‘Tis the season for a lovely lambrusco smash! 

A refreshing and warming lambrusco smash, made with bubbly red wine, bourbon, orange soda and maple syrup. Tastes like the holidays!

Once you start making this for the rest of your fall festivities, you may forgo every other cocktail. It tastes like how November feels. Chilly yet warm from friends and fires, smelling of crunchy leaves and cinnamon and citrus. 

It will warm you from the inside. Then to your soul! 

A refreshing and warming lambrusco smash, made with bubbly red wine, bourbon, orange soda and maple syrup. Tastes like the holidays!

It’s no secret that I love lambrusco! It’s just the *right* amount of bubbly, you know? So effervescent, so perfect. And not overly sweet either! 

It’s my favorite red wine to use during the holiday season – on its own or mixed into cocktails.

And that’s what we have here!

A little lambrusco bourbon smash. Made with orange soda and a hint of maple syrup for sweetness, it’s so perfect for November and the Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving season. 

A refreshing and warming lambrusco smash, made with bubbly red wine, bourbon, orange soda and maple syrup. Tastes like the holidays!

You can skip the maple syrup if you’d like – after all, we do have a super crunchy, textured cinnamon sugared rim. That’s basically my signature come fall time, because everything tastes better with one. Let’s be honest.

A refreshing and warming lambrusco smash, made with bubbly red wine, bourbon, orange soda and maple syrup. Tastes like the holidays!

Obviously the best part about this is that we can make the drink ahead of time! Stir everything together an hour or so before you want to serve it, that way the bubbles will stay. It gets more flavorful as it sits, especially if you add in the orange slices or even cinnamon sticks.

YES.

With a billion other dishes to worry about on Thanksgiving, a cocktail or mocktail is not what you want to add to the list. Make something that you can prep ahead of time; something that other guests can pour and serve. 

And can I tell you right now that I’ve had to delete approximately 65 exclamation points from this post, because my excitement is so insane?

A refreshing and warming lambrusco smash, made with bubbly red wine, bourbon, orange soda and maple syrup. Tastes like the holidays!

This drink is seasonally refreshing and also warming at the same time. Is it just me, or do you feel a grand pull towards red wine once the weather cools down? I never did until about three years ago, and now it’s all I find myself craving since it’s dark in the afternoon AND cold.

Really, this might just be the best cure for daylight savings time ending. 

A refreshing and warming lambrusco smash, made with bubbly red wine, bourbon, orange soda and maple syrup. Tastes like the holidays!

Lambrusco Smash

Lambrusco Smash

Yield: 4 to 6 people
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
A refreshing and warming lambrusco smash, made with bubby red wine, bourbon, orange soda and maple syrup. Tastes like the holidays!
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5 from 13 votes
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Ingredients

  • 1 750mL bottle lambrusco
  • 12 ounces orange soda
  • 4 ounces bourbon
  • 2 ounces maple syrup
  • orange wedges for serving

for the rim:

  • ¼ cup coarse sugar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • orange wedges for rimming

Instructions 

  • In a large pitcher, stir together the lambrusco, bourbon, orange soda and maple syrup.
  • Stir together the cinnamon and sugar on a plate. Rim the glass with an orange wedge and dip the glass in the cinnamon sugar.
  • Fill the glass with ice and pour the lambrusco over top. Garnish with an orange wedge!
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Author: How Sweet Eats
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A refreshing and warming lambrusco smash, made with bubbly red wine, bourbon, orange soda and maple syrup. Tastes like the holidays!

Seriously look at those bubbles!