Summertime Sangria | a recipe.

by dubayfamily

When the air gets hot, and life gets filled with all sorts of summer activities – Ryan and I turn to enjoying our evening adult beverage. I’ve toyed with mixing Watermelon Vodka with Passion fruit LaCroix + a fresh smashed mint leaf… which has become a new favorite- but every now and then it’s nice to mix it up.

Ry and I are your novice, to average, red wine connoisseurs. We know the basics, but mostly we just try different bottles until we find a favorite. Tonight we decided fresh fruit + a little extra kick was in order, so Sangria it is!

We started by adding a bottle of red wine. The more dry the wine, the less sweet your sangria will be when you’re done. By the time you add sugary fruit, and the liquor – it can get overbearing if you don’t start with a semi-dry wine, so keep that in mind when searching for the right bottle.

Then add the hard liquors. We used 1/2 cup brandy (not pictured), and a 1/2 cup triple sec. You can also add fruit juices like, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup orange juice or frozen lemonade concentrate. Ry and I skipped the frozen lemonade & lemon juice to stay away from getting too much sugar involved. We were looking for a peachy/orange tasting sangria.

Finally, add fresh & frozen fruits to a glass pitcher. The fruit doesn’t matter a whole lot, as long as you think they’d blend well with your wine pairings. Ryan used a mixture of frozen* peaches, fresh local cherries, oranges, and a handful of frozen huckleberries picked with love by our kiddos last year.

*Note: with any soft fruit like peaches, you’ll want to use a frozen version. When the wine sits overnight, your fruit will become extra mushy if it started out already soft. Frozen peaches still taste great, and also hold their normal “peach” texture.

Let your Sangria sit in the refrigerator overnight to allow the fruit to soak in the liquor & all flavors to blend. Serve chilled with fresh rosemary spring. Or for bubble version, add club soda.

 

Full Recipe: Summertime Sangria

• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup triple sec
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
• 1 bottle dry, red wine
• oranges
• frozen peaches
• cherries
• huckleberries

In a large pitcher, mix together all liquids. Add fresh & frozen fruit, and refrigerate overnight. Add club soda for a fizzy sangria before serving. Enjoy.