Get Creative With Your Cocktails

End of summer cookouts and picnics are the perfect setting for a refreshing cocktail, so why not entertain your friends with a new drink of your own invention? If you like to mix and match your drink ingredients, you could be rewarded for your creativity by entering the Mix it Up!' cocktail recipe contest. The contest is presented by New Hampshire's own drinkmakers LaBelle Winery and Drink Skinny Margarita Mix, and it rewards the creation of your own cocktail recipe featuring LaBelle wines and other drink ingredients, such as Drink Skinny's mixes.

Winemaker Amy LaBelle says, We've heard about so many people creating new recipes using LaBelle Wines we're excited to see what everyone has come up with.

Below is a sample cocktail recipe created using both LaBelle Wine and Drink Skinny Margarita Mix.

White Wine Sangria (makes 4 servings)

2 cups Labelle Winery's Seyval Blanc wine
1 cup Drink Skinny Pineapple Mango Margarita Mix
1 cup seltzer
1 cup chopped fresh fruit such as peaches or strawberries
Ice (to taste)

1) Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher
2) Stir gently, garnish with a fruit slice and serve

One Mix it Up!' contest winner will be chosen in each of two categories: Professional Bartender/Mixologist and Amateur Cocktail Enthusiast. Each winning recipe will be included in LaBelle Winery's upcoming The Winemaker's Kitchen cocktail recipe book, and winners will also receive a $50 gift certificate to LaBelle Winery plus two bottles of Drink Skinny Margarita Mix. Entries are accepted through the LaBelle web site or via mail-in entry forms available where LaBelle wines are sold.

As members of New Hampshire Made, both LaBelle Winery and Drink Skinny are excited about this opportunity to show off NH's professional and amateur mixologists.

LaBelle Winery is an award-winning Amherst winery that specializes in transforming local fruit into fresh, crisp, fine wine that closely reflects its original fruit. LaBelle's innovative wines include palate-pleasing blends of fruits like apple, cranberry, raspberry, blueberry, peach and apricot as well as dry and semi-sweet traditional red and white
grape wines and savory cooking wines. Drink Skinny Margarita Mix, based out of Tilton, creates Original and Pineapple Mango Margarita Mix made with real fruit juices, and all natural sweeteners. Both flavors of this margarita mix are low calorie and are sweetened with a blend of stevia and agave nectar, and contain no high-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners.

So, if you like to liven things up by pouring new combinations of drinks then enter your creative twist on a wine cocktail into the contest. The contest ends on Columbus Day, so start shaking! To enter the contest, visit www.labellewinerynh.com/cocktail.