Frosé Hits Chicago

I will admit that I don’t always see trends coming (or even realize that we’re in the midst of some “next big thing” like poutine), but after having heard about Eataly’s frosé (that’s a portmanteau of frozen and rosé, in case you missed it), I say it’s time for frosé to have its moment.  I immediately thought of my friend Jamie, in Austin, TX, who turned me onto this summertime refresher at the Hotel San José. The drink is pretty simple: rosé is fortified with some simple syrup and lemon juice to help freeze it, since alcohol doesn’t quite cooperate. It has the texture of a watery granita, or, if you’ve spent any time in a 7-Eleven, a more accurate description would be a Slurpee. Eataly currently offers two versions, both of which are found in their first floor gelato area and dispensed via machine (see below): a mixed berry, which I couldn’t stop sipping on a hot summer afternoon – the taste of plump, ripe berries with the slightest hint of alcohol cooling me down as it coated my tongue, and a strawberry lime, which I found a little too tart, but still enjoyable nonetheless. They run $10 a glass, and you must be 21 to order.

Eataly
43 E. Ohio St.
312-521-8700