Sangria for summer!


One of my first experiences with sangria was at an Italian wine bar in Fremont called Azzurri Vino Bar. We had originally gone to the George and the Dragon to watch a Seattle Sounders game but the pub was too full. We walked down the street and followed the green jerseys to a little hole-in-the-wall wine bar that was taking advantage of all the customers who couldn't get in to the G&D. The sangria looked like the bar's specialty as nearly everyone was sipping a glass of it - we followed suit and ordered it, and told ourselves that someday we'd make our own delicious sangria!

"Someday" was Saturday, about a year after our experience at Azzurri. We even bought a new glass pitcher to hold the drink.

The cast of characters:
  • red wine (we used cabernet sauvignon)
  • a cup of brandy
  • a splash of triple sec
  • strawberries
  • cherries
  • one lemon
  • one orange
  • club soda
  • sugar

The sangria turned out beautifully! The next time we make it, we won't put in all the rinds of the citrus fruits - the taste of the rinds was too strong, especially since the sangria needs a full day to sit in the fridge and become infused with all the fruity goodness. Make it in a glass pitcher so you can stare at its gorgeous deep red color - a feast for the eyes as well as the palate!

2 comments:

Esther said...

Hey Heather! I am thinking of making this tonight! Did you use the entire bottle of wine and a full liter of Club Soda?

Thanks!!

Esther

Heather Seymour said...

Hey Esther! A full bottle of wine and about a quarter of a 2-litre bottle of club soda (I think that's how big those bottles come...) We usually "top it off" with the club soda - Mark said enough to make it sparkly but not enough to make it watery... I hope that helps. :)