We’re sure you’ve heard it a million times, but the summer months are coming. And not a moment too soon because our sunshine-starved bodies are ready to embrace the longer days and everything that comes with early summer festivities.
There are some things that are just better in summer. Linen clothing? Made for summer. Backyard BBQs? We only want them from November through February. Refreshing drinks? Don’t even get us started. No, wait, actually, please do.
It’s a commonly accepted fact that our drinking choices change throughout the year, which makes sense because we’re often seeking different things as the year progresses. In winter, it’s all about moody cocktails or rich red wines that feel warmer than their chilled white (or rosé) counterparts. In summer, it’s more about those ice-cold sundowners with our mates, preferably overlooking a body of water.
In the run-up to summer (and, to be honest, spring), we’ve crowdsourced some of the most delicious drink flavour pairings that the POPSUGAR Australia team swears by on sunny days. This exploration into the drinks that slap in the summer comes courtesy of the new Paradox wine seltzers, which take everything you already love about a light and refreshing seltzer and add wine for a more complex flavour.
Let’s face it, Australia was made for the summer and much like our (usually) sunny country, there are some things that are just better in the warmer months.
Pear and Finger Lime
If you’re a cider girlie from way back then seeing a canned bev with pear listed as an ingredient will give you pleasant little flashbacks to summer parties of years past. Our only gripe with ciders though, is that they can be extremely sweet and we prefer something a bit lighter and zingy, but still with the delicious flavour of pear. We don’t necessarily want something intense for an afternoon drink, but definitely require a drink with a little bit of interest.
One such drink that ticks all of those boxes is the Paradox Pinot Gris Wine Seltzer. A wine seltzer is the best of both worlds for people who love a wine but don’t really want to rock up to a party with a bottle and cups. It’s also a good option for people who prefer a lower alcohol option and for lovers of the traditional seltzer who want to mix things up. This one in particular is spiked with a hint of fruity fresh pear and zesty finger lime. Finger lime is where the real interest lies, with a slightly tart bitterness combined with pear to bring out the natural flavours of the pinot gris and stop this tipple from steering too close to a sweet drink.
Strawberry and Hibiscus
When we think of strawberry and hibiscus drinks, we immediately imagine those decorative hibiscus flowers that unfurl in your glass and were all the rage in 2010. Thankfully, we’ve moved on from these sickly sweet days and now we have deliciously light and refreshing summer tipples that combine what is arguably everyone’s favourite summer fruit (don’t tell mangoes we said that) with the flower of vacations, hibiscus.
Specifically, we’re talking about the Paradox Rosé Wine Seltzer, which is a light and delicate drink that screams summer. The reason this one has popped up onto our radars for the summer is that strawberry and hibiscus are not necessarily a flavour we’d reach for in the colder months, so now that warmer days are knocking on my doors, we’re here for it. Plus, this can only has one 1g of sugar and a single standard drink. It’s a drink to chill with, and we like that.
Wine and Almost Any Fruit
Hear us out, adding fruit to wine is one way to make it not only taste better . . . but fun. Of course, with the drink options above, the hard work has been done for you, with wine combined with sparkling water and gentle fruity accompaniments already that compliment the wine flavours perfectly. Delish. We love that.
But the fun thing about being an adult is that there are no rules, so while we would never consider adding fruit to the bold red wines we spoke about earlier, we absolutely would pop some fruit into my summer wines. A cute way to do this without ending up with soggy fruit floating in your drink is to freeze fruit, so they act as classy little ice cubes. This works great with grapes and berries, which you can freeze whole or plop a few into your ice tray with water for a more aesthetic ice cube.
Welcome to summer, team. Enjoy those wines (responsibly, of course).
