Thursday, August 11, 2011

Sangria

I LOVE sangria, and what mommy doesn't need a little drink every now and then.  My friend Derrick gave me this recipe after I had it at a party and it is delish, and not very strong, which I happen to like about it.  I don't like when a drink suddenly knocks me on my ass, and this one you can have a few glasses of and still feel fine.

1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz)- I used Cupcake Vineyards Red Velvet, my favorite red of the moment
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Lime cut into wedges
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Cups of lemonade
2 Shots triple sec (optional)- I left this out since I don't have it in the house and used gin instead
1 Cup of raspberries and/or strawberries (frozen) - I used frozen mixed berries
1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
4 Cups ginger ale

Preparation:
Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple with the juice, then add sugar, lemonade and triple sec. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, and frozen berries just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.
I never use ice, I don't like the ice to melt, it will kill the flavor, so I use lots and lots of frozen fruit. You can also jazz it up by added a few shots of gin and using Mike's Hard Lemonade. Also shave just a pinch of cinnamon into the mix, gives it a nice aroma a touch of spice.

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