All you need to turn up a party is a big personality, not a strong drink -- a lesson my parents probably don't even realize they taught me. My first taste of alcohol was watered down, you see. On holidays, my parents would water down a glass of whatever they were drinking with a formal dinner and offer it to me. Oh, the nostalgia of it all! Cut to 2015, and I drink wine a tad more than just on holidays, but a bit of watered-down cheap wine still has its place in the form of the wine spritzer. Yes, it’s perhaps déclassé to drink wine spritzers. It’s definitely déclassé to use duct tape at all, let alone zebra print duct tape, yet that fact has not stopped me from blazing my own trail through life and putting zebra print duct tape on my doorbell to try to draw people's attention to it. (This glamorous DIY doesn't always work because some people just insist on knocking for some reason, but zebra print duct tape looks better than drab condo brown that blends with the rest of the drab condo brown.) I like wine. I care about varietals, decanting, and swirl of the glass. And I understand the fear of tannins is largely misunderstood BS. But in spring and summer, I’m sometimes okay with just a bit of so-so wine and seltzer. It’s kind of lovely and a way to drink socially while hydrating a bit and not taking too much alcohol. This drink is totally easy, but if a recipe is necessary, see below: STEP ONE: Add three or four ice cubes to a wine glass. STEP TWO: Pour your wine first and seltzer second. If it’s your first or second drink, about a two-to-one wine-to-seltzer ratio works, and you can always adjust the ratio. Voilà! If you want to try to be fancy, add a berry or two and then throw it at anyone who judges you for your choice of refreshment. Cheers.