22 OctCocktails & Candies Full Recipes

Who’s ready for Stellaween season? You sure will be after watching our next live tasting with Nina Chantele from MYfm. We’ll be sharing six enchanting Halloween-themed candy pairings and cocktails to help you make sure that your Stellaween Stellabrations are a haunting success! Don’t miss out on these iconic pairings. We hope you enjoy and don’t forget to Stellabrate responsibly!

TUNE IN INFO: Stella Rosa’s YouTube channel @StellaRosaTV or Facebook @StellaRosaWines Thursday, October 22nd at 4:00 pm PST.

If you’re reading this past October 22nd , you can head over to our Facebook page to watch the full live video.

1. PAIRING 1: Stella Rosa Black + Candied Apples

Makes: ~6 apples

a. Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups Stella Rosa Black
• 8 small McIntosh apples (stemmed, washed well, and dried)
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup water
• 6 tbsps. heavy cream
• 6 wooden sticks (thick popsicle sticks)

b. Instructions:

1. Insert a wooden stick halfway into each apple at stems end. Line a tray with wax paper and lightly grease paper.
2. Boil wine in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to ½ cup, about 8-10 mins. Remove from heat.
3. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from sides of pan with a pastry brush soaked in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so the caramel colors evenly. Add reduced wine and swirl pan; mixture will bubble up and steam. Add cream and simmer, stirring, until incorporated, then continue to simmer until thermometer registers 238°F. Remove from heat and cool to 200°F.
4. Holding apples by the sticks, dip them in caramel and swirl to coat, letting excess drip off, then hold apples up (stick end down) for about 15 secs to allow more caramel to set on apples. Put caramel apples, stick side up, on greased wax paper and let stand until caramel firms up, about 30 minutes.
5. Serve immediately with a cold glass of Stella Rosa Black or seal with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

2. PAIRING 2: Stella Rosa Red + Spooky Gummies

Makes: ~20 gummies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of Stella Rosa Red (or Moscato d’Asti)
• 2 ½ tbsps. unflavored gelatin
• ¼ cup granulated sugar

Special equipment:

• Gummy bear molds (we used spooky molds)

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, pour in Stella Rosa Red. Add gelatin and stir until it dissolves completely. The gelatin will cause the wine to thicken up to a slurry-like consistency. Keep stirring and the mixture should return to a liquid state again.
2. Once wine is in a liquid state again, add the sugar. Stir continuously until dissolved. Turn off heat but leave saucepan on stove to keep mixture warm.
3. Working quickly, use the eyedropper tool provided with the molds to fill molds with mixture in the saucepan. If your wine mixture has developed a layer of foam, make sure to push your eyedropper underneath the layer of foam so that you only get the liquid and try to avoid air bubbles ; the foam layer is edible but it is very sticky and will affect the clarity of your spooky gummies. Make sure you use up all of the mixture before it cools down because then it will become extremely thick and sticky.
4. Refrigerate molds for about 10-15 minutes to allow gummies to harden. Gummies can be enjoyed straight from the fridge or left to warm back up to room temperature before eating. Note: Store any uneaten ones in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Enjoyed best with a chilled glass of Stella Rosa Red!

Bonus cocktail: Blood Red Paloma

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. Stella Rosa Red
• 2 oz. gold tequila
• 7 blackberries
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 3 oz. grapefruit juice
• Blood orange soda
• Fresh mint leaves
• Ice

Instructions:

1. Add lime juice, 4 blackberries, mint leaves, and honey to the bottom of the cocktail shaker. Muddle with wooden spoon until mashed.
2. Add grapefruit juice, tequila, and shake well (about 30-45 seconds)
3. Pour Stella Rosa Red into the shaker and strain into glass, top with ice and blood orange soda.
4. Lastly, garnish with 3 fresh blackberries and mint leaves.

3. Stella Rosa Peach + Honey Peach Drops

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp. sugar
• 4 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. honey

Special equipment:

• Candy thermometer
• Hard candy silicon molds

Instructions:

1. In a pot, mix together the sugar, water and lemon juice and put it on the fire on a medium flame.
2. When the mixture boils, decrease the flame to low and stir in the honey.
3. Caramelize the mixture and cook it until it reaches the hard crack stage (146°C-155°C/295°F-310°F) on a candy thermometer.
4. Then pour into molds and let the candy harden completely before unmolding.
5. Enjoy with some refreshing Stella Rosa Peach.

