Red Wine Foam Is The Cocktail Garnish You Didn't Know You Needed

A quick can of beer or a no-frills vodka soda is an easy way to enjoy a buzzy libation with little effort. However, with a little extra work, a thoughtfully crafted cocktail made with unique, eccentric, and tasteful ingredients can make the sipping experience all the more sophisticated and subtle. In addition to the spirits and mixers you use to make a bougie, boozy beverage, a cocktail garnish is the spellbinding touch that ties a pretty potion together. Enter red wine foam — the fluffy, fruity finish that transforms a cocktail with its chic and flavorful trim.

Cocktail foam is a delicate froth crafted from liquid ingredients blended with egg whites, aquafaba, gelatin, or agar-agar infused with flavoring agents and dispensed from a whipped cream canister to form a light, velvety crown for your drink. Red wine cocktail foam is a nuanced beverage garnish that blends the rich, tannin-tinted flavor of your favorite crimson vino with the whipped consistency of cream, improving not just the taste of your drink, but its texture to boot. As the turbid top layer of your drink, red wine foam is the first flavor you'll encounter, creating a luxurious prelude before the rest of the drink breaks through like rain through a cloud, culminating in a multi-dimensional flavor profile.

From zippy pinot noir to full-bodied cabernet sauvignon and jammy chianti, there are dozens of red wines to metamorphose into foam garnish for cocktails made with various spirits, sweeteners, and mixers. Make sure to select a high-quality red wine that doesn't skimp on flavor; Just because it's a garnish doesn't mean it should lack character. 

Although red wine foam isn't your everyday cocktail ingredient, there are plenty of decadent drinks to be made with it. Whether you like brown liquor, infused vodkas, or low-ABV spirits, you'll have no trouble finding a wine foam-topped cocktail that suits your discerning taste.

A rich red wine foam made from a round-on-the-palate cabernet sauvignon pairs divinely with a bourbon sour crafted with lemon juice and simple syrup. The deep black cherry notes of the wine and the zippy taste of lemon are grounded by the oaky essence of bourbon, making each sip a zesty, yet cozy, revelation. For something more refreshing, craft a pinot noir foam and spread it atop a citrus-kissed gin fizz that walks the line between botanical, juicy, and tangy. Conjure up a winter-inspired cocktail with year-round appeal by combining spiced rum with apple cider, topped with a chocolate-shaded malbec foam.

To ensure maximum freshness, store the foam in the fridge and use it within one week of preparing it. Remember — The colder, the creamier! Pair red wine foam-topped cocktails with a show-stopping charcuterie board, a crave-curbing dark chocolate fondue, or savory herb-roasted lamb. Try this chic and unique cocktail garnish before it hits the mainstream harder than espresso martinis in 2021.