Red Grape Juice
Red grape juice is pressed, unfermented dark grape juice — deep purple, sweet and softly tannic, with much of the fruit character of red wine and none of its alcohol, acidity or dryness. That combination makes it the standard base for alcohol-free mulled drinks, where spice and citrus supply the structure the missing alcohol would otherwise carry. It is noticeably sweeter than wine, so alcohol-free recipes built on it usually need extra acidity rather than extra sugar.
Common uses
- base for alcohol-free mulled and spiced hot drinks
- wine-substitute base in alcohol-free adaptations of wine cocktails
Buying & storage
A few days: Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.
Buying: Look for 100% juice rather than a juice drink — 'grape juice drink' is usually diluted and sweetened, which makes an already-sweet base cloying once it is reduced with spices.
Storage: refrigerate after opening and use within 5-7 days
In depth
Understanding red grape juice
How it is made, where it comes from, what it pairs with, and how it behaves in an alcohol-free drink.
Origin
Commercially pasteurised unfermented grape juice has been produced since the late nineteenth century; it is a standard supermarket staple across the UK and US.
Before it goes
Use up red grape juice
Ranked by how much of it each drink uses and how little else it needs — the ones at the top will not send you back to the shop.
- Alcohol-Free Mulled Wine
Uses 750ml. Also needs fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, cinnamon sticks (2 whole), whole cloves (about 6), orange wheels.
Recipes
Cocktails containing this ingredient
Swap it
Possible substitutions
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