4. PAIRING 4: Stella Rosa Berry + Lollipops

Makes: ~12 lollipops

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups Stella Rosa Berry
• 3 tbsps. corn syrup
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• 12 Lollipop sticks
• Luster dust (optional)

Special equipment:

• Candy thermometer
• A hard candy lollipop mold or a silicone mat

Instructions:

1. Bring Stella Rosa Berry wine to a simmer in a small saucepan.  Simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup; this should take about 20-25 minutes.  Remove from stove-top and let cool completely.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and wine reduction.  Stir until combined.  Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Stir occasionally with a heat-proof spatula until all sugar granules have dissolved.  Boil until candy temperature registers 298°F-310°F on a candy thermometer.
3. Remove from heat and fill greased lollipop molds with the hot candy.  Place lollipop sticks in the stick crevices and rotate until the stick is coated in the hot candy.  Alternatively, you may drop the hot candy from a spoon onto a silicone mat or parchment paper, making 2-3-inch disks and leaving room to place and rotate the lollipop sticks.
4. Let the lollipops cool and harden completely.
5. Embellish with luster dust (optional) and store between sheets of parchment in an airtight container.
6. After at least one day in the refrigerator, enjoy with a chilled glass of Stella Rosa Berry.

5. PAIRING 5: Rosso Lux + Chocolate and Hazelnut Truffles

Makes: ~10 truffles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Stella Rosa Rosso Lux
• 8 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Cocoa powder (for coating)
• Shredded coconut (for coating)
• Finely chopped pistachios (for coating)

Special equipment:

• Cookie scooper

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring Stella Rosa Rosso Lux wine to a boil and cook until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes.
2. Place chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. In another small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Pour heavy cream mixture over chocolate and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add the reduced wine and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop chocolate ganache and drop into the shredded coconut. Coat in coconut and then use your hands to roll into a ball. Coat in coconut again and transfer to a tray. Repeat alternating between coconut, cocoa powder, and pistachio. Refrigerate until ready to serve with a glass of Stella Rosa Rosso Lux.

6. PAIRING 6: Stella Rosa Moscato d’Asti + Pumpkin Cake

a. Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree

For the Frosting:

• 1 (8-oz.) block cream cheese, softened
• 4 tbsp. butter, softened
• 2 c. powdered sugar 
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Pinch kosher salt
• Crushed gingersnaps, for topping

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9”-x-13” baking pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and ginger.
2. In a large bowl , use a mixer and beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and pumpkin puree and beat until incorporated. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
3. Pour batter into prepared baking pan; smoothen out the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, make frosting: In a large bowl, use a mixer and beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until no lumps remain, then add vanilla and a pinch of salt.
5. Grab the edges of the parchment paper to lift cake out of pan and and place on serving platter or cutting board. Frost cake using an offset spatula and top with crushed gingersnaps.

Bonus cocktail: Blood Orange Sangria

Makes: 1 pitcher

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle Stella Rosa Moscato d’Asti
• ½ bottle gold tequila
• 3 oz. blood orange juice
• About 4 oranges if squeezing fresh
• 1.5 oz lime juice
• 1 splash orange liquor
• 2 cups of club soda
• 2 blood oranges, sliced into wheels
• 4 limes, sliced into wheels
• 2 oranges, sliced into wheels
• Ice

Instructions:

1. In a pitcher, combine tequila, Stella Rosa Moscato D’Asti, blood orange juice, lime juice, and orange liquor. Stir.
2. Add in cut fruit.
3. Top with club soda to fill pitcher, stirring slowly.
4. Add ice to glass, pour in sangria and garnish with blood orange wheels and lime slices. Enjoy!

We hope you enjoyed these yummy adult treats, which are all creations of our talented chef Ray of San Antonio Winery’s Maddalena Restaurant.

If you recreate any of these candy pairings or cocktails, make sure to share them with us by tagging us on Instagram and Facebook.

Thank you to everyone who watched our live tastings over the last few months. We’re looking forward to bringing these back next year, see you soon!