Wednesday Night Wine-Down: 52 Drinks for Low-Alcohol Midweek Sipping

In this breezy if somewhat uneven collection, Newen (Monday Night Mocktails) serves up 52 wine cocktails recommended for low-proof weeknight relaxation. The recipes are rendered in simple prose, paired with attractive photography, and sorted by season: from glogg (spiced port) in winter to mimosa variations in spring, watermelon frosé in summer, and a cider-vermouth cocktail in autumn. Newens’s premise occasionally stretches thin, leading to some unusual drinks that may raise eyebrows among both classic cocktail lovers and oenophiles including a whiskey sour with a cabernet sauvignon float, and a chilled stout and sparkling wine combo garnished with dark chocolate shavings. For the less adventurous, there are myriad appealing spritzes, including a festive sugar-rimmed sparkling cranberry flute, and some familiar favorites, like a lightly elevated tinto de verano made with fresh squeezed citrus and simple syrup instead of lemon-lime soda. The result is a lighthearted and whimsical offering for the wine cocktail curious. (May)