anything anyone loves (or likes) on a hot summer day, it’s a cold drink. And there’s no colder drink than a blended one.

But before anyone rushes out and orders a blended Hemingway Daiquiri (aka Papa Doble), the ones the so-called “Cocktail King of Cuba” Constante (mentioned in 1970’s “Islands in the Stream”) used to make — two shots of rum, maraschino liqueur, grapefruit juice and fresh-squeezed lime — I suggest that you really think twice about that for two reasons. One, double drinks are almost never a good idea. And two, no sugar? What?

Limes and lemons need balancing in cocktails, and one thing that balances out tart is sweet. But blended drinks in particular need sugar.

There’s a commendable desire these days to use fresh juices and fresh fruit in everything. But in blended drinks, fresh berries are never sweet enough nor do they deliver the right color. They’re going to need help, or your fresh blackberry Margarita is going to end up supremely tart and a weird pale gray. You can certainly add sugar and color yourself (jam and jellies or liqueurs are a great way to do that). But premade, frozen berry purees are often a much easier, more manageable and certainly more cost effective way to go.

Watermelon, on the other hand, contains plenty of sweetness and color all on its own. (Turns out, watermelons really are “berry” fruits, at least according to botanists.) To make a puree, cut a whole watermelon into quarters. With a knife, remove the green rind and the white part just beneath. Cut the melon flesh into pieces, removing as many seeds as you can. Place watermelon pieces in a blender and blend until liquified.

Every now and then, you see “molecular” mixologists “acid correcting” fruit with powdered citric acid. Adding natural sugar is one thing, but adding an artificial chemical additive to replicate a natural process is quite another — and one I tend to steer away from.

Whatever the case, blended drinks are in and the blended frozen “frosé” might be the best symbol of that. Essentially, a frosé is a blended wine “daiquiri,” familiar to anyone who has ever frequented a hard liquor license-impaired county fair. Making one with trendy rosé ups the sophistication factor. (Can blended Sancerre be far behind?)

If you’re making one at home, know that the taste of the rosé in your blended drink is far less important than it would be on its own. So it’s fine to use a simpler, less-expensive wine, if you wish. And never use sparkling rose in a blended drink (or one that is to be shaken, for that matter). Carbonation and confined spaces don’t mix well — or they mix too well, depending upon your perspective.

Here two localized versions of this popular drink, one sweetened with berry puree, the other with watermelon — both refreshing and summery.

RECIPES

Strawberry Frosé

Makes 2

8 ounces Parum Leo rosé of pinot noir

1 ounce Alamere French wheat vodka (optional)

2 ounces Perfect Puree frozen strawberry puree

½ ounce fresh-squeezed Meyer lemon juice

2 strawberry “fans,” sliced bottom to top (retaining green top) or dried rosebud tea to garnish

Ice to fill

DIRECTIONS: Fill a blender canister ¾ full with ice. Add liquid ingredients and cover with lid. Blend on low, progressing to high, until desired consistency is reached. Pour mixture into chilled wine glasses. Spread strawberries out in a fan pattern and place on top or garnish with dried miniature rosebuds.

Watermelon Frosé

Makes 2

8 ounces McEvoy Ranch Rosebud rosé wine

1 ounce Alamere French wheat vodka (optional)

3 ounces pureed watermelon

Black watermelon seeds (or black sesame seeds) to garnish

Ice to fill

DIRECTIONS: Fill a blender canister ¾ full with ice. Add liquid ingredients and cover with lid. Blend on low, progressing to high, until desired consistency is reached. Pour mixture into chilled wine glasses, sprinkling seeds on top for garnish.

Jeff Burkhart is the author of “Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender, Vol. I and II,” the host of the Barfly Podcast on iTunes. Follow him at jeffburkhart.net and reach him at jeffbarflyIJ@outlook.com.