Red wine is made from grapes just like white wine, but gets its rich color and increased tannins from the skins of the grape, which are left on through the fermentation process.
Some older cocktail manuals call for “claret” in the ingredients list. Claret was sometimes used to describe a red Bordeaux by English writers; sometimes they simply meant “any red wine.”
Most cocktails are not too picky about the specific type of red wine you use. A wine that you enjoy drinking will probably fine in any of these recipes, but we’ll make a note when a specific varietal is called for.
