Smooth Move to Coolers

The Wine Press has consistently savaged coolers. "Not really wine," it sniffs. Of course not; that's the point. Coolers are a whole new dimension in beverages, taking their place alongside wine, beer and soda pop. For want of a better handle, they've been termed adult soft drinks. Coolers have been spectacularly successful because they implement the changing American lifestyle, with its attention to fitness and moderation. Convenience is another prime attraction of coolers. They're fast, fun and east to swallow. Just twist off the bottle cap or flip the tab and you're in business. Definitely not the thing to serve at formal dinners, coolers are perfect at the beach or the marina, at barbecues and picnics.

With upwards of 75 brands on the shelves, you can't tell the players without a score card. However, the field shakes down into four broad groups---citrus, fruits and berries, soda-pop flavors, exotic and bizarre. Under bizarre, file Rattlesnake Cooler, Scooter Juice, Harley-Davidson, Ridge Runner, 20/20 Free Spirit---which is nonalcoholic---and Lotto, with redeemable bottle caps. (Would we kid you?) Following are specific flavor profiles of the leading cooler brands, roughly in order of popularity.

California Cooler: Undisputed numero uno---citrusy, fruity, with a definite almond-extract, undertone and a little fizz. The Orange Cooler has a distinct orange flavor and aroma, while the new Tropical combines mango, pineapple and other fruits for a tropical tang.

Bartles & Jaymes: Coming up fast---most winelike of all coolers; combines flavors of apple cider and lemon. Clean and dryish, with large bubbles.

Sun Country Cooler: Now in five flavors. Original Citrus hints of pineapple, grapefruit and lemon; Orange offers enveloping orange aroma and flavor and wine undertones; Tropical Cooler is a modified fruit punch; Peach and Cherry are moving into national distribution.

Seagram's Cooler: Subdued blend of white wine, citrus and spice notes---agreeable.

Calvin Cooler(not the former President): Comes in six flavors---raspberry, citrus, passion, grape, orange and Chablis. Chablis has hints of wine and ginger, with a tart finish. Orange is orangeade with a layer of wine. Passion reminds us of cotton candy. Raspberry and grape are in the soda-flavor realm, with tart undertones.

20/20 Wine Cooler: Also produced in six flavors. Raspberry and strawberry are sweet, fruity and fresh-tasting. Orange and apple are so-so and Tropical Cooler resembles a frat-house punch. The aforementioned nonalcoholic Free Spirit is a diet cooler with an aggressive lemon flavor and faint chemical notes sweetened with saccharine. At 100 calories a bottle, it's about half the normal calorie count for coolers.

Among other coolers worthy of mention are Heublein's Citronet---restrained citrus and spice flavors; thin, refreshing. T.J. Swann, from the same stable, bottles an agreeable strawberry and a dandy peach cooler, but the citrus is a bit too almondy for our taste. Steidl's offers a white and a red cooler; the red is better. Country Cooler is produced by G. Heileman, the brewing company. Nevertheless, its four coolers are white-wine-based; we like the orange best. The country's dominant brewery, Anheuser-Busch, is testing the waters with Babry's, a cooler based (concluded on page 164) Coolers (continued from page 109)on champagne in four flavors---citrus, mimosa, cranberry and kir royale. California's sizable wine cooperative Guild Wineries contributes a red and a white cooler under the Quinn's Cooler label. The red is refreshing, with grapefruit and red-wine accents; the white is limy and crisp.

Life in the cooler lane is turbulent, with processors working feverishly but secretly to develop new flavors. Nevertheless, information is often leaked. New products rumored to be in the works, or in test markets, are a chocolate and a plum from T.J. Swann, a cherry from Sun Country, a pineapple from Calvin Cooler and an imported cooler from Italy, modeled on Riunite. Bob Huntington, V.P. of Can-andaigua (Sun Country Cooler), foresees a flood of imported coolers coming our way.

Along with their other virtues, coolers make marvelous mixers. Simply combine a splash of your favorite spirit with a compatible cooler and you've got the essentials of a first-rate drink. Since coolers already contain about five to six percent alcohol, you should cut back on the amount of spirits you add. You'll find it an easy new way to entertain friends---and yourself. The recipes that follow will give you some idea of the possibilities of coolers as mixers.

[recipe_title]The Cooler Purple[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon crème de cassis[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. tequila[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Juice of1/2 small lime[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. berry cooler, well chilled[/drinkRecipe]

Add crème de cassis to stemmed wineglass. Roll glass so liqueur coats inside. Drop 1 ice cube into glass. Add tequila and lime juice; stir. Pour in chilled cooler; stir quickly.

[recipe_title]Tropicooler[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. dark rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lime wedge[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. Tropical Cooler, well chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Pineapple cube, optional[/drinkRecipe]

Pour rum over ice cubes in 8-oz. highball glass. Squeeze in lime juice; drop peel into glass. Stir well. Pour in Tropical Cooler; stir briefly. Fix pineapple on pick and place in glass, if desired.

[recipe_title]Vermouth Cooler[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. citrus wine cooler, well chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]11/2 ozs. dry vermouth[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 dashes Angostura bitters, or to taste[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon wheel[/drinkRecipe]

Pour cooler and vermouth over ice cubes in highball glass. Shake in bitters and stir. Hang lemon wheel on rim of glass.

[recipe_title]Raj Cooler[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 oz. triple sec[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. gin[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon wedge[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. chilled cooler (citrus, Chablis or orange), or to taste[/drinkRecipe]

Pour triple sec and gin over ice in old fashioned glass. Squeeze in juice of lemon; add peel. Stir well. Add chilled cooler.

[recipe_title]Cool Driver[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Thin slice orange[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. orange cooler, well chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Mint sprig, optional[/drinkRecipe]

Pour vodka over 1 ice cube in stemmed glass; stir. Drop orange slice into glass. Add chilled cooler; stir briefly. Garnish with mint sprig, if desired.

[recipe_title]Cooler Sangria[/recipe_title]

(About eight servings)

[drinkRecipe]1 navel orange[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 grapefruit[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 lemon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. blackberry-flavored brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 bottle (750 ml.) or 2 12-oz. bottles raspberry cooler, very well chilled[/drinkRecipe]

Cut orange in half lengthwise; cut halves into thin slices. Cut grapefruit half into quarters; cut quarters into thin slices. Cut lemon into thin slices. Place cut-up fruit in bowl and pour blackberry-flavored brandy over it. Mash fruit to release juices and bruise rind. Transfer fruit to large pitcher. Add 3 or 4 ice cubes; stir. Pour raspberry cooler into pitcher; stir to combine. Serve in juice glasses or cups, adding a bit of fruit to each portion.

[recipe_title]Peachy Cooler[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz.peach schnapps[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 lime[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. peach cooler, well chilled[/drinkRecipe]

Pour schnapps over 2 or 3 ice cubes in 8-oz. highball glass; stir. Squeeze juice of lime into glass; stir. Add cooler; stir briefly.

[recipe_title]Canadian Cooler[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. Canadian whisky[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. citrus cooler, or to taste, well chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Strip of orange peel[/drinkRecipe]

Pour whisky over ice cubes in old fashioned glass; stir. Add citrus cooler; stir quickly. Twist orange peel over drink, then drop into glass.

If there's a difference of opinion about what beverage to serve at a party, let cooler heads prevail.

"Coolers make marvelous mixers. Simply combine them with a splash of your favorite spirit."