Kitty Cocktail Recipe ｜ A Simple 2-Ingredient Wine Drink

This Kitty cocktail is strikingly simple: just red wine and ginger ale. If red wine’s tannins usually put you off, ginger ale’s sweetness and gentle spice smooth those edges right out. Here’s the twist: this drink actually has real documented history — it first appeared in print around 1941, in W.C. Whitfield’s cocktail book “Here’s How,” illustrated with a napping cat. With a low ABV and genuine food-friendliness, it’s an easy, approachable pour to make at home.

Recipe and Method

Ingredients

Method

• Technique ｜ Stir
• Glass ｜ Wine glass
• ABV ｜ Around 7-8%
• Best Enjoyed ｜ Daytime / Before a meal

Kitty ｜ Details and Video

Origins

There are three well-known stories behind this cocktail’s name.

The first: “kitty” is simply an affectionate word for a kitten, and the idea is that this drink is so gentle and easy-drinking that even a kitten could handle it.

The second: the fizz from the ginger ale is said to look almost as playful as a kitten at play.

The third: “Kitty” is a common nickname for the name Katherine in English-speaking countries, and some believe the cocktail borrowed the nickname directly.

Nobody knows for certain which of these is true, or whether there’s an entirely different story behind it — but whichever it is, the name is undeniably charming and easy to love. What is documented, though, is that the drink itself first appeared in print around 1941 in W.C. Whitfield’s cocktail guide “Here’s How,” complete with a little illustration of a lounging cat, so the feline connection to its name is at least historically fitting.

Character and Flavor

The charming name “Kitty” is often traced back to being a nickname for the woman’s name Katherine. Built from nothing more than equal parts red wine and ginger ale, it’s a casual wine cocktail anyone can put together without effort.

Red wine’s deep, purplish-ruby color comes alive with ginger ale’s dancing bubbles, almost like watching a small jewel sparkle inside the glass. Red wine’s tannins and acidity get wrapped in ginger ale’s sweetness and ginger’s gentle spice, while the carbonation keeps the whole thing light on the way down.

Take a sip and red wine’s usual heaviness disappears, replaced by something as approachable as a fruit soda. With its low ABV, it’s an easy recommendation even for people who don’t typically drink.

It’s a natural match with food too — give this gentle, food-friendly pour a try next time you’re looking for something easygoing to sip with a meal.

Points, Twists, and Food Pairings

Food Pairings

• Pepperoni pizza — Red wine’s acidity already cuts through cheese and tomato sauce, and ginger ale’s spice adds an extra layer that plays nicely with smoky, salty toppings.
• Cheese and crackers — A simple, classic match; the fizz lightens the wine’s richness, letting mild cheese flavors come through cleanly.
• Spicy dishes — Ginger’s gentle heat echoes and balances spicy food, rather than clashing with it, the same way ginger ale works alongside spicy pizza.

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Points

A common mistake is stirring too vigorously, which flattens the ginger ale’s fizz and leaves the drink tasting flat. Pour gently along the glass edge and stir just once or twice.

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Twists

• Add a squeeze of fresh lime for extra brightness and acidity
• Muddle a few fresh mint leaves for a cooling, herbal twist
• Swap in a lighter red like Pinot Noir instead of a bold, tannic one for an even smoother sip

I’d always pour the ginger ale in last and slowly — dumping it in fast kills the fizz instantly, and that fizz is honestly half the charm of this drink.

Recipe Video

• Recipe Video ｜ Muse Amuse   Channel Home