What makes this wine spritzer special is a shot of homemade strawberry-infused vodka. Tip it to your nose and it smells so very much like strawberry pie you may be tempted to sip straight from the jar — and if you do, it tastes wonderful, like sweet, perfectly ripe, boozy strawberries. In the spritzer, it blends with the rosé and basil beautifully, creating a drink that’s lightly sweet, very aromatic, and so perfect for early spring.

It’s a very pretty drink, too. The rosé and the strawberries give it a deep pink blush, and we love to see the basil and crushed strawberries swirling around in the ice. If you want to spoil your S.O., make it for a fancy Sunday brunch or, better yet, the first day of staycation — it pairs beautifully with a sunny patio.

Our tip: The vodka needs to sit for up to a full week, so this is a plan ahead project! But once you have the vodka, you can make all kinds of cocktails with it, from tipsy lemonade to vodka tonics and grown-up strawberry milkshakes. And if you prefer white wine — or it’s what you happen to have around the house — it will also work perfectly in this cocktail.

Strawberry Basil Spritzer

Servings: 1

Ingredients

1 oz strawberry-infused vodka (recipe below)
1 strawberry, sliced
2 to 4 basil leaves
½ tsp granulated sugar
3 oz Gelson’s Rosé
3 oz sparkling mineral water
Ice

Directions

1. Muddle the sugar, strawberries, and basil leaves in a Collins glass.
2. Add the ice and remaining ingredients.

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Strawberry-Infused Vodka

Ingredients

8 oz Tito’s Handmade Vodka
8 oz strawberries, sliced

Directions

1. Drop sliced strawberries into a bottle or glass container. Add Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
2. Let sit in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days, or until it’s as infused as you like it.
3. Remove the fruit and store in an airtight container.
   

Recipes adapted from Tito’s Handmade Vodka