Liquid Goodness

Sangria.

It’s my new favorite thing.

It’s also a perfectly refreshing summertime libation. And given the recent heat wave that has, unfortunately, settled into Wisconsin, a must have summertime survival cocktail. We’re not talking mildly hot. I’m talking African veldt hot.

Hot.

Hotter.

Hottest.

Sticky, sweaty, stifling heat. The kind of heat that foreshadows hell, if you believe in that sort of thing.

Sangria is wine with a kick. And it has fruit. So it’s practically healthy.

I will admit, I initially balked at Sangria. It has brandy. Not a lot. Just enough for a little buzz boost. I was skeptical. I have bad brandy history. One erroneous over-indulgence when I was 19, when Ann Felachino snuck my under-aged sorry-self into the Nitty Gritty and fed me unhealthy quantities of brandy old fashioned sweets. It didn’t end well. I was a victim. Needless to say I can barely look at brandy some 20+ years later. Happily the brandy is just a background buzz boost and the wine + fruit is center stage.

My Sangria recipe has undergone a bit of tweaking. Tweaking being defined as “more booze, less mixer”. My first pass at Sangria had 32 ounces of mixer. 32 ounces!. That’s 4 cups mixer to one bottle of wine and 3 Tbls of brandy + fruit. It was a little flat.

I did what any good amateur mixologist would do. I Googled. I read. I made some notes. I tried again. And this is what has evolved into my new favorite summertime big girl fruit punch.

Important note –  Sangria is cold and refreshing and slips right down. Probably a bit too quickly,  so be sure to pace your chemicals (and eat some real food) so you don’t have a nasty hangover.

Stefanie’s Sangria

• 1 Cup of chopped fresh pineapple or apple – you choose, they are both good. You could also use pitted cherries but I found cherry pitting to be more of a hassle then it’s worth.
• 1 lemon and orange – thinly sliced
• ¾ cup of brandy
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 bottle red wine. I used Rioja which is from Spain but a decent Pinot Noir works too…or you can use a Merlot if you like something drier. Both wines used were in the less than $10 range. Sa-weet!
• 2 cups diet white soda

Prepare fruit. Add brandy and OJ and let ruminate for a few hours. Overnight is ok. I mean really, is there anything better than boozey fruit? I think no.

Meanwhile, chill the wine and soda. Then mix the whole mess up. Give it quick stir. Pour into a wine glass over ice.

Sigh contentedly.