The Holiday times are almost upon us. The light crunching of the leaves underfoot, the ridiculous Halloween decorations spewing out on all of my neighbors' lawns… the impending knowledge that if I don't finish up that last little project on the house outside, I will be working in bitter sub-zero weather soon to finish it… Also it is the time of reuniting with old friends, hosting dinners, going to parties, having holiday celebrations… and receiving terrible bottles of wine. You know who is going to bring them. The relatives who just know you're going to love this $5.00 bottle that they found in this quaint grocery store, the friend who hasn't graduated from drinking out of the boxes… It's going to be terrible. However, there is a solution that isn't often explored in the wintertime. Sangria!
Image credit: Gulf Gourmet
Sangria can easily mask most terrible wines and make a delightful holiday drink as well. You can even "recycle" the terrible wines that the previous guests brought and dump them into what can become a delightful drinking experience.
The fun thing that I have discovered is that you don't necessarily have to stick to a traditional recipe, you can be as creative as your liquor cabinet allows. In fact, let me know if you have "discovered" any new combinations from necessity or creativity. Here are a couple of interesting ones that I have tried. It usually helps to let it sit overnight to let the fruit soak in the liquor, but it can be ready to drink in as short of a time as right after you make it. Enjoy!
Traditional Sangria Recipe
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced
1 medium apple; pared, cored and sliced
1 c pitted cherries
1 c pineapple chunks
¾ c brandy
1 bottle dry red wine (750ml)
1 bottle Regatta Ginger Beer (12oz)
1 c orange juice
Dump all ingredients into a pitcher, refrigerate and enjoy!
Exotic Coconut Rum Sangria
2 navel oranges, thinly sliced
2 lemons, thinly sliced
2 limes, thinly sliced
1 pear, cored and chopped
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 c strawberries, sliced
1 can pineapple chunks in juice (20oz)
½ c white sugar
½ c Fee Brothers Triple Sec Syrup
1 c white rum
1/3 c coconut rum
2 c orange juice
2 bottles dry red wine (750ml ea)
6 oz frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
¼ c lemon juice
2 tbsp lime juice
1 bottle Regatta Ginger Beer (12oz)
Toss everything into an apparatus large enough to hold it all, refrigerate and enjoy!
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