Perfect Summer Drink Recipe: Red Sangria

When I think of summer,  Sangria comes to mind- so when Memorial Day quickly came our way, it was time to make some! I have been thinking/talking about Sangria for a few weeks now. During a street fair in our town, a local wine store was having a Sangria tasting. A new product was being launched- I was quite skeptical about what was about to come out of the red wine like bottle. I tasted it and was pleasantly surprised! It was very good- the nice man told me about the mixed drink and how it only had red wine and fruit puree. I wanted to buy it thinking how easy it would be to open a bottle of sangria in a moments notice but of course the mixologist in our family- my husband wouldn’t hear of it! He wanted to make his own, even though he admitted the bottled one was pretty good. I had looked up several recipes including one with passion fruit puree- which jumped out at me immediately since passion fruit is my all time favorite fruit. I don’t get to eat it too often around here and when I do, it’s very expensive but it is SO worth every penny- if you have never tasted a real passion fruit you have to try it- it is kind of a mix between a mango, guava and a peach but a lot better and intense! Anyway, I suggested the recipes to my husband but he refused and wanted to do research himself and come up with his own concoction. We went out to the ironbound section of Newark for a fabulous Portuguese/Spanish meal on Saturday and had a great tasting sangria there- it was not very intense in alcohol but was delicious. It reminded me of the sangria we had in Barcelona- it was our first day there and we had just unpacked and settled into our apartment. To keep awake we decided to walk to the popular area of Las Rambla. After a while we sat down in the median at a cafe and indulged in the biggest glasses of sangria I had ever seen! It was the most delicious sangria I have ever had. While in the Newark restaurant, I asked the waiter for the ingredients and they were quite standard- wine, simple syrup and fruit- quite easy to replicate at home.

My husband’s concoction was extremely delicious- it was tangy and sweet and the alcohol was apparent as well. A very well balanced drink that went really well with salsa and guacamole and chorizo burgers- recipes to come in the next week or so. I predict a lot of sangria in our future this summer!

   
• 1 bottle red wine (dry cabernet)
• ½ cup simple syrup
• ½ cup triple sec
• ½ cup cranberry juice
• ½ cup pear nectar
• 1 cup club soda
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 lime, sliced
• 1 orange, sliced
• Ice

Place the lemon, lime and orange slices in the bottom of a large glass pitcher. Add the simple syrup and press the fruit down with a wooden spatula to release the citrus flavor. Add the wine, triple sec, cranberry juice, pear nectar and club soda. Mix well and chill for 2 to 3 hours before serving. Add ice and serve.