How often have you opened a bottle of wine, only to not finish it and forget about it? As it sits in your fridge or on your counter, it oxidizes and the flavours become lost and a little less desirable. You tell yourself you can cook with the wine, but never actually get around to using it to cook and inevitably just throw it away. 

Well, we’re here to tell you that wine can be saved, made into a syrup to be used in cocktails! For an even fresher flavour, you can use fresh wines (white is preferred for its fruitiness and acidity) or even a sparkling wine! We’ve found great success using Rieslings and Prosecco for syrups for their green fruit and tropical fruit profiles. It’s a simple matter of mixing one part wine with one part sugar, and simmering in a saucepan until the sugars have dissolved. Depending on the wine you choose, you will have different flavour profiles. You can even use non-alcoholic sparkling wines, such as Gruvi Dry Secco which makes for a phenomenal syrup!

INGREDIENTS

• ½ Cup White Wine or Sparkling Wine
• ½ Cup Sugar

DIRECTIONS

• Add your wine or sparkling wine to a small saucepan. 
• Add the sugar. 
• Give it a stir to incorporate the sugar and wine together.  
• Set the stove to medium heat and gently simmer. 
• Remove from heat as soon as all the sugar has dissolved.
• Let cool to room temperature. 
• Bottle in a clean jar or glass bottle.
• Refrigerate.
• Keeps for one week.

NOTE: If you wish to modify this recipe further, add some elements to the syrup before simmering. You can add slices of citrus, ginger, or even spices to add complexity to your syrups flavour. While simmering, be sure to taste frequently and then strain out the solids once the desired flavour strength is achieved. Chill and then refrigerate as normal.