Monday, August 04, 2008

It's the perfect season for Sangria

I went to a barbecue recently (for blog friend Sue!), and loved the Sangria so much that I asked for the recipe.
The host copied a page from some sort of entertaining book (it wasn't a cookbook).
I apologize for not being able to post the source, but this is a fun recipe to share.

A couple of decades ago (gulp), I went to summer school in Spain, in Salamanca.
Sangria, therefore, has a sort of warm and fuzzy place in my heart.

Ultimate Sangria

3 litres red wine (cabernet sauvignon)
2 cups sugar
6 to 8 ounces plain brandy
2 large lemons, thinly sliced
2 large oranges, thinly sliced
2 large apples, sliced
1 to 2 litres citrus-flavor bubbly water (orange or lemon preferred)

Mix the wine, sugar, brandy, lemons, oranges and apples in a large container.
Chill, covered, for 18 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
Just before serving, stir again and taste, adding additional sugar or brandy if desired.
It should have a fairly strong flavor and be fairly sweet, almost syrupy.
Add 1 litre of the bubbly water, stirring until the sangria has a thinner, more wine-like consistency and adding additional bubbly water as needed.
Pour into glasses.

Makes about 4-1/2 quarts.

Tip: Eliminate the sugar by choosing a sweet red wine, and add real eye appeal by floating more exotic fruits in the pitcher, like raspberries, nectarine, peach, and pear slices, plum halves, and blackberries. Be creative!

I am curious how it would taste using 7up or Sierra Mist instead of mineral water. Hmmmm....

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hia Barb the UK equivalent of sangria is Pimms No 1. I once had the best sangria ever on Gran Canaria. We'd hired a car and explored the west side of the island then headed in land to see a lake the locals used. I had a map and we then followed a white marked road to reach the east side of the island Puerto Morgan. Well the road got smaller and smaller, and then started to wind down this mountain with scarcely enough room for this tiny fiesta car and a sheer drop with no barriers on one side. Hubby drove very carefully as DD was a baby in the back. When we finally got down there was a sign pointing up the way we had come saying "Camel Trail". needless to say when we reached Puerto Morgan for the dancing festival I asked for a large jug of sangria and felt like kissing the ground like the pope. Been fond of the drink ever since. :-)

7:31 AM  
Blogger lu-n-am said...

I love love Sangria thanks for the recipe, I'm writing it down. :)

8:47 AM  
Blogger Julie said...

I haven't had alcohol in years but Sangria is something I really could go for.

2:38 PM  

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