Rosé ice lolly brings cold comfort to wine lovers

WHILE rosé wine is vying to be the hottest drink of the heatwave, an alcoholic ice lolly may be the coolest.

A “frosé” frozen cocktail has become the first alcoholic ice lolly sold at Waitrose to keep customers cool as the summer temperatures soar.

Waitrose has enjoyed a 20per cent sales increase on rosé this year, and last week the category enjoyed its best ever performance.

But with temperatures regularly hovering around 86F (30C), the supermarket chain is now helping wine-loving shoppers stay cool with a new range of Provence rosé ice poles.

Mirabeau will be hoping its Frosé Popsicles, blending Classic Mirabeau rosé wine and strawberry essence, will fly off Waitrose shelves.

It said that online searches for frosé have increased seven-fold since July 2016, as people look for recipe inspiration, and visits to the frosé recipe page on waitrose.com have increased by 250per cent compared with this time last year.

Victoria Mason, Waitrose wine buyer, told Drinks Retailing News: “This is the first time we have launched an alcoholic popsicle. Frosé was a huge trend last summer, with people making their own at home and sharing recipes and pictures all over Instagram.

“Now we’re offering customers the chance to cool down with a ready-made frozen version of one of our bestselling rosé wines. It’s the perfect way to enjoy Mirabeau in the heatwave.”

Stephen Cronk, Mirabeau owner, added: “We’re excited to be launching our frosé cocktail with Waitrose, who have been such a great partner to our family business from its very first day.”

The ice pop is a collaboration with young entrepreneurs Harry Stimpson and Noah Geeves, founders of Lic.