Frozen Rosé (Frosé)

Justin Smillie and Justin Anderson, Bar Primi, New York City, 2016. The drink was featured in a Food and Wine article in June 2016 and immediately became a viral summer phenomenon. Within weeks, bars across the United States and Europe had replicated it. The drink's success accelerated the rosé wine category's already-rapid growth and established summer 2016 as the year rosé became ubiquitous.

Frosé — frozen rosé wine — is the 2016 summer cocktail phenomenon that transformed rosé from a sit-down-with-food choice into a blended, slushy, poolside social drink. Created by Bar Primi chef Justin Smillie and bartender Justin Anderson in New York City in 2016, the drink works by freezing high-quality Provençal rosé into a concentrated slush (rosé's alcohol prevents full freezing), adding a touch of rosé simple syrup and fresh strawberry or watermelon for body, and blending until smooth. Frosé's cultural footprint was enormous — it defined New York's summer 2016, spread globally, and established rosé as an all-conditions wine category rather than a seasonal aperitif.

FOOD PAIRING: Frosé's light, fruity, chilled rosé profile pairs with summer fare, lighter meat, and fresh preparations. Provenance 1000 pairings: grilled chicken salad with strawberries and feta (the strawberry-rosé bridge), watermelon and feta skewers, prosciutto and melon (the classic Provençal rosé pairing now in slush form), chilled gazpacho, and fresh berry pavlova.