Spicy Rosé Is Trending For The Girls Who Like A Kick In Their Drink

This summer, free spirits were all over the internet broadcasting that they have an ideal way to elevate their favorite, blush-colored wine. Enter the spicy rosé – a combination of rosé wine and jalapeño peppers. Called "the unexpected 'It' drink of summer 2022" by The Telegraph, it shows every sign of drawing new admirers through the fall season and beyond.

Rosé wine is made from red wine grapes and achieves its signature pink color by reducing the fermentation time of grape skins, according to MasterClass. It is its own genre produced largely in Provence, France. And it tastes just like you think it would — a light red wine with additional notes of fruits such as citrus, melon, or strawberries.

Considering that jalapeños are also bona fide members of the fruit family, the pairing doesn't seem as strange anymore, does it? Here's why everyone is loving the spicy kick the fiery pepper brings.

Yes, at first thought, a jalapeño pepper may seem like an odd addition to a sweet drink. In fact, as sommelier Breana Lai Killeen told Allrecipes: "Why would I ever want to taint my lovely glass of wine with a hot pepper?"

The pairing may be unconventional, but to understand why it just works it helps to take a good look at the pepper itself. A pepper's heat level is measured in units known as Scoville Heat Units or SHU (via MasterClass). Jalapeños register an average SHU of 10,000. To compare, bell peppers don't score on this scale at all, and pepperoncini breaks through at 900 SHU. The Carolina Reaper, widely considered to be the world's hottest pepper, scores a blistering SHU of 2.2 million.

Though mild by comparison, jalapeño peppers will give a glass of rosé some kick, perhaps leaving you more appreciative than alarmed. Southern Living calls the combination "a festive option for those who already prefer a spicy cocktail, such as a spicy margarita." Even the once-skeptical sommelier Killeen admitted to being "pleasantly surprised" by the smooth melding of the flavors (via Allrecipes). You might be, too.

Mixing a spicy rosé is delightfully simple. All you need is a bottle of rosé, a jalapeño pepper, and some ice if you prefer it. First, slice the pepper into rings, keeping your hands away from your eyes so that you don't accidentally burn them with pepper juice. Food writer Sarra Sedghi of Taste of Home recommends adding the pepper rings into the wine glass first and then pouring the rosé wine over them. Then add a few ice cubes. If you fear that the ice cubes will dilute the drink, chill your glass in the refrigerator or freezer first or just chill the rosé.

After some initial skepticism, spicy rosé is being taken seriously, and people are even trying to finesse it. Sedghi placed the drink into the refrigerator after it was prepared and let it sit there for 30 minutes so that the flavors commingled. She called it an "unexpectedly delicious drink," according to Taste of Home. The drink also got a thumbs-up from USA Today food writer Morgan Hines, who said it "had a similar impact as a spicy margarita but was a little more subdued and less sugary."

Ready to take on the heat and make spicy rosé your next signature drink?