Hot take: Mixed drinks made with wine deserve more love. Whether it’s a sparkling wine-based bevvy, like the Hugo spritz, Aperol spritz, or a mimosa, or a simple pitcher sipper, such as sangria, wine cocktails tend to be crowd-pleasing, low in alcohol, and a breeze to make.
Last year, the two-ingredient tinto de verano, a Spanish-style creation featuring equal parts red wine and lemon-lime soda, became one of the biggest social media trends in the wide world of wine cocktails. Now, we’re noticing another two-ingredient red wine cocktail making waves on TikTok (although this one is much more controversial): red wine and milk.
The Red Wine and Milk Trend, Explained
As with most TikTok trends, it’s tough to pin down where this exactly started. But one of the earliest proponents of mixing red wine with regular milk appears to be creator Sunny Vasconcelos (@sunny_ssh) who tried it herself, and ended the video by taking a taste and exclaiming, “wait this is not bad at all…try it out, please!”
Things really took off when music producer, actor, and Selena Gomez's sweetie Benny Blanco gave “red wine milk” a go in January. Since then, TikTokers have remixed the red wine idea with dairy-free milk and sweetened condensed milk. (The latter is a hat tip to Brazil's Espanhola cocktail, a blended drink made with red wine, sweetened condensed milk, and pineapple.)
“This particular combination is new to me and I can certainly see the appeal,” says John deBary, a New York City-based drinks writer, hospitality consultant, and the creator of the Drink What You Want: The Deck cocktail recipe guide.
While a distinct set of TikTok trials have ended with reviews like “It just waters down the wine,” and “Gross!” plenty of others claim it tastes like a Red Wine Ice Cream or sangria milkshake.
“At first, this might seem like an absurd combination, but it actually makes a lot of sense from a structural perspective,” deBary says. “Red wine contains acidity, some sweetness, tannins, and aromatics. Sweetened condensed milk supplies sweetness, which can balance out the acidity in the wine, and fats which can buffer any harshness from tannins, especially if you’re using a not-so-great wine.”
As with most things in life and cocktails, it’s all about balance and using your ingredients wisely, deBary and Denisse Soto, beverage consultant for Cariño in Chicago agree.
“Mixology is very similar to cooking," Soto says. "It all starts with an idea of flavors that you want to mix and once you have a base, it begins to develop with the layers you want to add to your brew. I don't think there is a wrong direction, but just the ideal way to put elements that complement each other.”
This red wine milk cocktail reminds Soto of a regional drink in central Mexico that’s “made with Jerez wine [a type of sherry], milk, eggs, sugar, and cinnamon. We say that it can count as breakfast, and consider it a ‘healthy’ drink,” she says with a laugh.
As for deBary, he hasn’t tried the red wine milk combo yet but confirms that he's "a big advocate for 2-ingredient cocktails.” A cocktail, at its core, is simply “‘something mixed with something else.’ This is a good example of how even simple drinks can transform and re-contextualize their base ingredients.”
Tips for Trying the Red Wine and Milk Trend at Home
Many sommeliers might scoff at this unlikely pair, true. But there are a few valid reasons why this wild-yet-wonderful combination could actually be something you reach for.
We definitely recommend reserving your top-shelf bottles of Barolo or Grand Cru Bordeaux wine to enjoy in their pure glory. Instead, if you’d like to try the red wine milk cocktail trend, Soto and deBary advise sticking to a bottle of red wine in the $10 to $15 range.
“I would want something ‘big,’ from perhaps California or Italy,” deBary says, like Merlot or Chianti.
As for Soto, she suggests a Spanish tempranillo, due to its “light and dry body, and profiles of fresh berries.” (These should play nicely with regular or sweetened condensed milk.)
Test Kitchen Tip: If you’re not imbibing, opt for a non-alcoholic wine. Jukes, Surely, and Fre all offer solid spirit-free reds.
The TikTok demonstrations rarely reveal any specific ratios for a “recipe,” so we asked Soto to design one for us.
How to Make a Red Wine Milk Cocktail
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to give the easy cocktail recipe below a try.
“I think this combination is adventurous, fresh, and bold,” Soto says.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces red wine
- 1 1/2 ounces milk or sweetened condensed milk
- Optional, for Espanhola variation: 4 ounces pineapple juice
Directions
- In a wine glass, combine wine, milk, and pineapple juice, if using.
- Using a spoon or straw, stir to combine.
- Enjoy, and post your official review on TikTok, if desired!