The 4th of July is finally, here, Spiriteds, and if your family is like my family, then it’s all things BIG DEAL. Growing up, Mom, Gramp, The Gram, and aunts, uncles, and cousins went BIG or went home for Independence Day. We boated on the lake, stayed in cheap motels, lit fireworks when we thought no one was looking because it was illegal at the time, and ate and drank like it was our job. This summer, I began to wonder, What’s something thirst-quenching and refreshing the adults could enjoy on the 4th? What would cut through heat and humidity and be bright and colorful? What would pair well with windblown hair and sand-covered skin? That’s when it dawned on me. Frozen wine ice cubes, with fruit no less. And that’s how these Wine-Flavored Fruit Ice Cubes were born, Spiriteds.

Citrus, berries, and, depending on your choice of wine, a little pear, a little peach, come together for a bit of paradise, a berry-citrus cool down. Easy to make and enjoyable to savor, these Wine-Flavored Fruit Ice Cubes won’t water down your drink as they melt. In fact, the drink just gets better.

My love affair with Winking Owl wines, a brand exclusively through Aldi, I learned, continues. So I played around with their sweeter wines simply because I prefer sweet over dry, unless I have a steak nearby. But you can work with just about any wine or champagne you desire. K-Hubs thought these harkened back to a sangria. I had to agree. Wine-Flavored Fruit Ice Cubes are thirst-quenching and seriously the most perfect addition to a party.

So let’s make some, shall we?

I chose all-natural frozen berries and found the smaller berries (blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries) worked easiest. However, if you halve them or have trays or moulds large enough, strawberries are a delicious addition to this recipe. I added a few to my larger heart ice cubes. I also added frozen cherries from leftovers not used in the Vegan Strawberry Cherry Popsicles I made a few weeks ago.

The key to making Wine-Flavored Fruit Ice Cubes is to first add the frozen fruit to the empty ice cube trays. Then add the wine. And leave enough time for the mixture to freeze, or approximately 4 hours. The consistency won’t be the same as frozen water ice cubes, more like a slush, but these Wine-Flavored Fruit Ice Cubes should be solid enough to pry out of the tray (I use a table knife). And once I plop them in my glass, what else do I pour? More wine. May I also suggest a few spoons for once the ice cubes melt? Fruity deliciousness is at your fingertips, and nothing but a spoon will do. This recipe just keeps on giving. Frozen or thawed, your taste buds will be wowed.

Confession #12958634. While photographing these…you know what happened next…I reached for my glass of water sitting by itself on the counter with just a slurp left. Oops. That’s not water. Nope, that would be the extra wine that didn’t fit in the glass. Such a delightful mistake.

Thinking on the fly here, if you want a non-alcoholic version or maybe one the kids can enjoy, too, the replace the wine with lemonade or limeade. You may need to add sweetener to balance the bitter undertones. But I suspect the result will be delicious. And now I feel compelled to go try that and report back to you. The list of things to try is getting delightfully long because I also shared on Facebook that I’d like to turn this Raspberry Lime Daiquiri recipe into a popsicle. Scrumptious, no? It’s an entirely necessary endeavor. So, I’m working on that, too. #AllTheDrinks #AllThePopsicles

Whether it’s raspberry lime daiquiri popsicles or wine-flavored fruit ice cubes or a bucket of fried chicken (that was The Gram) or a bag of Ruffles potato chips (Mom) or 37 cans of Coke for everyone to enjoy (also The Gram), I gotta hand it to my family. They knew how to do the holidays. That is if holidays are about getting together and letting go of worries for a day or two.