Adventurous drinkers and celebrity TikTokers are finding creative things to mix with it. @timthetankofficial and @nicoleleeanne6, two TikTok users who aren’t afraid to test out new, bold flavors, both recently advocated for pairing red wine with sweetened condensed milk. After trying it myself, I agree. It’s reminiscent of the long-standing, boozy summer drink sangria (a great way to use cheap wine), but with a creamy twist. This is a drink that wouldn’t be out of place among the mimosas and Bloody Marys at a brunch table.

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While this may sound like a strange new experiment, this drink has its roots in Brazilian culture. Red wine and sweetened condensed milk are two of the ingredients in a Brazilian cocktail called Espanhola, which also has pineapple puree added to it. However, the simple combination of red wine and sweetened condensed milk without the pineapple gained viral fame. After trying this combination, I also mixed in pineapple juice to get an idea of ​​the original taste of the Espanhola.

Since the condensed milk already provides enough sweetness, Espanhola’s recipes recommend using a dry red wine, as it has very low sugar content after fermentation. Common dry red wines include Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon, which is what I used. Dry red wine can be bitter, so it made sense that adding sweet milk would mitigate this.

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Like the TikTokers, I relied on mood for my recipe. First, I filled a regular wine glass a third full with Cabernet. Then I spooned in the condensed milk, stirred it with a milk frother, then added more milk to taste. The hue of my drink was more açai than the blushing and coy pink of the influencers, even after adding three heaping spoonfuls of milk.

The milk understandably increased the sweetness level, but it also brought out the natural fruit flavor of the Cabernet, and the creaminess somehow made the drink seem lighter. It was a fun, smooth flavor combination.

For the bonus round, I tried to mimic the more traditional Espanhola by adding a generous splash of pineapple juice to the mix. This trick made the cocktail reach my winner’s circle. The pineapple added a fuller dimension of fruit and acidity that helped balance out the potentially overly sweet condensed milk.

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Sweetened condensed milk is used in more Brazilian cocktails than the Espanhola. If you’re more of a traditional cocktail drinker, you can skip the wine altogether. A cocktail called a batida combines sweetened condensed milk with the strong Brazilian liquor called cachaça, a spirit perhaps better known as the star of a caipirinha. The caipirinha is Brazil’s national drink – cachaça is made from sugar cane, which is found in abundance throughout the country.

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A more common use of sweetened condensed milk can be found at your local coffee shop. The sweet stuff is a key ingredient in Vietnamese iced coffee. Just as the milk pairs well with red wine, the bitter and often fruity flavor profile of the coffee is complemented by the invigorating touch of sweetness. You can also take your flavor journey to another part of Southeast Asia and combine the milk with cardamom, anise and black tea for a delicious Thai iced tea.