Jan Roberts-Dominguez / Special to The BulletinInstead of Creme de Cassis, the Timber Royale comes with a splash of a Harris Bridge sweet vermouth in a slender flute filled to the brim with sparkling wine.

Picnicking on the tasting room deck at Harris Bridge Vineyard in Philomath a few weeks ago, with golden shafts of light filtering through the oaks and a refreshing Timber Royale tantalizing my palate, the world seemed about as right as it could be.

My winter-dulled psyche had leapt over spring and launched full-force into summer, which is exactly what a summer sipper is supposed to do. Land your work-a-day soul smack-dab in the middle of a sunnier, less-complicated world.

Take the Timber Royale: the winery’s twist on a Kir Royale. Instead of Creme de Cassis, it comes with a splash of a Harris Bridge sweet vermouth in a slender flute filled to the brim with sparkling wine. On its own, Timber, their Pinot Noir-based vermouth, is a complex layering of rich oak aroma and luscious cherry and fennel flavors. But as owners/winemakers Amanda Sever and Nathan Warren so wisely know, this time of year, folks dropping by their tasting room just might want to start things off with a refreshing whistle-wetter.

That’s the premise behind even the most basic of wine coolers. As simple as glugging a bit of sparkling water and semi-sweet wine over a glass of ice and adding some local berries for flavor and drama.

Then there’s my house sangria; my aunt Nida’s Sangria, actually. It’s the wonderful wine cooler she used to serve at their summer house in the Sonoma Valley on balmy summer evenings, based on local wines with the addition of citrus, orange liqueur and a bit more.

One sip these days transports me to those proverbial good ol’ days. I make it in relatively large quantities through the summer months and store it in the fridge for last-minute drop-ins.

When a little extra effort can be considered, you might opt for a more exotic approach.

One of my favorites is the Caipirinha. Its smooth flavor belies its potency, for this seductive sipper is made with cachaca, Brazil’s sugarcane firewater. But like so many summer sippers, such a fiery base, when united with freshly squeezed limes, superfine sugar, and lots of ice, it’s transformed into the most amazing refresher. The drink of goddesses on Brazilian beaches.

So before the season gets away from us, I decided to arm you with some of my favorite fruity concoctions that hit the spot in summer’s sultry weather. And don’t miss out on a recipe that isn’t even alcoholic. It’s the popular lavender lemonade from Janet and Rolfe Hagen’s wonderful little corner of the world, Thyme Garden, near the sleepy little town of Alsea.

Of course, as if on cue, a friend posted her own concoction on Facebook recently, and she gave me permission to share. So without further ado, here’s Trish Weber’s newly minted summer sipper:

“Take 3 parts Vanilla Rooibos sun tea, 1 part Kahlua, a dash of cream, ice, and blend. Top the glass with a bit of fizzy water. I call it a Lite Russian. YOU CAN TRUST ME ON THIS.”

And I do, indeed. Thanks, Trish.

— Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis food writer, artist and author of “Oregon Hazelnut Country, the Food, the Drink, the Spirit” and four other cookbooks. Readers can contact her by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.